(2025) Supporting students with learning difficulties in French immersion
Que nous dit la recherche sur les meilleures façons d’appuyer les élèves ayant des besoins d’apprentissage en immersion française?
- Why is inclusion of students with learning difficulties in French immersion a repeated topic of discussion?
- What are the advantages of including students with learning difficulties in French immersion?
- Are there times when students with learning difficulties should be transferred to an English program?
- What kind of educational support is advantageous for students with learning difficulties in French immersion?
- Implications for classroom practice
- Conclusion
- References
- Lien vers la publication originale ou la référence bibliographique
Why is inclusion of students with learning difficulties in French immersion a repeated topic of discussion?
The French immersion program was created to be inclusive of all learners as determined at its inception in 1965 and shown in its associated success (Melikoff, 2016). With expansion of the program across the country and over time, French immersion evolved from the inclusivity of the first offering to include questions of suitability of the program for all. In general, we as educators want students to succeed with limited struggle. With the goal of supporting all students’ success, teachers have underscored their desire for professional development in this area and the need for additional support (i.e., educational assistants, special education resources) to do so.
What are the advantages of including students with learning difficulties in French immersion?
French immersion is known to be the best program for the development of French as a second language skills (Genesee, 2007). Including students with learning difficulties is of paramount importance as they too can experience the same benefits as other students, among those are: greater job opportunities, intercultural awareness, personal growth, comfort with ambiguity, and additional language skills (Arnott, Masson, & Lapkin, 2019). Perhaps more importantly, learning French as a second language through the French immersion program highlights that they are capable language learners thereby contributing to students’ self-esteem. However, their removal from the program can have the opposite effect. This perspective that the vast majority of students can learn a second language is reflective of the inclusionary practice elsewhere in the world where multiple language learning is the expectation for all (Schola Europaea, 2019).
Are there times when students with learning difficulties should be transferred to an English program?
Students with learning difficulties succeed in French immersion at a similar rate to their peers with learning difficulties in the English program. As a teacher said: “If a kid is struggling in math do we say let’s pull them from math, let’s pull them from history? No, you find the tools necessary to help this child in this subject. So why are we always saying pull them from French?” (Mady, 2023). This teacher highlights a key point for our consideration of this question: tools. These tools are not only the knowledge and skills of the classroom teacher but also the support afforded to the student by the broader educational community. Rather than the binary question posed above, perhaps we should pose the question: how can we get the students the same support they would receive in English while they remain in the French immersion program?
What kind of educational support is advantageous for students with learning difficulties in French immersion?
Many boards don’t have the capacity to assess students in French. Good news: English assessments can predict difficulties in French immersion and then provide direction for support (Erdos et al., 2014; MacCoubrey et al., 2004). Other good news? Early interventions can be done in French or bilingually and provide students with the support they need to be successful MacCoubrey et al., 2007; Wise & Chen, 2010).
Implications for classroom practice:
What can I do as a French immersion teacher?
Many French immersion teachers are using a variety of strategies to support students with learning difficulties find success in the program (Arnett & Bourgoin, 2018). For example, many teachers have been using strategies known to support all language learners that also serve those with learning difficulties such as providing graphic organizers, using highlighters to help students identify the important information in a text and giving clear instructions and feedback on cue cards (rather than orally) (LeBouthillier, 2013). Use of some English, timing reminders, reduction of audio distractions, positive reinforcement, multi-modal support, adaptations to the environment, and adaptation of curricular materials have also been used by French immersion teachers to successfully support students with learning difficulties. French immersion teachers have also embedded the inclusive practices of adapting content and materials, using various reinforcement methods, and adjusting pacing (Mady, 2020) into their classroom practices. As these studies show, French immersion teachers have made significant strides toward inclusion for students with various needs.
In addition to specific strategies, Pellerin (2013) found that the available use of iPad and iPods in the French immersion classroom allowed for more individualized support while at the same time increasing student autonomy and engagement. Mady and Grant (2023) suggested that teachers can reflect on support by asking themselves questions before delivery, during instruction, and after the lesson. For example, in the planning stage, teachers can ask themselves what individual student skills/knowledge should I consider, how can I pose questions at a variety of levels, how can I use all of students’ language knowledge, how can I provide multi-model support, which pathways can I provide students to apply their knowledge/skills considering language complexity, process, content, product? During instruction, teachers may consider reminding students of timing, if/how students can use technology, if and how students can use other languages, what reinforcement they provide, and how students can demonstrate what they have learned. After instruction, teachers may ask which reflective activities can students complete to think about their thinking and needs, how can I work with different groups and how can I have students uncover their current strengths and areas of growth.
And in its inception, French immersion was delivered in French only. How can the use of other languages support student success, if at all?
In its inception, French immersion was delivered in French only. How can the use of other languages support student success, if at all?
In the past, French immersion teachers were encouraged to use a monolingual, French approach. The amount of French use is an important consideration, in general with a higher quantity of French being advantageous to language learning. At the same time, use of students’ first language can support students with learning difficulties in French immersion (Arnett, 2007). For students with learning difficulties and all students more generally, there has been a shift to include an examination of the role students’ first language can play in the language learning process. Swain and Lapkin (2013) argued that purposeful use of students’ first language can enhance the learning process and support the success of multilingual students in the French immersion program. Some French immersion teachers have used multilingual texts finding that the students were more engaged, better able to comprehend, and felt their identities were reflected in the class (e.g., Prasad, 2020 ; Zaidi et al, 2022). Recognition of students’ languages has shown to improve their language skills, cognitive development, and intercultural understanding (Piccardo et al., 2022). The inclusion of multiple languages encourages students to maintain and develop their language repertoires (Piccardo et al., 2022). Practices that draw on students’ diverse linguistic competences, heighten their multilingual awareness and develop their discursive and pragmatic knowledge may include but are not limited to: a) creating multimodal/multilanguage ‘texts’, b) code-meshing in written texts (through ‘Identity Texts’ and digital storytelling) and c) translanguaging in readers’ theatre (Taylor, 2013) for example. As highlighted by Swain and Lapkin (2013), the key is that the choice to use students’ language(s) and provide time for them to do so is one of reflected choice where French remains the main language of the class.
Conclusion
Teaching in the French immersion program is a complex and multifaceted process that requires consideration of the learners, our delivery, and the support available. Many teachers in French immersion have reflected on the complexity of their classrooms and have successfully adapted their instruction to the benefit of students with learning difficulties. The majority of the reported adaptations have been offered to the whole class. The next step may be to explore and share how teachers adapt to the needs of the individual while balancing the multiple demands on their time and various degrees of support available in their contexts. Further, if and how teachers adapt their evaluative practices would add to the above examination of adaptation use. A consistent response to complex questions are additional questions, for example, how do the different pedagogical approaches and strategies for promoting language learning and supporting plurilingualism in French immersion programs impact student learning, how can we effectively integrate students’ languages. By continuing to explore and refine our understanding of effective pedagogical approaches and strategies, we can support language learning and plurilingualism in French immersion students.
References
Arnett, K. (2007). Accommodating the exceptional learner in French Immersion: Strategies for addressing issues of teacher beliefs and classroom practice. Journal d’Immersion, 29, 2, 23-26.
Arnott, S., Masson, M., & Lapkin, S. (2019). Exploring trends in 21st century Canadian K-12 French as second language research: A research synthesis. Canadian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 22(1), 60-84.
Erdos, C., Genesee, F., Savage, R., & Haigh, C. (2014). Predicting risk for oral and written language learning difficulties in students’ education in a second language. Applied Psycholinguistics, 35(2), 371-398. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0142716412000422
Genesee, F. (2007). French immersion and at-risk students: A review of research evidence. Canadian Modern Language Review, 63(5), 654–687.
Le Bouthillier, J. (2013). The writing processes of a Grade 7 French immersion student with Asperger Syndrome. In K. Arnett, & C. Mady, (Eds.) Minority populations in second language education: Broadening the lens from Canada. Bristol, UK: Multilingual Matters.
MacCoubrey, S.J., Wade-Woolley, L., Klinger, D., & Kirby, J.R. (2004). Early identification of at-risk L2 readers. The Canadian Modern Language Review, 61(1), 11–28.
MacCoubrey, S.J., Wade-Woolley, L., & Kirby, J.R. (2007). A Phonemic Awareness Intervention for At-risk Second Language Readers in French Immersion (Unpublished manuscript). Queen’s University.
Mady, C. (2023). Meeting Varied Students’ Needs. [Unpublished manuscript]. Schulich School of Education, Nipissing University, North Bay, Ontario, Canada.
Mady, C. (2020). Teacher adaptations to support students with special education needs in French immersion: An observational study. In L. Cammarata & T. J. Ó Ceallaigh (Eds.), Teacher development for immersion and content-based instruction (pp. 93-117). John Benjamins Publishing Company.
Mady, C. & Grant, R. A literature review exploring curricular adaptations and inclusion of students with learning difficulties (SLD) and English language learners (ELL) in the French as a second language (FSL) classroom. [Unpublished manuscript]. Schulich School of Education, Nipissing University, North Bay, Ontario, Canada.
Melikoff, O. (2016). The St. Lambert Experiment in French Immersion Revisited: Fifty Years Later. Olga Lawes Melikoff: A lifelong fascination with language learning. https://olgamelikoff.com/the-st-lambert-experiment-in-french-immersion-revisited-fifty-years-later/
Pellerin, M. (2013). E-inclusion in early French immersion classrooms: Using digital technologies to support inclusive practices that meet the needs of all learners. Canadian Journal of Education, 36(1), 44-70.
Piccardo, E., Germain-Rutherford, A. & Lawrence, G. (2022). The Routledge Handbook of Plurilingual Language Education. Routledge.
Prasad, G. (2020). ‘How does it look and feel to be plurilingual?’: Analysing children’s representations of plurilingualism through collage. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 23(8), 902-924.
Schola Europaea (2019). Language policy of the European schools. https://www.eursc.eu/BasicTexts/2019-01-D-35-en-4.pdf
Swain, M. & Lapkin, S. (2013). A Vygotskian sociocultural perspective on immersion education: The L1/L2 debate. Journal of Immersion and Content-Based Language Education 1(1), 101– 129. https://doi.org/10.1075/jicb.1.1.05swa
Taylor, S. K. (2013). From “monolingual” multilingual classrooms to “multilingual” multilingual classrooms: Managing cultural and linguistic diversity in the Nepali educational system. In D. Little, C. Leung, & P. Van Avermaet (Eds.), Managing Diversity in Education: Key Issues and Some Responses (pp. 259–274). Multilingual Matters.
Wise, N., & Chen, X. (2010). At-risk readers in French immersion: Early identification and early intervention. Canadian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 13(2), 128-149.
Zaidi, R., Metcalfe, R., & Norton, B. (2022). Dual language books go digital: Storybooks Canada in French immersion schools and homes. Canadian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 25(1), 64–87. https://doi.org/10.37213/cjal.2022.31626
