your desk?

Throughout her 25-year career Kara has had many opportunities to work with French immersion teachers, principals and FSL stakeholders from across Canada in order to strengthen FSL programming. As a principal, her perspective stays rooted in practical implementation tips that work in classrooms and schools. Her work as an education officer at the ministry of education in Ontario has allowed her to develop a broad knowledge base in the CEFR, FSL research and the importance of stakeholder investment. She has presented workshops across Ontario and Canada for ACPI, Ontario Modern Language Teachers Association and the Ontario Principal Council (OPC) and the Edmonton Regional Learning Consortium.

Lesley Doell, who is the National French Immersion Consultant for the Association of Canadian Immersion Professionals (ACPI), has also had the privilege of devoting ten years of service to its Board of Directors, including four years as President. She holds a master's degree in education from the Centre de recherche en études franco-ontariennes at the University of Toronto. In addition to her ACPI duties, Lesley teaches courses for future teachers at the University of Calgary and the University of Alberta's Campus Saint-Jean. She has been awarded the Ordre des palmes académiques de la République française for her commitment to the promotion of French language and culture. Lesley is also qualified as an ANL Level 2 trainer and DELF trainer, and has contributed as an author to educational resources for immersion professionals. She also chairs the North American Commission of the Fédération internationale des professeurs de français (FIPF).

With 18 years' experience in the book industry, Anne-Marie Fortin founded Pouce carré in 2022. She holds bachelor's and master's degrees in literature. After starting her career in bookstores and publishing, over the past 10 years she has developed an expertise in literature for French-language and immersion educational communities in Canada. In addition to her work at Pouce Carré, Anne-Marie is the literary director of the Pigeon voyageur collection, published by David in Ontario. Anne-Marie is also the author of the album Mon beau potager (Isatis).

Katie Tressel has taught in the French immersion program in B.C. for seven years and was a graduate of the program herself. She currently teaches Sciences Humaines 8-10 in Langley. She completed her Master of Education in Educational Practice degree from Simon Fraser University in 2021.

Sharad Srivastava is a French Immersion Principal working in the Louis Riel School Division in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Through his 30 years as an educator, he has had the pleasure to work in dual-track schools, in milieu français schools in both rural and urban centres. He has worked with students from Kindergarten to Grade 12 as a specialist teacher, Student Services teacher, Department Head, Coordinator, Vice Principal and Principal.

Mark Duwyn has been the Principal of both a dual track school in the Toronto District School Board as well as the Principal of a French Immersion Centre. Mark has also worked as a French Immersion teacher in the Primary, Junior and intermediate levels as well as a French as a Second Language Instructional Leader for Elementary and Secondary teachers. Mark is interested in ensuring that French Immersion programs are equitable for all students. Mark has a Master’s degree from OISE in Second Language Education.

With nearly 20 years’ experience in school administration, Renald has worked at both the systemic and facility levels. Throughout his career, Renald has challenged system norms to establish conditions in which learners can flourish. Attracted by project-based pedagogy, he advocates the development of transversal cognitive skills and finds community partners to extend the classroom canvas. This approach enables students to participate in projects of national and international scope. In 2019, he left the Ottawa School Board to take up the position of Supervisory Officer (Superintendent of Education) with the Renfrew County District School Board, a rural area west of Ottawa, where he has been instrumental in developing a systemic vision for French-second-language programs.

Holder of a Master’s degree in Education, Léo-James is dedicated to instilling a love of reading and writing in children. He is the author of several children’s literature books. In 2008, he received the André-Obadia Excellence Award from the Canadian Association of Immersion Professionals for his outstanding contribution to promoting French learning in Canada. He is currently an Assistant Professor at the School of Education at St. Thomas University in Fredericton, New Brunswick.

An expert in the CEFR, Denis is working closely with Groupe Média TFO to support a major pedagogical shift in the French as a second language classroom in all programs offered, French immersion and all FSL streams. A French immersion and core French teacher for 32 years in Ottawa with the OCDSB school board, Denis was also the director of the OCDSB DELF centre in Ottawa. Over the past ten years, this centre has tested close to 15,000 students for the DELF

Danielle Hunter is a French as a Second Language (FSL) Consultant with the Durham District School Board in Ontario. In 2021, Danielle was appointed as one of seven International CEFR Advisors at the Council of Europe. She has over 20 years of experience in French language teaching at the elementary and, more recently, secondary levels. Recognised for her expertise in the CEFR and action tasks, she has participated in the design and development of numerous teaching resources on this subject, including the Manuel de l'approche actionnelle published by CASLT. Danielle was a presenter at the Conseil de l'Europe in France, and was part of the provincial team for the revision of the Ontario FSL Curriculum. Danielle has completed a master's degree in curriculum and teacher professional development.

Enrica Piccardo is Professor of Applied Linguistics and Language Education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), University of Toronto, and Director of the Centre for Educational Research in Language and Literacy. She has extensive international experience in second/foreign language teaching research, teacher education and multilingual education. A collaborator of the Council of Europe (CoE) since 2008 and co-author of the complementary volume (2020) of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), she has coordinated various international research projects in Canada and Europe. Her research focuses on language teaching approaches and programmes, plurilingualism, creativity and complexity in language education, and evaluation. She has recently published The Action-oriented Approach. A Dynamic Vision of Language Education (2019) Bristol: Multilingual Matters, co-authored with Brian North.

Shona Gracey is an elementary school  principal with the Huron Perth Catholic District School Board.  She is a former French Immersion school principal and is the co-creator and co-instructor of the CPCO course FSL Teacher Retention and Developing the French Immersion Program designed to support school principals and vice-principals in leading the FSL and FI programs in their schools.  Shona has been a part of the Ministry of Education Provincial principal focus group and has created and written material for CPCO and OPSBA in collaboration with OPC.  Shona has worked with ACPI and has been a part of the National Committee for Administrators committee. She is a dedicated leader and passionate about ensuring strong FSL  programs permeate our schools.

Monica has been an immersion teacher for almost 20 years. Her doctorate focused on the identity construction of French teachers in British Columbia. She is interested in building a vision of immersion that will create bilingual people who are committed and invested in learning French.

Dr. Sarah Fedoration is an educator with a passion for languages and education. She oversees language programs and English as an additional language in Edmonton Catholic Schools in her role as languages manager. Sarah is deeply committed to fostering a love for languages and cultural understanding among students, and actively seeks innovative approaches to language teaching and learning.

Marie-Josée Morneau is a lecturer, consultant and educational coach who has taught the didactics of mathematics course at the Faculty of Education, Université de Saint-Boniface, Manitoba, for many years, as well as being a principal, educational consultant, remedial teacher and teacher-teacher. Marie-Josée is the recipient of the ACCLL 2020 Master's Research Excellence Award and the 46th recipient of the ACPI André Obadia Award, for her countless contributions to the advancement of French immersion education in Canada.

Nathalie is the coordinator of British Columbia's French teacher network at SFU's Bureau des affaires francophones et francophiles (BAFF), where she works on various initiatives to support and accompany teachers in the province's French programs.  She has taught for over 20 years in French immersion classrooms from grades 1 to 7.  She has always been particularly interested in the development of students' literacy and numeracy skills, and in assessment for learning.

Sara Mathieu et Vicky Chartrand, Grade 2 Hub Online Learning Teachers- Calgary Board of Education

Elementary Digital Learning School, Keewatin-Patricia District School Board, Extended French en 7e et 8e année

Former School Improvement Languages Specialist, Calgary Board of Education, Alberta

Renée Bourgoin assistant professor at the University of St. Thomas. She teaches elementary reading and language courses, as well as elementary social studies methods. Renée's research interests include literacy acquisition and pedagogy, bilingualism, multilingualism, at-risk or struggling learners, cross-linguistic transfer, cross-curricular teaching and learning, culturally responsive teaching, school leadership and inclusion in language learning contexts.

Professor Josée Le Bouthillier is a research associate in the Faculty of Education and a member of the Second Language Research Institute of Canada (IRL2C) team. She teaches courses related to second and additional language pedagogy, as well as literacy teaching in bilingual and plurilingual contexts. Her academic interests include a variety of qualitative and classroom research in French as a second language contexts, as well as teacher training. Josée is the French editor of the Canadian Journal of Applied Linguistics and former co-editor of the Journal de l'immersion.

Lisa Michaud is a Faculty Associate and member of the research team at the Second Language Research Institute of Canada (IRL2C) at the University of New Brunswick. She is currently completing a master's degree in which she examined the communicative skills of early immersion students at their grade 12 oral interview. She has taught for many years in a French immersion high school program.

Elizabeth Hoerath is the Director of French-language Priorities, at the Ministry of Colleges and Universities at the Ontario Ministry of Education.  She spent ten years teaching in immersion and core French programs, followed by two years of leadership with the Halton School Board.  Elizabeth has held positions of responsibility for French as a Second Language, International Education and Private Schools at the Ontario Ministry of Education and worked as the Director of Teacher Education programs at  Université de l'Ontario français.  As an educator and leader in Ontario, her vision promotes an appreciation of the tremendous benefits of FSL learning.

Peggy has been teaching elementary school for 21 years. She is qualified in France and certified in Alberta. She is the mother of 2 children. She has taught in a variety of social settings where she has met many challenges. In search of new challenges, she immigrated to Canada in 2016. She joined the Calgary French International School in 2017, where she is a teacher and literacy coach in Grades 1 to 3. She is passionate about cognitive science, pedagogy, teaching literacy in immersion and, in particular, teaching reading.

Ron Cadez (MEd) is the Director of School and Classroom Support for the Louis Riel School Division in Winnipeg, Manitoba. In his role, Ron works closely with researchers at universities across the country to guide the development and implementation of an early identification system as well as pedagogical changes in literacy and numeracy for the LSD-R.

Kim Lockhart is an elementary French Immersion Student Support Teacher (SST) in Kingston, Ontario. She graduated from Trent-Queen's Concurrent Education Program in 2000 with a double major in French and Biology. In 2015, Kim earned a Master of Education from Queen's University, where she specialized in evidence-based instructional practices that support students with reading difficulties in French immersion programs.

Natalie George is a French immersion educator in Kingston, Ontario. She graduated from Brock University with a Bachelor of Child and Youth Studies in 2004 and a Bachelor of Education in 2005. Natalie received her Orton Gillingham Associate Training in 2018 from Fundamental Learning in Toronto, Ontario, and is currently enrolled in Multi-Sensory Math training with the Atlantic Seaboard Dyslexia Education Centre in Rockville, MD.

Roy Lyster is an emeritus professor in second language education at the Department of Integrated Studies in Education at McGill University in Montreal. His research specifically focuses on the teaching and learning of French in immersive contexts and more generally on classroom interaction and the role of form-focused instruction and corrective feedback. He authored a module titled “Content-Based Language Teaching,” published by Routledge in 2018, and three books: “Learning and Teaching Languages Through Content” published by Benjamins in 2007, “Towards an Integrated Approach in Immersion” published by Les Éditions CEC in 2016, and “Scaffolding Language Development in Immersion and Dual Language Classrooms” (with D.J. Tedick) published by Routledge in 2020.

France has been an immersion teacher at CS Lester B. Pearson in the Montreal area for nearly 25 years. A former lecturer in immersion pedagogy at McGill University, she holds a Master's degree in second language acquisition from that institution. A member of the ACPI Board of Directors and former vice-president of AQEFLS, she is passionate about teaching French immersion.

A speech-language pathologist since 1998, Michèle Minor-Corriveau is an associate professor at Laurentian University's School of Speech-Language Pathology. She works with school-age children who have difficulty reading and writing. Through her training and research, she is passionate about sharing knowledge about learning to read and spell in French, in a minority setting and in an immersion context. She is co-author of the teaching resource Le langage oral à portée de la main / Oral Language at your Fingertips published by the Ontario Association of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists (OSLA, 2014) and has adapted with permission Teaching Reading is Rocket Science (Moats, 2020) and Structured Literacy and Typical Literacy Practices (Spear-Swerling, 2018). Visit https://micheleminorcorriveau.com/ressources/ to download these adaptations.

Angeline Humber is an educational consultant for the Greater Essex County District School Board. She supports the Early Years (birth to age 8) and French as a Second Language (FSL) programs from Kindergarten to Grade 12. As part of her role, Angeline collaborates with colleagues within her board, regionally, provincially and nationally to build capacity and support educators, students and programs. She is currently working with a number of collaborators to support early reading intervention in French immersion programs.

Stephen Davis is a professor in the Bachelor of Education program in the Faculty of Education and a doctoral student at the University of Regina. He teaches primarily second language education and literacy development courses. His academic background includes a Bachelor of Arts in French from the University of Saskatchewan (2011), a Bachelor of Education in French from the University of Regina (2013), and a Master of Arts in Second Language Education from McGill University (2017). Davis explores the experiences of allophone families in French immersion, as well as inclusive and plurilingual education. Davis received a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) fellowship for her doctoral research that will examine refugee students in French immersion in Canada.

Pascale Rousseau has taught French as a second language for 17 years. Her experiences include working in a French immersion school in Toronto and in a host class in Quebec City. In fall 2021, she began a doctorate in language didactics, focusing on school language learning among allophone students.

Sabrina Priego is Director of the Certificat d'aptitude à l'enseignement spécialisé d'une langue seconde and of the Graduate Programs in Linguistics - Didactics of Languages at Université Laval. She is a specialist in FSL didactics. Her master's thesis and doctoral dissertation explored tandem language learning.

Cynthia Eid is World President of the International Federation of Teachers of French (FIPF) and a Chevalier dans l'Ordre des Palmes académiques. She is currently Dean of the School of Trainers and National Director of Pedagogy and Innovation at the IGS Group in France. Cynthia EID is also a professor of didactics and FLE/S and is passionate about teaching. She is the author of several books and articles on education.

Judith Patouma, a member of the ACPI Board of Directors, is an associate professor in the Department of Education at Université Sainte-Anne. She holds a doctorate in language sciences and a master's degree in language teaching. Her research focuses on sociolinguistics and language teaching (FLM-FLS) in a variety of contexts.

Martin is Director of Languages for the Calgary School Board. He is originally from Quebec City and has lived in Western Canada since 1991. He has worked in immersion education for 30 years as a teacher, vice-principal and headmaster. He is the recipient of the Alberta Teaching Excellence Award and the Claudette-Tardif Award from the Conseil français. He has also received the Governor General's Award for Excellence in Teaching Canadian History and the Canadian Medal of Bravery.

Dr. Katherine Mueller is an Instructor at the Werklund School of Education at the University of Calgary. She teaches in the Teacher Education Program, where she teaches French specialization courses and supervises trainees working in Immersion and Core French. Katherine researches the implementation of the neurolinguistic approach in several contexts, including immersion and bilingual programs. She is also conducting research to explore how to support the language security of pre-service teachers.

Caroline Erdos is a professional speech-language pathology coordinator (S-LP) and consultant at the Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board, a bilingual K-12 school in Quebec, where she supports school teams in the classroom and provides professional development (PD). She is also a speech-language pathology consultant for Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Canada. Previously, she coordinated a differentiation and inclusion initiative for 10 English school boards, where she supported resource teachers. Caroline has over 20 years' experience as a paediatric speech and language therapist in a tertiary care centre. In 2017, she received the Germaine Huot Award for her outstanding professional contribution to the field of speech and language therapy. She has lectured at several Canadian universities, provided continuing education to teachers, and written and collaborated on several publications.

Julie Liu is a coach who supports French as a Second Language (K-12) teachers at the Toronto District School Board (TDSB). She has taught Core, Intensive French and French Immersion at the primary, junior and intermediate levels. She believes that all students can do well and benefit from learning another language. She values the importance of good relationships, inclusive design and critical thinking as ways to transform teaching and facilitate collective team effectiveness. It puts student voice at the heart of learning to support all learners in equitable and engaging spaces.

Marc-Albert is a French as a second language teacher advisor at secondary level for the Lester B Pearson School Board (Quebec) and a director of the Association québécoise des enseignants.e.s de français langue seconde. He is particularly interested in intercultural competence and the pleasure of learning French on a daily basis.

Carl Ruest is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Language and Literacy Education at the University of British Columbia, where his research focuses on the development and teaching of interculturality. He is an instructor in the B.Ed. and M. Ed. programs at this university and has been teaching in French immersion for over ten years in Richmond, British Columbia.

Shauna Néro, the British Columbia representative on the APCI Board of Directors, is the French Programs Coordinator for the Mission School District and a French education consultant for Néro Consulting. She has also coordinated the Provincial Network of French Program Administrators and Teachers at Simon Fraser University’s Office of Francophone and Francophile Affairs (OFFA-SFU). Shauna has extensive experience teaching French, social studies, and core French at the middle and high school levels. She also teaches methodology courses for pre-service teachers at SFU and has served as Vice-Principal of a dual-track French immersion elementary school.

She holds a Master’s degree in Education from Simon Fraser University, specializing in French teaching, multilingualism, and Francophone cultures. Her teaching practice embraces a plurilingual and multicultural approach, focusing on universal design for learning and creating authentic, action-oriented learning experiences. Her goal is to develop her students’ French language skills while fostering intercultural understanding.

Melissa Dockrill Garrett is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of New Brunswick. An immersion teacher for over 10 years, Melissa is dedicated to helping her students acquire their second language by creating an inclusive learning environment. Her doctoral research has also focused on inclusion, which encompasses providing learning materials while using students' strengths and interests. Her main areas of research focus on inclusive educational practices in French as a second language contexts.

Marie-Lyne Bédard is an immersion teacher in Prince Edward Island. She has held a number of positions in the classroom and with the Department of Education. More recently, she has been an intervener in the primary intervention programme and a resource teacher for elementary students. She is committed to the success of all students in our immersion programs.

Jeannot is a social science and history teacher at Kennebecasis Valley High. He teaches Canadian Identity in Grade 9, Modern History in Grade 11, Global Issues in Grade 12 and a FILA course. He will also be piloting a new civics course in January 2023. Jeannot is a curious person who likes to learn how to learn.

Alexander Skene is an Instructional Program Leader for French as a Second Language / English as a Second Language (grades 9 - 12) at the Halton DSB.  He is a member of the ACPI Board of Directors.