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Congrès de l’immersion française WSD 2023 - Learning Together

February 8, 2023 News Story
Learning Together

On February 3, 2023, more than 200 Kindergarten to Grade 8 French Immersion educators from Winnipeg School Division assembled at École River Heights School for a rich day of learning at the Congrès de l’immersion française WSD 2023. The main themes of the French conference centered on promoting French language acquisition and fostering and motivating student identity as French second language learners. The buzz and energy in the large gymnasium during the opening remarks and keynote speaker was palpable. It had been over eight years since some of the teachers had seen each other with the last French Immersion conference taking place in 2016.

“There was a real spirit of collaboration and the planning of the conference was exceptional,” said Antonia Cetin, a French specialist from Ontario who had flown in to deliver the keynote address and facilitate workshops at the conference. “Thank you also for such a warm Winnipeg welcome!”

The learning day was made possible through a French grant offered by the provincial Bureau d’éducation française to revitalize French second language programs as well as with the Canadian Association of Second Language Teachers (CASLT), who offer exceptional professional development opportunities across the country. Throughout the day, teachers had options of 10 workshops to select from to target specific areas in French Immersion literacy and mathematics programming.

Some key takeaways from teacher’s learning were the importance of planning meaningful and authentic learning experiences for learning French, planning and prioritizing opportunities for students to interact and speak in French, being intentional about connecting oral, reading and writing, and specific strategies to motivate students across the subject areas.

“The sessions were all meaningful with activities that teachers can easily use in their classrooms right away,” said one participant. “I loved all of the practical ideas and being able to reconnect with my colleagues,” said another. All participants at the conference will receive a one-year membership to CASLT with access to a multitude of professional development opportunities and resources.

Across the city, a sister conference was also taking place at École George V School, with more than 100 English Program teachers from dual track schools engaging in professional learning. The Learning Together Conference focused on similar themes as the French Immersion counterpart. Two sessions offered focused on fostering student identity through the four practices of the English Language Arts framework and promoting oral communication across subject areas.

“Feedback from both conferences were very positive,” said Stéphanie Garand, a Program Lead and organizer of the events. “I am thrilled we were able to provide an opportunity for WSD teachers to come together and learn alongside each other once again.”

Thank you to all of the participants, the amazing presenters, the organizers, and the French Professional Support Services team without whom these conferences would not have been possible. MERCI!!!

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