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In:Teacher Development for Immersion and Content-Based Instruction
Edited by Laurent Cammarata and T.J. Ó Ceallaigh
[Benjamins Current Topics 110] 2020
► pp. 93–117

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Teacher adaptations to support students with special education needs in French immersion

An observational study

 | Nipissing University
Published online: 17 September 2020
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/bct.110.jicb.17011.mad
Abstract
As of late, French immersion (FI) teachers have been encouraged to adapt their instruction to support the inclusion and success of students with learning difficulties. In particular, pedagogical concepts such as Universal Design for Learning (UDL) (National Center on Universal Design for Learning, 2014) and differentiated instruction (Tomlinson, 2004) have been promoted as means to do so. This study used observations of nine FI teachers’ classes with the view to exploring their adaptations for students with learning difficulties in hopes of identifying future professional development directions. The observations revealed that the FI teachers were aptly adapting their instruction for the class as a whole whereas they were less apt to modify for individual students. In order to further their inclusive practices, the FI teachers in this study would benefit from future professional development opportunities that focus on differentiating instruction for individuals and conversations about if and how teacher language choices can provide additional means of differentiation.
Article outline
  • 1.Framework
  • 2.Context of the study
    • 2.1Context as defined in policy documents
      • 2.1.1Universal design for learning and differentiated instruction
    • 2.2Practical context of the study
  • 3.Methodology
    • 3.1Observation scheme
    • 3.2Participants
  • 4.Findings
    • 4.1Classroom observations
    • 4.1.1Description of classes
    • 4.1.2Adaptations observed
  • 5.Discussion
  • 6.Conclusion
  • Notes
  • References
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