Canadian Modern Language Review/ La Revue canadienne des langues vivantes
Volume 71, Number 3, August 2015
A Collaborative Quiz as an Opportunity for Self- and Other-Correction: Another Look at L2 Errors
Jennifer D. Ewald
Research has found that, during speaking activities, instances of students’ collaborative repair are most often lexicon-focused. Collaborative writing tasks have been credited
with the potential to force students to confront broad issues, such as content and register, along with more narrow lexical and morphological choices. The present study explores interactions among 20 learners in an intermediate, university level Spanish course,
as they collaborated on a small group quiz. The study reports the frequency of students’ error correction types, both self- and other-initiated, and analyzes the focus of their negotiations. Moreover, the investigation highlights this type of classroom assessment
as an opportunity for learners to determine where linguistic difficulties lie and address them. http://bit.ly/cmlr713a
When the Native Is Also a Non-native: “Retrodicting” the Complexity of Language Teacher Cognition
Erhan Aslan
The impact of native (NS) and non-native speaker (NNS) identities on second or foreign language teachers’ cognition and practices in the classroom has mainly been investigated
in ESL/EFL contexts. Using complexity theory as a framework, this case study attempts to fill the gap in the literature by presenting a foreign language teacher in the United States who teaches French as a NS and German as a NNS teacher, at the college level.
Specifically, the study explores the interface between NS/NNS identities, teacher cognition, practice, and professional identity. The retrodictive qualitative analysis of semi-structured interviews and classroom observations reveals that the participant teacher’s
NS French and NNS German identities influenced her teacher cognition, specifically in beliefs about teaching grammar. In addition, previous language learning experiences affect current decision-making processes in teaching. In terms of teaching practice, the
dual NS French and NNS German identity affects teaching practice in the formal areas of language, target culture knowledge and awareness, teaching style, and perceptions about language varieties. Professional identity is construed here as being the mediator
of target second language (L2) cultures in the classroom. The implications of teacher cognition as a complex system for L2 teaching and teacher education are discussed. http://bit.ly/cmlr713b
Using the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages to Teach
Sign Language to Parents of Deaf Children
Kristin Snoddon
No formal Canadian curriculum presently exists for teaching American Sign Language (ASL) as a second language to parents of deaf and hard of hearing children. However, this
group of ASL learners is in need of more comprehensive, research-based support, given the rapid expansion in Canada of universal neonatal hearing screening and the corresponding need for enhanced, early intervention service provision to families with deaf
children. Inspired by parent sign language courses that have been developed in the Netherlands, the article outlines the rationale for and first steps toward developing a Canadian parent ASL curriculum framework that is aligned with the Common European Framework
of Reference for Languages (CEFR). The CEFR and its proficiency levels hold much promise for innovation in second language teaching and learning, as they are based in conceptions of the language learner as a social agent who develops general and particular
communicative competences while achieving everyday goals.http://bit.ly/cmlr713c
FOCUS ON THE CLASSROOM
Early Intervention for Struggling Readers in Grade One French Immersion
Nancy Wise and Xi Chen
This article examines the impact of early intervention on struggling readers in the French immersion context in Ontario, where children receive instruction exclusively in
French, their second language. For three consecutive years, reading risk assessment was undertaken with Grade 1 students in English, their stronger language at the beginning of the school year, followed by the provision of English phonological awareness training
for children identified as struggling readers immediately upon entry into the immersion setting. The training focused on segmenting and blending activities. Instruction was linked to children’s literature, resulting in contextualized literacy experiences that
were both meaningful and authentic for the students. The 18-week supplemental intervention, in combination with letter–sound correspondence instruction, increased their English phonological awareness and French word-reading skills. A suggested scope and sequence,
sample instructions, learning goals, and success criteria are included to help immersion educators replicate the intervention in any natural school setting. http://bit.ly/cmlr713d
BOOK REVIEWS
M.L. Katz (ed.) Moving Ideas: Multimodality and Embodied Learning in Communities and Schools
Celeste Snowber
M. Leclère et J.-P. Narcy-Combes, dirs. Enseigner les langues aux enfants en contexte scolaire. Diversité des approches
et outils d’enseignement
Cécile Sabatier
J. Brémond, C. Collin, C. Fortineau-Brémond et H. Quintin dirs. Compter en langues étrangères : Du français vers l’anglais,
l’espagnol et l’allemand
Isabelle Côté
C. Troncy dir., avec le concours de J.-F. de Pietro, L. Goletto et M. Kervran Didactique du plurilinguisme
Laurent Gajo
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