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Second Language Education in Canada

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Second and Foreign Language Education

Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of Language and Education ((ELE))

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Abstract

Second language education in Canada is experienced by diverse populations in different ways across the country. English language learners (ELLs) comprise a significant number of those enrolled in second official language programs, and they are supported to varying degrees according to province or territory. Canada is renowned for its pedagogical approaches to integrated language and content learning, and recent research continues to explore this tradition, tracking both successes, such as the development of twenty-first-century literacies and multilingual pedagogies, and challenges, such as the exclusion of ELLs from mainstream official language classrooms.

The majority of Canadian students learn French as a second language in Core French classes. Several studies underscore the challenges faced by teachers who lack sufficient linguistic or methodological background or, in some cases, support, leading to less than satisfactory student performance and high attrition rates. The introduction of the Common European Framework of Reference and language portfolios has created a shift in some regions to adopt an action-oriented pedagogical approach with greater learner autonomy.

Work in progress includes research on identity and investment, innovative and inclusive pedagogical approaches, and resistance to monolingual teaching norms. The problem of ELLs’ low success rates in high school is being addressed by efforts to support teacher professional learning at preservice and in-service levels. The integration of transformative multilingual and multimodal practices that draw on the full range of students’ repertoires (in school, at home, and in the community) is seen as key for the future.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    In Canada, second language education refers to instruction provided to students in a language other than their first language. Second language programs are offered in a range of languages including both official languages.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Language and Literacy Education, University of British Columbia, 2125 Main Mall, V6T 1Z4, Vancouver, BC, Canada

    Margaret Early & Wendy Carr

  2. Faculty of Education, Simon Fraser University, #119, 515 West Hastings Street, V6B 5K3, Vancouver, BC, Canada

    Diane Dagenais

Authors
  1. Margaret Early
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  2. Diane Dagenais
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  3. Wendy Carr
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Margaret Early , Diane Dagenais or Wendy Carr .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Center of Language Study, Yale University, New Haven, USA

    Nelleke Van Deusen-Scholl

  2. Faculty of Education, University of Auckland, School of Critic, Auckland, New Zealand

    Stephen May

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Early, M., Dagenais, D., Carr, W. (2016). Second Language Education in Canada. In: Van Deusen-Scholl, N., May, S. (eds) Second and Foreign Language Education. Encyclopedia of Language and Education. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-02323-6_27-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-02323-6_27-1

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-02323-6

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