Professional development opportunities
CPF Alberta receives and distributes news of many resources and products designed to be of interest to students of French, their teachers, and their parents. Publication does not imply CPF endorsement.
Bursaries for professional training
Bursaries for French language teachers - This program is funded by the federal department of Canadian Heritage and administered by Alberta Education. You can apply for a bursary for professional training if you are a French language teacher or teach in French. Funding covers part-time and summer post-secondary courses taken in Canada and in Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon. Note: Provincial conferences and workshops held in Alberta are eligible for limited funding.
Languages in Teacher Education Scholarship - for Alberta students enrolled in teacher preparation programs
The Alberta Teachers' Association offers bursaries and conference attendance grants.
The Canadian Association of Second Language Teachers offers bursaries for CASLT members.
Explore is the Second Language Summer Bursary Program available to those who wish to study French during the spring/summer.
The regional professional development consortia offer professional development, training, and inservice sessions, including summer mini-immersion sessions. Check out what they are all offering for core French or immersion teachers:
- Calgary Regional Consortium
- Central Alberta Regional Consortium
- Edmonton Regional Learning Consortium
- Learning Network - East Central Consortium
- Northwest Regional Learning Consortium
- Southern Alberta Professional Development Consortium
The Consortium pour la perfectionnement professionelle also extends an invitation to immersion teachers to participate in some of its programs.
Postsecondary institutions also offer professional development opportunities for teachers, such as:
University of Alberta
Campus Saint-Jean -- professional development, courses for adults, specialized French proficiency certificates, and more available through CERF (Centre d'enseignemant et de recherche en français)
Go to Bear Tracks to see descriptions of the new French for Educators/Français pour éducateurs courses, listed as FR ED.
The Department of Elementary Education offers various programs of interest to second language teachers.
The Department of Secondary Education offers both undergraduate and graduate courses for teachers who wish to develop or enhance their skills in teaching languages.
- The Faculty of Extension offers a range of language courses, combining language learning and cultural awareness.
University of Calgary
The Faculty of Education offers various second language studies initiatives, including teacher preparation or graduate studies in French and other second languages.
The Language Research Centre is a joint initiative of the Faculty of Humanities, the Faculty of Social Sciences and the Faculty of Education. The LRC specializes in the professional development of language teachers at all levels, in technology-enhanced language learning, and in psycholinguistic investigation.
Continuing Education offers:
Teaching Second Language Certificate Specializing in Teaching French as a Second Language or French
- The Department of French, Italian & Spanish offers various language programs for credit.
University of Lethbridge
The Faculty of Education offers curriculum and instruction courses for non-majors in Modern Languages.
The Modern Languages Department offers courses in language, literature, and culture and civilization, and through academic and living experiences in francophone Canada or abroad.
Other postsecondary institutions may also offer French-language-learning opportunities.
There are also opportunities through the Alliance française: Calgary Edmonton
Le Conseil français - This specialist council of the Alberta Teachers' Assn. holds an annual fall conference for teachers and administrators of French immersion programs and Francophone schools. Bursaries are available to help with the cost of the registration fee and some travel expenses (see "Bursaries" at the top of this page).
Second Languages & Intercultural Council - This specialist council of the Alberta Teachers' Assn. holds an annual fall conference to give teachers of second languages and intercultural education an opportunity to network and to share ideas and knowledge about their specialty.
Second Language Matters! best practices day for K-12 second language educators - hosted by the Institute for Innovation in Second Language Education (Edmonton Public Schools) - February 18, 2011
Explore is the Second Language Summer Bursary Program available to those who wish to study French during the spring/summer.
Campus Saint-Jean offers a travel-study program in Sainte-Anne-de-La-Pocatière, Quebec. The five-week immersion program features classroom sessions, workshops, and social and cultural activities. There are also optional music, dance, and sports programs.
Postsecondary institutions - look for summer credit course, such as those offered through the Centre d'enseignemant et de recherche at Campus Saint-Jean, the Official Languages and Bilingualism Institute at the University of Ottawa, and the École internationale de français in Trois-Rivières QC (which also offers sessions for accompanying children).
The Edmonton Regional Learning Consortium is offering several French Language Summer Camps in August 2011 for teachers wishing to improve their French oral language competencies.
CPF Alberta receives and distributes news of many resources and products designed to be of interest to students of French, their teachers, and their parents. Publication does not imply CPF endorsement.