Canadian Council on Learning | Conseil Canadien sur l'Apprentissage

This project involved implementation of a symposium to focus on family literacy in Francophone minority communities. Nearly 150 participants including the literacy, health, education, international development, research and university communities from 10 provinces, two territories and two African countries were able to exchange knowledge, network and acquire tools to promote, support and stimulate family literacy. The symposium included a broad range of topics such as parents' role, literacy and health, international perspectives, and reading promotion strategies. A report on the symposium was distributed to participants and is posted on the FCAF website.

The Virtual Schools, Educational Resources and Distance Learning Strategies (Écoles virtuelles, ressources éducatives, et stratégies en téléapprentissage, EVREST) project engaged a pan-Canadian community of francophone distance education service providers. It initiated a new era of inter-provincial co-operation for sharing best practices and educational resources through face-to-face meetings, teleconferences, workshops and a wiki internet site. Educators developed new contacts and shared ideas with a view to promoting and expanding online learning in French language minority environments in Canada. The major accomplishment of EVRST was the promotion and mobilization of a pan-Canadian community of online learning practices from pre-kindergarten to Grade 12 in a francophone environment. The EVRST events attracted participants from every jurisdiction in Canada. A prototype of a wiki for the exchange of educational and administrative resources was developed and links with similar projects in Canada and abroad were established. At the end of the project the participants were committed to finding long-term mechanisms for on-line sharing of francophone resources across jurisdictions.

This project involved the development of a database of exemplary practices as well as a series of podcasts to address issues identified in a survey of French as Second Language (FSL) teachers. New FSL graduates and student teachers, as well as the broader general education community, will benefit from greater access to this knowledge to improve FSL working and learning conditions in Canada. The database and podcasts are accessible on the CASLT website.