Canadian Bilingual Program Teachers’ Understanding of Immersion Pedagogy: A Nexus Analysis of an Early Years Classroom

Abstract

Bilingual language education in Canada comprises Bilingual Programs in minority languages and programs in official languages (e.g., French Immersion). However, pedagogy in Bilingual Programs has not been studied to the same depth as it has in French Immersion, therefore little is known about the teaching practices within them. Immersion pedagogy, the integration of content and language education, fosters teaching practices that encourage language development, but sometimes also monolingual instructional practices that discourage the use of flexible bilingualism strategies. This research in an early year’s German Bilingual Program classroom examines what teachers understand as ‘immersion pedagogy’. This nexus analysis draws on data from curriculum documents, classroom observation, interviews and stimulated recall sessions. The rationale for this study is to address the lack of studies examining teaching practices within Bilingual Programs as a unique form of bilingual education. The findings reveal teachers’ understanding of immersion pedagogy as content and language integrated instruction with strong discourses in place that include the separation of languages. The conclusions shed light on the need for teachers to further explore their understanding of immersion pedagogy and identifies potential strategies and innovations to explore in school-based professional learning communities (e.g., flexible bilingual strategies).