Page 13 - The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 9 to 12: French as a Second Language – Core, Extended, and Immersion, 2014

Goal Setting and Reflection
Students need to take responsibility for their learning by being aware of their abilities and monitoring their progress. Goal setting and reflection are thus important aspects of the FSL curriculum that will serve students both in the classroom and beyond.
When teachers communicate clear learning goals and criteria for successful achievement in a particular activity or task, students can understand the purpose for their learning. Descriptive feedback from teachers and peers helps students monitor their learning and use of French, set goals, and identify their own strengths and areas in need of improvement. As students reflect on their learning and the achievement of their goals, they will be able to determine what strategies contributed to their success and how they can apply, adapt, and/or modify these strategies as they pursue their goals for future learning.
Making Real-World Connections
The learning across all strands of the FSL curriculum is highly connected and relevant to the lives of students, helping them see and articulate the immediate and long-term benefits of learning French. Through the exploration of themes and topics related to other subject areas, students will see that communicating in French is an important skill that is applicable beyond the FSL classroom. In addition, meaningful contact with French-speaking individuals in their community enables students to develop their language learning skills in real-life situations.
When students are unable to interact with French speakers in their community, teachers can use authentic materials, electronic communications, and multimedia resources to support language learning. Teachers can also facilitate student participation in exchanges, language camps or immersion experiences, and field trips or longer excursions. Schools or communities can be twinned, or visitors invited into the school.
ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES IN THE FRENCH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE PROGRAMS
Students
Students’ responsibilities with respect to their own learning develop gradually and increase over time as they progress through elementary and secondary school. With appropriate instruction and with experience, students come to see how applied effort can enhance learning and improve achievement. As they mature and develop their ability to persist, to manage their behaviour and impulses, to take responsible risks, and to listen with understanding, students become better able to take more responsibility for their learning and progress. There are some students, however, who are less able to take full responsibility for their learning because of special challenges they face. The attention, patience, and encouragement of teachers can be extremely important to the success of these students. Learning to take responsibility for their improvement and achievement is an important part of every student’s education.
Mastering the skills and concepts connected with learning in the FSL curriculum requires ongoing practice, personal reflection, an effort to respond to feedback, and commitment from students. It also requires a willingness to try new activities, take risks in using
INTRODUCTION
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