Last September 2020, the Official Languages and Bilingualism Institute (OLBI) launched the Canadian Heritage-funded project "Learning through community engagement in service of future teachers in Francophone Minority Schools (EFMM) and French as a Second Language (FSL)." It aims to provide educational support for FSL courses, especially online ones, in public schools during the COVID-19 pandemic.
OLBI has partnered with the Community Engagement team (Michaëlle Jean Center for Global and Community Engagement) to connect its student volunteers with French tutors and professional associations specifically through the Community Service Learning (CSL) program. This allows students to contribute 30 hours of volunteer work with community involvement as part of their course. During Fall 2020, CSL students contributed over 500 hours of online tutoring to school-age children across Canada to help them with their FSL homework.
Marie-Josée Hamel, OLBI professor for DLS 3501 Technologies éducationnelles en didactique des Langues secondes, used this opportunity for her students, future FSL teachers: “23 students in my DLS 3501 course are currently tutoring online for CPF through the CSL program. It is an extraordinary opportunity for them to develop their FLS distance learning center Brampton skills.” A number of FLS students are also involved in this worthwhile initiative, namely from Professor Laura Ambrosio's classes.
Theresa Mary Ann Paplinskie, a student, volunteered during both the fall and winter semesters: “I want to continue volunteering after graduation because I really enjoyed the experience.” Nicole Redford, network manager at Canadian Parents for French, also describes the positive experience working with CSL students: “Our virtual French tutoring program could not function without dedicated uOttawa student volunteers. These students are helping us redefine the meaning of community service as they work with students across Canada and break down physical barriers through virtual lessons. (They) help us serve more students in more provinces and territories with their willingness to serve any of our participants regardless of time zone.”
So far, the Community Engagement team has contacted over 200 schools across Canada about how uOttawa FSL students can support individual homework tutoring needs and the needs of FSL teachers. For more information about this initiative, please get in touch with OLBI Professor Laura Ambrosio or Alexandra Baril, Community Engagement Manager for the CSL Program.
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