French class is for all students.
FLES (Foreign Language Elementary School) is an equitable program because it serves all students within a given school. Looking specifically at French FLES in Chapel Hill: every student at Estes Hills, Ephesus, and Glenwood has access to French class. FLES teachers therefore serve a great variety of learners. Our students come to us at varying levels of proficiency in French, with diverse experiences, and with a range of learning needs. We aim to provide instruction that maximizes language acquisition for every child by...
1) creating a safe environment for students to experiment with the language.
2) observing and interacting with our students to become familiar with their comfort level and they ways in which they need to be challenged.
3) providing supports, extrinsic motivation, and encouragement where it's needed.
4) spiraling back to previously learned concepts to gradually build proficiency.
5) accelerating and extending when we see that students can go deeper with a concept.
1) creating a safe environment for students to experiment with the language.
2) observing and interacting with our students to become familiar with their comfort level and they ways in which they need to be challenged.
3) providing supports, extrinsic motivation, and encouragement where it's needed.
4) spiraling back to previously learned concepts to gradually build proficiency.
5) accelerating and extending when we see that students can go deeper with a concept.
French class is a unique tool for equity.
I believe that French FLES is a particularly equitable program because 1) it enriches every child's elementary experience, and 2) it provides genuine opportunities to validate diverse student identities.
1) French FLES ensures that every child learns a new language. Not many Americans speak French as a native language. This means that inside the French FLES classroom, virtually every student is acquiring a new language--maybe a second language, maybe a third.
2) French FLES is a window to reflect diverse identities. French is a language that spans continents, cultures, and races. In teaching French, we highlight different francophone communities, exposing our students to the diversity of the francophone world. Students of many races will find examples of French-speaking people who look like them, which can help them connect to the language and may contribute to positive feelings about their own appearance and identity. This especially applies to students of color, as French is a language widely spoken in West and North Africa and the Caribbean. Our practice of highlighting French-speaking communities of color is, of course, not enough to combat the forces that contribute to the achievement gap in our district. It can, however, be one of many teaching practices that contribute to a solution. When we, as teachers, shine a spotlight on people of color as part of our instruction, we show our students that these communities have unique value, which can influence all of our students' perceptions of themselves and others. Because our practices highlight and celebrate diversity, French class is a particularly suitable platform for this type of growth.
1) French FLES ensures that every child learns a new language. Not many Americans speak French as a native language. This means that inside the French FLES classroom, virtually every student is acquiring a new language--maybe a second language, maybe a third.
2) French FLES is a window to reflect diverse identities. French is a language that spans continents, cultures, and races. In teaching French, we highlight different francophone communities, exposing our students to the diversity of the francophone world. Students of many races will find examples of French-speaking people who look like them, which can help them connect to the language and may contribute to positive feelings about their own appearance and identity. This especially applies to students of color, as French is a language widely spoken in West and North Africa and the Caribbean. Our practice of highlighting French-speaking communities of color is, of course, not enough to combat the forces that contribute to the achievement gap in our district. It can, however, be one of many teaching practices that contribute to a solution. When we, as teachers, shine a spotlight on people of color as part of our instruction, we show our students that these communities have unique value, which can influence all of our students' perceptions of themselves and others. Because our practices highlight and celebrate diversity, French class is a particularly suitable platform for this type of growth.