Training French Immersion Teachers for the Primary Grades: An Experimental Course at The University of Western Ontario

Abstract

ABSTRACT The fact that French immersion programs in Canada have undergone such rapid expansion in the last few years attests to the enormous success and general approbation that the immersion phenomenon has enjoyed. In the rush to put the program in place, however, one necessary factor to ensure its continued success has been overlooked: the training of immersion teachers. In this paper, the authors outline a course designed to prepare primary immersion teachers, and discuss general implications for the training of teachers competent to meet the challenge of immersion programs.