"There has been a revival of interest in Core French, partly as a result of
the success of immersion. With the hope that students could really learn to
communicate within a school setting came the realization that the immersion
program could not serve the needs of all students. The large majority of French
as a second language students in Canadian schools are, and will continue to
be, enrolled in Core French. For them, the Core French program is likely the
only road towards a level of functional bilingualism, which must be the goal
of French second language teaching in this country."
(R. LeBlanc, 1990)
In an effort to raise the level of consciousness in this area of language teaching, the Canadian Association of Second Language Teachers (CASLT) proposed a major research project intended as a first step toward reaching a national consensus on the teaching of Core French. This five year research project became known as the National Core French Study.
We are attempting to follow, as far as is feasible in Saskatchewan, the recommendations of the National Core French Study and the Core French Curriculum Model proposed by the CASLT. This model is being widely adopted and resource materials are already being revised to meet the new curriculum objectives and criteria.
The National Core French Study was designed to build on teaching practices already used by teachers. Therefore, much of what is already in our curriculum guides will be retained. The most significant change will be the manner in which teaching units and activities are organized.
Rationale for a Multidimensional Curriculum
A multidimensional curriculum for teaching second languages was first proposed by H. H. Stern (1982) and was researched and expanded by the National Core French Study. (CMLR, 39,1)
This approach means that the Core French program does not focus on language alone. Instead, elements from four syllabi, Communicative/Experiential, Language, Culture and General Language Education are combined to provide a study of the second language in all its aspects, taking into account the context in which language is used for communication.
A multidimensional curriculum approach is used because:
The Communicative/ Experiential syllabus is designed to have the student develop language and communicative skills by doing things rather than by simply examining the language. The students no longer begin by studying the code system in order to understand its functioning. Instead, they find themselves in a situation where they must use the language for a definite purpose, to complete a clearly defined task. It is thus a variation of the immersion principle.
The purpose, the experiential goal must be clearly defined at the outset. This goal or task creates the need to know certain elements of French, a need which does not usually arise from the community. The experiential goal gives meaning and context to all communicative and language activities. The Communicative/ Experiential syllabus aims to develop communicative competence which includes mastery of communicative strategies.
It is the Communicative/Experiential syllabus which proposes the methodology to be used. All content, activities, and evaluation are determined by the experiential goal. A teaching unit is thus organized as follows:
Field of Experience
(Champ d'expérience):
Topic to be Developed (Sujet à développer):
Experiential Goal (But expérientiel):
Suggested Steps (Etapes suggérées):
The major benefit of this approach is that the experiential goal can be attained in a number of ways according to the ability levels, proficiency in French, interests, etc. of the students. The unit is personalized and students learn from one another. It is desirable to provide a friendly, supportive social context in the classroom that enables the students to take risks, thus becoming better language learners.
Specific language content can only be determined once the field of experience, the topic to be developed and the experiential goal have been identified. Explicit teaching of language rules and exercises which concentrate on the form will be necessary, but they will be done as a result of the student's need to know certain language elements in order to accomplish the communicative task more effectively. While primacy is given to the message, it is clear that correct form is critical to effective communication. The teaching of all language content must be done in context, taking into account the speakers, the topic, and the frame of reference. The Communicative/ Experiential orientation does not imply the disappearance of grammatical study but rather a more natural and integrated introduction according to the student's needs.
The Language Syllabus takes its contexts from the three other syllabi, but especially from the Communicative/Experiential syllabus. Determining the Communicative/ Experiential units and goals will, to a large degree, determine what "logical" grammar will be taught at a grade level. Logical language content for each experiential unit must be identified. Language content not covered naturally must be integrated into the experiential units in context.
However, we must still organize language content in order to make sure that students make steady progress in mastering the code system. Along with the communicative/ experiential approach, there must be some organizing principle to guide the language teaching component of the curriculum and the teaching units. This Guide suggests communicative competencies and linguistic elements which should be needed and therefore learned for each field of experience. Both communicative and linguistic competence must be developed systematically.
The Culture syllabus is an introduction to the sociocultural context of the language being studied. The cultural component in the multidimensional curriculum is intended not only to make the students' language learning more effective, but it should also add to their general education by preparing them to live in Canadian society and to broaden their cultural horizons.
It is important that when fields of experience are chosen from the Culture syllabus, the teaching unit should still follow the general format of proceeding from an experiential goal, with language content, methodology, and activities oriented towards effective completion of that goal.
The student should learn to understand and appreciate the culture associated with the target language and should also learn to understand and appreciate the multicultural world we live in.
It is suggested that culture be introduced into each experiential teaching unit whenever possible. In some cases, a special cultural unit could be developed.
The General Language Education Syllabus focuses on how languages are learned and makes linguistic comparisons. Its role is to encourage and facilitate reflections and generalizations about language, language learning strategies, and reflections about cultural similarities and differences. Developing students' awareness in these areas contributes to their general education.
By building into the curriculum the need and the opportunity to step back from their study of the language and to examine the process of language learning and of second language learning, students learn to transfer learning by making comparisons and drawing conclusions, and then reapplying what they have learned to new situations. They thus become autonomous learners.
General Language Education objectives are generally integrated into each experiential teaching unit in the Post - Activity or last step of the unit when the students are asked to step back and reflect upon the learning process and to examine ways of transferring what they have learned to new situations and to other languages.
As suggested by the National Core French Study, methodology at the curriculum and classroom levels requires the integration of the Communicative/ Experiential, Language, Culture, and General Language Education syllabi. These syllabi suggest that the language learning process stems from the students' interests and needs. The student must become involved in experiential teaching units which require learning, reflection, and some concrete production. The experiential task creates the need to communicate effectively in French, a need which does not exist in most anglophone communities.
The topic and its corresponding goal and suggested activities provide an organizational framework within which all skills, competencies and strategies are developed. The fields of experience come from the Communicative/ Experiential, the Culture, and the General Language Education syllabi. Teaching units are developed by integrating all four syllabi within this multidimensional curriculum.