As debate continues across the province regarding the government’s new Innovative Immersion program, a New Brunswick assistant professor, with 35 years experience in second language education, says the new plan shouldn’t move forward.
“It’s really not innovative and it’s really not immersion,” explained Léo-James Lévesque, an assistant professor with the School of Education at St. Thomas University. “So on both counts, I don’t think they have it right unfortunately.”
Lévesque says this isn’t the first time officials have tried to eliminate French immersion and it didn’t come as a shock to him, however, it isn’t a game plan he can see having any success.
“It will not work. It is a mistake,” he said. “When you make decisions that are not based on research, basically it’s like going on a trip without a map, not knowing where you’re going. So this roadmap that they are proposing right now will lead to a disaster.”
Lévesque is responsible for designing French Language Opportunities for Rural Areas program, known as FLORA, in the province. He says it is a very basic program that is designed to give exposure to the language, adding that it doesn’t provide a pathway to bilingualism.
“Right now the program that delivers the proficiency level that is required and leads to bilingualism is the early French immersion program and that is entry in Grade 1," he said.
He points out that there are a few immediate issues with the new Innovative Immersion program being pitched by the PC government, including the lack of choice from parents since it will be mandated across New Brunswick.
“Parents should have a choice to choose the language of instruction for their child and taking that away right now, you are depriving parents of course and so no one has a choice and no one has a path that will lead to bilingualism in the only official bilingual province in Canada,” he said.
“We need to stop this. We need to go back to the drawing board.”
The new framework proposes that students entering Kindergarten and Grade 1 in September will spend half of their day learning core subjects like literacy and math in English, with the other half of their day doing exploratory learning in French.
Right now, the minister of education is touring around the province doing public consultations.
In Moncton, N.B., Thursday night, over 300 people showed up voicing their concerns and frustrations loudly.
“We’re going to finish the consultations and then we’re going to examine all the feedback we’ve received, and then we’re going to make a decision on that and move forward from there,” said New Brunswick Education Minister Bill Hogan.
There are two more in-person sessions. One in Saint John, N.B., on Tuesday and another one in Fredericton on Wednesday. There are also two virtual sessions on Jan. 31 and Feb. 2 for people who cannot attend in-person.
“Changes that are proposed will not fix what does not work in the system,” said Lévesque. “If you wish to fix what does not work, you need to look at what you can do to support students that are experiencing difficulties in the system.”
