Common Essential Learnings and the Core French Program
The multidimensional curriculum proposed in the Guide will provide many opportunities to incorporate the C.E.L.s into the program. The two ultimate goals involved in integrating the C.E.L.s into school subjects are more attainable:
| to help students better acquire the subject matter under study; | |
| to develop in students certain skills, abilities, values, and understandings which they will need in life and for future learning. |
Because language learning now begins with the students' knowledge, attitudes and behaviours around the field of experience chosen from the students' own life experiences, there is much more content involved. This means that certain C.E.L.s which are closely linked to content can be emphasized to a greater degree. Skills, abilities and understandings related to content can be developed more fully as students integrate general knowledge learned in the Core French class with that from other school subjects.
The approach to the teaching and learning of Core French outlined in this Guide ensures that certain C.E.L.s are taught in a systematic way. Certain fields of experience and tasks involve Numeracy, since numerical and quantitative information is collected and applied. This occurs especially in the pre-activity or introductory phase when the teacher and students compare their experiences and knowledge of the topic being studied. In some cases, their final task also involves making comparisons and applying numerical and quantitative information to new situations.
Creative and critical thinking is involved in judgements related to the correct and appropriate use of language elements. It is also required in making judgements and planning creative approaches and a sequence of steps in order to complete the experiential task or goal. Students must judge the success of their attempts to perform the task undertaken, and they must also evaluate their performance as a member of their assigned group. The teacher must evaluate his/her performance as a facilitator helping students to learn. Activities where students must classify in a number of different ways, develop categories, decide on the criteria for each category and explore the possibility of putting items into more than one category are all examples of Critical and Creative Thinking.
The Culture and Language syllabi (National Core French Study) provide many opportunities to develop Personal and Social Values and Skills. Learning a second language inevitably leads to comparing the similarities and differences in the way things are said and done in two different languages and cultures. The Culture syllabus encourages the inclusion of experiences related to the culture of the linguistic group being studied. Contact with authentic documents and with representatives of culture adds a realism and a personality to this group. The teacher's guidance and modelling have a great influence on the development of appropriate Personal and Social Values and Skills as he/she helps students to understand and accept differences and to develop respect and tolerance for other ways of doing things. In particular, the cultural information chosen and the manner of presentation can develop in students knowledge, attitudes and behaviours which will add to their general education and make them more tolerant citizens of Canada.
Independent Learning and Communication are built into the new curriculum approach. Since language elements are taught and learned on a need-to-know basis, students must decide what functional and linguistic elements they require and actively learn them in order to proceed toward the completion of the experiential task. Much of this involves independent learning, since different members of the class may require different language components.
Every instructional unit ends with a Post -Activity phase which usually comes from the General Language Education Syllabus. This requires that students and teacher step back from what they have been doing, and identify what they have learned from this experience: knowledge about the field of experience and knowledge about French and second languages in general. They identify strategies and make generalizations and discuss how they could apply them in other situations. The expectation is that the experience provided in this instructional unit will add to their general knowledge about the topic studied and will promote a favourable attitude and behaviour towards language learning and towards the people who speak a different language. For sample questions to ask the students during the Post - Activity phase, see Principles and Methodology, General Language Syllabus.
Adaptive Dimension
The Adaptive Dimension is an essential part of all educational programs. Like the Common Essential Learnings, the Adaptive Dimension is a component of Core Curriculum that permeates all curriculum and instruction.
The Adaptive Dimension is defined as:
the concept of making adjustments in approved educational programs to accommodate diversity in student learning needs. It includes those practices the teacher undertakes to make curriculum, instructions, and the learning environment meaningful and appropriate for each student (The Adaptive Dimension in Core Curriculum, Saskatchewan Education, 1992).
The essence of the Adaptive Dimension rests in the phrase, "seeking other ways". Offering students alternative access to, and expression of, knowledge facilitates their participation in learning. Just as physical environments can be made more accessible through modifications such as ramps or wider doorways, learning environments can be made more accessible through a modification of setting, method or material. The Adaptive Dimension is used to:
| maximize student independence | |
| facilitate integration | |
| maximize generalization and transfer | |
| lessen discrepancies between achievement and ability | |
| promote a love of learning | |
| promote a positive self-image and feeling of belonging | |
| promote confidence | |
| promote a willingness to become involved in learning. |
These purposes address a primary function of the school, that of helping students to maximize their potential as independent learners.
Students may find learning to be difficult or not to be challenging but with varying adaptations of teaching methodologies, curriculum organization, timetabling, or with the assistance of appropriate technologies they can be active participants in the core content of the curriculum. Some general guidelines for adaptation follow:
| Alter the experiential goal and/or the topic to be developed within the field of experience. | |
| Alter the pace of the lesson to ensure that students understand the concept being presented or are being challenged by the presentation. One of the most basic adaptations that can be made to assist students is to give them sufficient time to explore, create, question, and experience as they learn. | |
| Monitor the use of vocabulary. It is possible to use advanced and simple vocabulary in the same lesson by incorporating both the words in a sentence: "Pat was proficient or good at playing the game." This helps to satisfy the requirements of some students, expand the vocabulary of others, and make the lesson meaningful to others. | |
| Introduce attempts to increase rate of performance only when the student has achieved a high level of accuracy. | |
| Alter the method of instruction to meet the needs of the individual. | |
| Alter the manner in which the student is required to respond to the teacher and/or to the instructional approach. | |
| Alter the setting so that the student may benefit more fully from the instruction. | |
| Change the materials so that they enhance rather than impede learning. | |
| Have advanced or challenging tasks available for students who have become proficient. | |
| Use interactive techniques which allow close monitoring of the students' progress. | |
| Encourage as much student participation as possible in both planning and instruction. | |
| Modify evaluative procedures in order to maximize the amount of relevant information received from each student. | |
| Use support systems extensively (methods and personnel) -- adaptation is not possible without them. |
The Adaptive Dimension includes all practices the teacher employs to make learning meaningful and appropriate for each student. Because the Adaptive Dimension permeates all teaching practice, sound professional judgement becomes the critical factor in decision making. This curriculum guide allows for such flexibility and decision-making, since the experiential goal can be completed at various levels of student interest, knowledge and proficiency in French.