School Organisation :
The Place of the Specialist

Micheline Gagné: French specialist, cycle 3 Julie Simard: French Specialist, cycles 1 and 2

Each school and school board has its own way working with specialists and even more particularly when dealing with the implementation of French curriculum. In Ste-Foy, a French specialists works with the students 3 hours per week using an approach based on the teaching of a French mother-tongue curriculum which emphasises the development of reading and writing skills. Moreover, the French specialists have become an integral part of the school's cycle teams.

Even if conditions vary from school to school, Micheline Gagné believes that many of these ideas can applied to other contexts, even to other specialists.

A multi-layered portrait
As far back as 1997, Micheline Gagné wanted to break her isolation as the then only French specialist in the school. As a first step, she began working with home room teachers on common projects or themes in which she worked in French on certain parts of the project while the home room teacher worked in English.

Today, the school has moved to a cycle-based, student-centred learning environment in which teachers are architects who help students build their knowledge. In the process, teachers have developed into a cohesive group who work together in a variety of ways. How the specialist fits into this wider picture is the result of a thoughtful process developed over a number of years. They have become an integral part of the constructivist culture of the school.

Working in teams
The specialists are members of one or more cycle teams. The team plans together to ensure that French and English activities complement each other in any given project and that they reflect student interest. Projects lend themselves particularly well to the integration of several subject areas while they focus on common cross-curricular competencies. When the specialist works with the other teachers on a common set of cross-curricular competencies, the students experience more continuity while the teachers have the same expectations. This translates into rubrics or observation tools which they develop in common for their shared goals.

"For sure, in a school where teachers work in isolation, it would be difficult for a specialist to be integrated. He or she might be able to find one, maybe two homeroom teachers with whom to work. But it will stop there. The more schools will be opened to cycle teams, the more specialists will be able to find their place in these teams. But it might take time, depending on the organisational culture of the school." Micheline Gagné

Teamwork can be difficult for the specialist who has many classes. But the cycle teams support them and make sure that they are kept abreast of discussions and projects whenever they are unable to attend a cycle meeting.

Sharing tools and strategies
As much as is possible, the specialists use the same tools as the homeroom teachers. For instance, the student's writing copy books contains both French and English texts. The French teachers have adopted the schools Home Reading Policy (http://www.cqsb.qc.ca/sfs/reading.htm) so that the home reading duo-tang contains both English and French material. Their weekly routine is based on the school's homework policy. There is no separate French Portfolio, rather there is a common student portfolio.

"As a specialist, you need to be flexible because you have to become part of several different teams. You also have to develop a vision of your speciality without being totally attached to a particular method." Julie Simard

Transferring and reinforcing learning
Because students are learning French much the same way as they are learning English, they tend to transfer common elements such as punctuation or paragraphing from one context to another. Evaluation is, as much as possible, based on similar criteria to increase reinforcement and transfer of learning. By knowing what students have already learned, by re-using and reinforcing prior learning from a different context, teachers save time to focus on other things. Cycle team communication is therefore important even at that level.

"The more teachers work together as a team, the more they will feel comfortable sharing and they will get to see advantages to doing it. You need to know what the others are doing. It takes time but it pays." Julie Simard

When asked how this can happen in a school that has a "workbook" culture, Julie Simard had this to say:
"You need a project to start with. If you can't get rid of the workbooks, [because of school policy] use them as the source of your mini-homework assignments. Then, you need to find a teacher who is opened to the idea of doing something different because, as a specialist, you can't impose your ideas. Start small: a small project, a small collaboration with that teacher."

The advantages for the students and the teachers
With teachers planning projects that involve several subject areas, the student is set at the centre of a learning situation in which he/she is exposed to multiple but coherent perspectives. The learning experience becomes more meaningful and rich.

Working as a team, teachers can also get a broader perspective on student problems upon which they can base a diagnosis and prepare an action plan.

"The school administration must find ways to support the integration of specialist, to give them time for meetings, etc. Working as a team increases student success because everybody goes in the same direction. We all get to know our students better and we can work as a team to solve problems with students who have learning difficulties." Micheline Gagné

And for the new teacher coming into the profession or the school, Julie adds:
"Being part of several school teams certainly breaks the isolation. I had so many people to help me. I saw seven different ways to teach. There were so many good ideas and examples. I really learned a lot from those teachers. I have the impression that I progressed 3 years in a single year."