'BE'ing a Citizen: A Cross-Curriculum and Across Curriculum

Canadian Context into Bilingualism

As of late, Canada has been taking into account the importance of Indigenous education. With such an important topic finally being regarded, it should not be surprising to Canadians that there is a large  shift toward integrating Aboriginal education. With the advancement into building curricular content around Aboriginal teachings, history, philosophies and contexts, educators may find it difficult to take on this new approach. There is such a transformative development in terms of what teachers should know about Aboriginal content - and yes, there is a lot! But this should not deter educators from taking on the significant topic. 

The Census of Population from Stats Can (2011) highlights linguistic statistics for Canadians. They publish that official bilingualism rates climbed steadily over recent years. However, the predominantly French-speaking province Quebec has been seeing trends in declining bilingualism. But there have been smaller increases in French-English bilingualism, and even larger increases in other kinds of bilingual, or multilingual populations. It is fair to say that Canada has been taking on many initiatives in educating multilingual peoples. Especially with such a high-demand for French (both as a second language, extended and immersion programs), English as a second language (ESL), Indigenous or any other language teachers, Canada requires more support from multilingual educators for their students. 

Ontario Curriculum:

Aboriginal Aspects:

At times it may be difficult to distinguish relevant or reliable lesson/unit plans for Indigenous education. Some universities and other academic organizations have viable plans and documents for infusing Aboriginal perspectives. The Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, establish in the University of Toronto, has many resources available for implementation. They have great tools to develop literacy skills, guide and teach multi-leveled readers, and organize lessons aligned with culturally appropriate content. The plans are engaging and well-laid out, teaching Canadian students the part they play in the multi-cultural realm of Canada. It allows students to take on a new- or, old - approach to Aboriginal perspectives, while adding fresh applications that make sense. Some content might need to be learned and unlearned, or vice versa. But the content is important regardless. The units make the topic and content easily approachable and available for Ontarian educators. Our students should know the impact history has had on our country. 'BE'ing cognizant of the Indigenous point-of-view is just one step closer in becoming a Canadian citizen. 

Many of the lesson and unit plans are retrievable here: https://guides.library.utoronto.ca/aboriginaleducation/lessonplans 

figure 1: Turtle Island: Aboriginal adaptation regarding the formation of North America. Retrieved from http://www.anishinabenation.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/creation-du-monde.jpg 

Functional French :

Issues stemming from a lack of certified french-teachers in Ontario are at an up-rise. There are just simply not enough qualified educators in French for immersion and French as a second language (FSL) programs to thrive. It is hard enough only working on the French culture during a 45-minute rotary style classes, but now teachers are acquiring bare-minimum credentials in order to get the job. So, instead of critiquing the system further, hopefully I can help offer some useful resources to develop student and teacher French-ification. There is a great tool online which helps any teacher find their bearings in the French classroom. The Canadian Parents for French (CPF, Ontario) is a great tool to use when attempting to establish a French-Canadian curricular philosophy (that's if you haven't already done so).
By establishing a philosophy of teaching french, either immersively or as a core subject, teachers should develop their educational perspective in-line with how they should assess and build students' knowledge. Although, having aspects and perspectives to progress one's philosophy is often difficult to retrieve. With having lesson/unit resources available through the Canadian Parents for French, they also have consultants and contacts close by to help support and develop educators French-teaching practice. Keeping in mind, the CPF is a charitable organization that is geared towards the core FSL expectations. Nonetheless, it is a good starting point for beginning French-educators, parents and students. 

The resources can be viewed at this site: https://on.cpf.ca/resources/

Without allowing Canadians to seek out multi-cultural contexts exterior to the classroom, pressure is put onto teachers to solve this discrepancy. Teaching students to 'BE' a citizen upholding their own identity is often a tough task for educators. But the curricula used in Canada have been hopefully developing these students identities. Whether it is with use of French or Aboriginal contexts, both may yield a better perspective taking approach to multiculturalism. As multiculturalism builds on limiting and delineating students from tunnel-vision and biases, this ultimately will develop students to 'BE' critical thinkers, too.

Personally Passionate:

Since I have started teaching, I have been involved in many different types of elementary classrooms. With a teachable in French under my belt, I have been supplying for multiple core-french and french-immersion classrooms. My favourite program type has been fluctuating between core and immersion french, although I do prefer either one for specific reasons. By using cross-curricular approaches it becomes much easier to integrate other subjects in-line and aligned with core-french curriculum. Due to my background in french studies it makes it significantly easier to connect subject curricula, but far more difficult to truly develop a students french-culture. In contrast, by teaching through an immersive approach, the students have an easier time indirectly working on their french skills, culture and Canadian interrelationship. This is an easy way to introduce new topics across the curriculum, especially with inclusion of the Aboriginal education content. I recall in my past that my teachers (in the French-immersion program) taught through an Aboriginal lens regularly. Many of the lessons and units would incorporate French-Aboriginal education together, amplifying perspectives from both lenses. I am looking forward to having my own classroom one day, and I hope to develop and employ these multicultural competencies. We shall wait and see, and all the best to my future students (goodluck)!