Ontario is experiencing a shortage of teachers for the French as a Second Language (FSL) program in the English-language school system. The Department of Canadian Heritage recently provided funding to provinces under the Teacher Recruitment and Retention Strategy in French Immersion and FSL Programs for activities aimed at addressing the teacher shortage.  

This project offers a comprehensive response to calls for sustained support and development of future FSL teachers’ skill sets (including, but not limited to, their French language proficiency), acknowledging that Faculties of Education are a key stakeholder group implicated in Ontario’s response to the teacher shortage in immersion and FSL programs. 

The overall objective of this multi-case study project in Faculties of Education at the University of Ottawa and York University (Glendon and Keele campus), is to document and compare program innovation that aims to help future FSL teachers develop their competence across four key pillars for success: language proficiency, intercultural competence, pedagogical knowledge, and collaborative professionalism.