Knowing One’s Community
Through the French Curriculum Documents
This document is part of the series Knowing One’s
Community, published by the Canadian Teachers’
Federation (CTF). The project was made possible
by a long-standing partnership with the Centre for
Interdisciplinary Research on Citizenship and Minorities
which in the project Knowing One’s Community: For
the Successful Mission of the French-language Minority
School examined images of the Francophone
community as depicted in the curricula of Canada’s
provinces and territories. The project could never have
been completed without financial support from the
Department of Canadian Heritage.
The first document in the series, Knowing One’s
Community — General Overview presents findings
that could apply to all curricula. The analyses and
recommendations in this document are essential to
provide a proper framework for the other documents
in the series, which will consider specific subject areas
such as the following document relating particularly
to French.
CTF always strives to provide teachers with tools
they need to perform an important dimension of their
mission, which is to transmit and build the Francophone
identity. The Knowing One’s Community series is an
initial initiative to explore the contribution of curricula,
and it proposes courses of thought on how to approach
this area. Many teachers work together with curriculum
developers to write these essential documents. We
hope that the information in this series will provide food
for thought and action to sustain our common goal of
providing French-language school students the best
education possible.
Information contained in Knowing One’s
Community Through the French
Curriculum Documents is largely based
on the final research report entitled
Knowing One’s Community: For the
Successful Mission of the French-language
Minority School,1 which was submitted by
CIRCEM and is available on the CTF Web site.
A list of those who took part in the national
consultation to identify possible avenues for
action as part of this initiative is appended.
CTF wishes to thank them all for their
contribution to this initiative.
Ronald Boudreau
Director of Services to Francophones
1
GILBERT, Anne, Sophie LeTouzé and Joseph Yvon Thériault. Knowing One’s Community: For the Successful Mission of the French-language Minority School,
final research report. Centre for Interdisciplinary Research on Citizenship and Minorities (CIRCEM), University of Ottawa, 2007.
[http://www.ctf-fce.ca/apprendre].
THROUGH THE FRENCH
CURRICULUM DOCUMENTS
GENERAL
The French curricula naturally play a key role in all
of the provinces and territories. Every jurisdiction
acknowledges the importance of a good knowledge of
the French language in all of the subject areas taught to
students attending French-language schools.
Nevertheless, it is a given that schools in minority
communities need to develop more than language skills
for people to be able to live in French. The transmission
of the Francophone culture and identity is also an
integral part of the mission of French-language
schools and the French curricula generally identifies
this objective. Depending on the region of the country,
the learning outcomes are expressed in varying degrees
of intensity.
As might be expected, French is taught in all grades in
every jurisdiction. French is a compulsory subject from
kindergarten to Grade 12 in all of the provinces and
It is a given that schools
in minority communities
need to develop more than
language skills for people to
be able to live in French.
Although there is a compulsory French course in every
grade, the range of French courses available has fewer
options for students than other areas such as social
studies. Although some jurisdictions offer more general
course options, others focus on indisputable features
of identity building: this is the case in Ontario and
Manitoba, which have Grade 12 courses on FrenchCanadian literature and Francophone literature.
REFERENCES
TO THE COMMUNITY
aternelle à la 8e
In addition to these general findings concerning French
curricula, the research team looked into two aspects
that refer to the Francophone community.
On the one hand, the study showed that the place
assigned to culture and identity varies considerably
from one range of the spectrum to the other. Some
jurisdictions assign it virtually no place at all in the
curricula whereas others make it the focal point
of learning.
On the other hand, the authors of the study noted that
some provinces articulated their cultural intervention
around a core that is essentially literary. The team
therefore attempted to identify the literature in question
in order to be able to specify how it is defined
in the curricula and how it establishes a link with
the community.
territories. In elementary school, it is the subject that
takes up the most time on the school timetable. In high
school, courses are assigned credits, which correspond
to a prescribed number of hours of teaching. The time
spent in French courses is therefore the same as the
amount of time spent in other courses, and it is not
possible to increase this time unless students enrol in
optional French courses.
3
GA
The Place of Culture
and Identity
French programs are articulated from year to year
around three components that evolve with the
intellectual maturity of the students: oral
communication, reading and writing. It is through
these language learning components that culture
and identity are introduced.
<A MARGINAL COMMUNITY
Some French programs focus on oral communication,
reading and writing, and spend very little time on
identity building. The research team found that the
curricula in the Atlantic provinces and Ontario made
statements that were rather vague. They also frequently
delegated the role of building identity factors into
the curriculum to literature without really providing
guidance to teachers about which works would be the
best suited to achieve these goals. The same can be
said for objectives aimed at introducing personalities
from the world of culture or advocates of the French
cause. The analysis indicated once again that there
was reliance on literature to convey these messages,
but that it was up to teachers to find the means and
the tools to get there.
< A PARALLEL COMMUNITY
There is an interesting trend in Western Canada and
the territories with regard to establishing the French
learning outcomes. Indeed, the common framework for
French as a first language education includes the usual
three areas of oral communication, reading and writing,
in addition to cultural and identity skills. This trend is
also found in the curricula developed by these
jurisdictions at various levels of interpretation.
It can clearly be seen that the common framework
inspired this part of the country to work more on the
concept of identity building. As a result, some
programs, like those in Saskatchewan and Alberta,
4
include approximately 40 specific learning outcomes
spread over the various grades. The Alberta programs
also suggest to teachers a number of activities to
support the desired learning outcomes in order to help
them interpret the expected goals.
The structure of the French programs in Manitoba
interpret the common framework differently. Instead,
they advocate a cross-sectional approach to the
learning outcomes bearing on culture and identity.
In these three provinces, although special attention is
paid to the cultural and identity dimension, there are
They (the curricula)
also frequently delegated
the role of building
identity factors into
the curriculum to literature
without really providing
guidance to teachers
about which works would be
the best suited to achieve
these goals.
no references to guide teachers about which artists,
authors or works ought to be chosen. The main cultural
events are also not mentioned in the curricula.
DR
A COMMUNITY AT THE CORE
< OF
THE PROGRAM
British Columbia has adopted a curriculum structure
that is peculiar to that province. The learning
structure consists of three aspects: language and
culture, language and personal development, and
language and communication. Thus, not only the
curriculum incorporates cultural and identity factors in
reading through the use of literary works, as is the case
elsewhere, but it makes these aspects central to all
areas of learning. Therefore, there are learning
outcomes for identity, culture and the French fact
in all three components of the program.
The authors of the analysis observed a few other
characteristics specific to the French study programs
in British Columbia.
On the one hand, the French fact is not presented to
elementary students from a minority standpoint. What
they suggest instead is that the Francophonie is an
The question of minority
Francophone literature
is no doubt the aspect
of the curricula where
the greatest variety of
statements can be found.
important component of Canadian society and one that
they can take pride in being members of. It is presented
to the students as a unified whole in which everyone
can find their place and share the same language.
Nor is there any reference to different Francophonies
in artistic output, which makes it possible instead to
promote the idea of a common heritage.
2
In terms of identity, we found that the high school
curricula focus on a higher level of intentionality, as
can be seen in Cadre d’orientation en construction
identitaire2 (identity building orientation framework).
Several learning outcomes in fact focus on active
involvement in building a Francophone space. One
could no doubt say that the curricula go well beyond
the French instructional framework, but saying this
would ignore the fact that each of the learning
outcomes aims at a balance in language training. The
fact is that it is essential to assign a great deal of time
to relevant action when what is involved is building a
solid identity.
Minority
Francophone Literature
All of the French curricula give special importance to
studying literary works. Whether the goal is to develop
the analytical ability of the students or to exhibit the
richness of literature, the research team attempted to
analyze what literary works were included in the
curricula for the students.
DISCREET
< AMINORITY
FRANCOPHONIE
The question of minority Francophone literature is no
doubt the aspect of the curricula where the greatest
variety of statements can be found. Most of the
curricula do not refer to any specific works and instead
suggest studying Canadian authors, various literary
genres from classical literature and modern FrenchCanadian literature in Canada, or works that have been
important in French literature in Canada. There is rarely
specifically an emphasis on minority Francophone
literature. Curricula sometimes promote cultural
products that convey identity values without linking
them to learning outcomes or specific activities.
The authors of the research nevertheless wish to
mention the efforts made by the Alberta curricula, which
suggest a few French-Canadian authors and further
suggest that these be studied in relation to the cultural,
political and historical context of French Canada.
ACELF, Cadre d’orientation en construction identitaire, Tableau évolutif de la construction identitaire appliqué à l’intervention, page 27.
5
GA
MINORITY
<AFRANCOPHONE
PRESENCE
The authors of the study carried out an overview of
initiatives in some of the provinces where the minority
Francophone community is clearly mentioned in the
curricula. Among other things, there are the annotated
bibliographies in Alberta that offer teachers a wide
range of options ranging from translated international
authors to a local Francophonie whose importance has
been acknowledged.
The authors noted that Ontario suggests a minimum
number of local Francophone authors and adds that
The most references to
a Francophone literature
from Canadian minority
settings can be found
in the curricula for
optional courses.
novels, plays, comic books or collections can be
used. The curricula nevertheless do not make any
suggestions about how to exploit these resources.
The most references to a Francophone literature
from Canadian minority settings can be found in the
curricula for optional courses. New Brunswick, for
example, has taken up the idea of making a wide range
Those who teach
French courses would
certainly agree that the task
of teaching French is
a heavy one that is often
targeted when it involves
transmitting a Francophone
culture to the students.
of works available for study, with French, Quebec
and Acadian works alongside translations of Englishlanguage and Spanish-language classical writers.
Manitoba sets itself apart in this regard in terms
of its clear intention to focus on cultural and identity
development in the optional course called Francophone
literature. The educational goals include valuing the
literature from the Francophone minority, in addition to
the international Francophonie and the diversity that
makes up this Francophonie.
Ontario also has a curriculum for the optional course
on French-Canadian literature and it has appended a
list of over 100 authors, both contemporary and
classical, including Franco-Ontarians, Quebecers,
Acadians and Westerners.
6
DR
RECOMMENDATIONS
Those who teach French courses would certainly agree that the task of teaching French is a heavy one that
is often targeted when it involves transmitting a Francophone culture to the students. Given this situation,
it is therefore surprising that the French curricula contain little information that could support teaching and
learning in minority settings.
The first document in this series, Knowing One’s Community - General Overview, describes the
mechanisms that the provinces and territories use to develop, adapt or translate curricula for teachers in
French-language schools. For the French curricula, the Atlantic provinces and Western Canada and the
North have established common frameworks that provide a basis for them in curriculum development.
These special features need to be taken into consideration in order to do justice to the efforts that have
been made from one end of the country to the other to ensure that curricula are relevant.
On the basis of the findings of the analysis conducted and the expertise of the people who took part in
the national consultation in June 20073, here are some general considerations with respect to curriculum
development in French curricula for minority French-language schools:
An integrated approach to culture and identity
in every facet of language
development must be favoured in French curricula to avoid assigning responsability for identity
building solely to literature.
In view of the heavy burden on teachers of French courses,
suggest ideas and activities
the curricula should clearly
to support them in their teaching and in their responsibility
for transmitting and developing culture and identity.
The curricula need to
showcase authors from Canada’s Francophone
minorities. They would benefit from a Canada-wide initiative that would engage students in
learning by inviting them to build for themselves a literary background to help them embrace a broader
Francophonie that would decrease their isolation and their feelings of minoritization.
The analysis showed that the curricula do not suggest ideas for exploring literary works in a
guidelines on how
to use works from the minority Francophonie in the classroom.
minority context. The French curricula would benefit from
The curricula need to be more explicit about how to deliver content to
differ widely
3
students who
in terms of their language skills.
National consultation on the images of the Francophonie, Ottawa, June 2007.
7
GA
Certain more general recommendations were developed as part of the analysis by the research team in
conjunction with participants in the national consultation. Here are general considerations with respect to
curriculum development for minority French-language schools:
[Extract from Knowing One’s Community – General Overview, p. 16-17]
In order to provide a framework that is conducive to the transmission and building of identity in
French-language schools, the provincial and territorial jurisdictions need to
establish a
process that will directly involve teachers in these schools and key community stakeholders
in curriculum development. The teachers are in the best position to identify the needs being
experienced in the classroom and the realities of students in minority settings.
Research about the integration of culture and identity building in teaching
through curricula needs to be carried out at the national level because it is a challenge that runs
through all of our minority Francophone communities. The Cadre d’orientation en construction
identitaire (identity building orientation framework) published by the Association canadienne
d’éducation de langue française (ACELF), which involved an extremely experienced team of
researchers, has laid the foundations for the dialogue that needs to begin.
Teacher training needs to factor in how identity building can be incorporated into the
objectives targeted by each of the curricula. This concern should be a priority in the process of
curriculum development and in the cultural education approach that needs to be used to
promote integration strategies. It is important to keep the teaching load realistic while at the
same time making more room for identity building.
Regional collaboration initiatives like the ones that led to the adoption of
the common frameworks, or national initiatives, need to be encouraged. A national educational
resources portal accessible by subject area and grade, for example, would make it possible to
target those resources that would be the most useful in promoting identity building.
8
DR
Curricula need the support of an
strategy
educational resources development
designed to address not only how to transmit and build student identities, but also
how to provide support for teachers in the classroom.
The jurisdictions responsible for curriculum development need to define an image of
the Francophone community that can be conveyed to the students,
along with ways of presenting it in the various curriculum subject areas at every grade level. The
current failure to mention any ties among the different Canadian Francophonies is an example of
a gap that needs to be avoided.
theoretical framework was rarely
echoed in the learning outcomes that articulate the fields being studied.
The analysis of curricula found that the
Provincial and territorial jurisdictions need to ensure that those responsible for curriculum
development properly articulate these intentions in terms of concrete learning outcomes and
ways of achieving them.
In view of the already heavy workload of teachers in minority settings, the provincial and
territorial jurisdictions must make a significant effort to incorporate courses of thought,
examples and activities into the curricula, as well as references to works that can
support
content delivery.
9
List of Participants —
NATIONAL CONSULTATION — JUNE 2007
Louis Allain
Gilles Arsenault
Imelda Arsenault
Sylvain Aumont
Robert Bisson
Daniel Bouchard
Ronald Boudreau
Pierre Bourbeau
Chantal Bourbonnais
Saveria Caruso
Judith Charest
Mireille Cloutier
Gérard Cormier
Marianne Cormier
Colette Côté
Mireille Coulombe-Anifowe
André Deschênes
Martin Deschesnes
Mary-Lou Donnelly
Jacques Dorge
France Fortier
Murielle Gagné-Ouellette
Jacques Gascon
Marcel Gatien
Clermont Gauthier
George Georget
Anne Gilbert
Véronique Jobin
Suzanne Jolicoeur
Raymonde Laberge
Louise Landry
Réjean Laroche
Gilles Le Blanc
Sophie LeTouzé
Jacqueline LeVert
Michèle Matteau
Lise Paiement
Beverley Park
Debra-Anne Reid
Lise Routhier-Boudreau
Paulette Rozon
Hélène Saint-Denis
Ronald St-Jean
Paul Taillefer
Joseph Yvon Thériault
10
Fédération canadienne des directions d’établissements scolaires francophones,
Manitoba
Prince Edward Island Teachers’ Federation
Department of Education, Prince Edward Island
Fédération culturelle canadienne-française, Ontario
The Alberta Teachers’ Association
Syndicat du Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britannique
Director, Services to Francophones, CTF, Ontario
Fédération culturelle canadienne-française, Ontario
Fédération nationale des conseils scolaires francophones, Ontario
Ministry of Education, Ontario
Association des enseignantes et des enseignants franco-ontariens, Ontario
Member of the CTF Advisory Committee on French as a First Language, Alberta
Nova Scotia Teachers Union, Nova Scotia
Université de Moncton, New Brunswick
Member of the CTF Advisory Committee on French as a First Language, Saskatchewan
Ministry of Education, Ontario
Association des enseignantes et des enseignants francophones du Nouveau-Brunswick
Northwest Territories Teachers’ Association
CTF Vice-President, Nova Scotia
Department of Education, Manitoba
Canadian Heritage, Ontario
Commission nationale des parents francophones, Ontario
Association des enseignantes et des enseignants franco-ontariens
Alliance canadienne des responsables, des enseignantes et des enseignants
en français langue maternelle, Ontario
Université Laval, Québec
Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation
Interdisciplinary Research Center on Citizenship and Minorities, Ontario
Université Laval, Québec
Member of the CTF Advisory Committee on French as a First Language, Manitoba
Department of Education, Northwest Territories
President of the CTF Advisory Committee on French as a First Language, New Brunswick
Éducatrices et éducateurs francophones du Manitoba
Department of Education, Nova Scotia
Interdisciplinary Research Center on Citizenship and Minorities, Ontario
Member of the CTF Advisory Committee on French as a First Language, Nova Scotia
Association canadienne d’éducation de langue française, Québec
Association des enseignantes et des enseignants franco-ontariens, Ontario
Newfoundland and Labrador Teachers’ Association
Nunavut Teachers Association
Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada, Ontario
Ministry of Education, Ontario
Administrative Assistant, Services to Francophones, CTF, Ontario
Alberta Education
Member of the CTF Advisory Committee on French as a First Language, Ontario
Interdisciplinary Research Center on Citizenship and Minorities, Ontario
GA