I am now going to talk about our best practices.
As a teacher, in the classroom, I see that we obtain the best results when we provide students with authentic experiences, either in or outside the classroom. In my classes, the students and I decide together what the best ways are to express ourselves with more confidence in our second language. At first, it is important to work hard with the students so that they understand the importance of speaking French with each other. They gain the confidence through exposure to authentic situations.
At Kelvin High School, two years ago, our immersion team launched a series of oral evaluations for all the students, both individually and in small groups. We use an interdisciplinary approach.
For instance, a natural science teacher works with a social science teacher to meet individually with students for 20 minutes and ask them questions about an article they chose. That is how we try to make our interviews with the students authentic. We give them an opportunity to interact intensely in their second language and to receive words of encouragement, as well as suggestions to improve their oral skills.
Role-playing games are also part of authentic activities. For instance, we recreated the negotiations that led to the signing of Treaty 5 with the Cree at Norway House. We also simulated parliamentary debates on Senate reform. I swear I wrote that a few weeks ago. In addition, the students are becoming more familiar with francophone artists by coming up with their own interpretation of the social issues raised by the Cowboys Fringants or Congolese rappers.
When I prepare my lessons, I see there is a need to dig deeper to find authentic, pan-Canadian educational resources for second language learners. In my view, that is where the federal government could play a role. I think we need more documentaries that tell Canada's full history, in both languages.
One example is the television series 8e feu, which was recently produced by CBC/Radio-Canada. It is an outstanding series. In many cases, this is the first time my students have had an opportunity to listen to French-speaking aboriginal peoples talk about current issues in connection to Canadian history. In addition, the series offers a national vision from coast to coast to coast.
I am afraid this series is the exception to the rule. For instance, if you try to find the trial of Louis Riel in the Radio-Canada archives, you will search in vain. It is surprising, given that Riel's vision was that of a province promoting the two linguistic communities, as well as the aboriginal communities, in western Canada. Yet the popularity of the series Canada: A People's History was remarkable. So the examples of lack of resources are many. We could talk about that during the question and answer period afterwards.
The same goes for textbooks, quizzes and other educational resources. Learners and educators need more resources that are the result of collaboration between artists and writers, producers and documentary filmmakers or historians and political scientists from both linguistic communities. We must tell our stories more and make them resonate across Canada in the French language.