Blog Post #7: E-inclusion in Early French Immersion Classrooms: Article Review, “Using Digital Technologies to Support Inclusive Practices That Meet the Needs of All Learners”

In this week’s post, my focus was to research the benefits of using digital technology in an early French Immersion class specifically using assistive technology (AT) to support the learning of students with special and diverse needs. I’ve been looking for ways to support French Immersion learners at school and at home but this time I wanted to look at ways to support the struggling learners in EFI (Early French Immersion) programs.

According to Martine Pellerin, in his article, E-inclusion in Early French Immersion Classrooms: Using Digital Technologies to Support Inclusive Practices That Meet the Needs of All Learners, assistive technologies (AT) contributes towards helping students with learning difficulties and special needs to reach their full potential and provides options to empower students to feel included in an EFI program.  Pallerin’s focus was to examine the outcome of a two-year collaborative action research project that investigated the use of digital technologies to support inclusive practices in EFI classrooms (Pallerin, 2012). The data collected by the teachers demonstrated that the use of digital technologies does support instructional strategies by providing students with multiple means of representation. Each classroom that participated in this qualitative action research were given four to six iPods and two iPads, and a set of laptop computers and iPads were available to be shared between classrooms. All classrooms were equipped with an interactive white board. According to Pallerin, teachers collected digital documentation (video and audio recordings) on an ongoing basis, of how students were using the technology to support, scaffold and enhance their learning (Pallerin, 2012).

This research emerged three key findings that contributed to the understanding of how the use of digital technologies contributes to student learning and success.

1. Teachers were empowered to integrate the use of digital technologies to support the implementation of new inclusive practices.

Teachers indicated that at the beginning of the year they were nervous and ill-equipped to use technology with their young students, but then found it to be very beneficial to share new instructional strategies that they implemented in their lessons. Teachers also indicated that collaborating with other teachers contributed to the development and implementation of new instructional strategies of technology to better meet the learning needs of their students (Pallerin, 2012).

2. The use of digital technologies contributed to the development of new and more inclusive instructional strategies in the EFI classrooms.

According to Pallerin (2012), iPods and iPads allowed the teachers to adopt new instructional strategies that included more individualized and guided practice, as well as a more student-centered approach. Students were more engaged in their learning and displayed autonomy during learning activities. As a result, teachers were able to shift from a teacher-centered approach to a more student-centered approach which provided more guided practice for students who needed individualized instruction or scaffolding. Using digital technology also allowed for students to create learning experiences that responded more to their learning needs. The audio and video recordings obtained from the students’ use of iPods and iPads provided evidence of student learning on an ongoing basis. The information gained from the digital documentation enabled teachers to better assess the specific needs of individual students (Pallerin, 2012).

3. The use of digital technologies provided multiple means of representation, action and expression, and engagement.

According to Pallerin (2012), learners differ in the ways they perceive and comprehend information. The teachers used the digital technologies to differentiate the way information was presented to students. The use of the technology allowed teachers to provide multiple ways of representation content to best support their learners needs.

According to Pallerin (2012), learners differ in the ways they can navigate their learning environment and express information. The data showed that teachers used devices such as iPods and iPads to provide alternative modalities for expressing knowledge, ideas, and concepts in the learning environment.

According to Pallerin (2012), learners differ greatly in the ways they can be engaged or motivated to learn. All the teachers in the study observed higher levels of engagement and motivation in all their students when using technological devices. Teachers observed that their students with attention disorders benefited from the use of digital technologies. Students were more engaged in the second language activities and stayed focused on the task for a longer period. Students were also more willing to engage in compensatory skills activities that required repetitive practice.

The findings provided by this inquiry can essentially be used in any educational program but are more significant for Early Immersion classrooms because they provide tangible evidences that support the need to adopt digital technologies in EFI classrooms. As I continue to research ways to better support my French Immersion learners, increase engagement and support parents in EFI, I am flooded with more examples of the importance of using digital technology in the classroom and the benefits it has among all my learners.

A good app that I’ll be using in my daily literacy centers and sharing with the parents in my class is, Jeux pour lire avec Sami et Julie (Reading Games with Sami and Julie).

This app is best for beginner French learners starting from the age of four. This app aims to help kids learn how to read the French language by working with individual sounds and syllables. It’s like a gamified “Hooked on Phonics” for French.

Pellerin, M. (2013). E-inclusion in Early French Immersion Classrooms: Using Digital Technologies to Support Inclusive Practices That Meet the Needs of All Learners. Canadian Journal of Education / Revue Canadienne De L’éducation, 36(1), 44-70. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.library.uvic.ca/stable/canajeducrevucan.36.1.44