No ESL in English Schools: Language Policy in Quebec and Implications for TESL Teacher Education

Abstract

In this article, various aspects of official language policy in Quebec are seen as interacting with contested and contesting ideologies, as experienced by novice teachers in teaching English as a second or other language within the majority French school system. The context of TESL training in Quebec is described, focusing on legislative policy and the status of English in schools. This is followed by a discussion of problems encountered in the current educational context by students in a bachelor's of education in TESL program at an English university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Several concerns were identified through student responses to a questionnaire and from reflection on their student‐teaching experiences. The resulting areas discussed here are the consequences of low student‐teacher language proficiency (English and French); ambivalent or hostile attitudes toward English or English as a second language (ESL) on the part of students and teachers in schools; (non)use of English in the ESL classroom; low motivation of ESL students; and the nature of English language and culture in Quebec. Although none of these is unique to this context, the particular circumstances, history, and ideologies in this context are major factors in the government language policy, popular language attitudes, and second language education practice. For each area of concern, specific ways in which the teacher education program addresses these concerns are described, including excerpts from a student teacher‐to‐student teacher advice handbook.