Plenary Speakers
Prof. Catherine Caws (PhD)
University of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Area of expertise: French applied linguistics, Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL), lexicology
Perspectives on Second Language Learning and Teaching in Digital Contexts: Back to the Future
This conference seeks to look back at several major trends in technology-mediated language learning and teaching that have marked the last 25 years. This retrospective will be informed in part by our personal experience as a researcher and teacher of French as a second language (FSL) in a context where French is a minority language. We will begin by presenting some of the epistemological currents that continue to influence research, particularly those inherited from Vygotsky’s socio-cultural theory. We will then select several innovative practices to illustrate the diversity of pedagogical approaches and applications mediated by technology. Finally, we will attempt to look at the future of language learning-teaching by focusing more specifically on the notions of adaptability, sustainability, and open pedagogy (Caws, Hamel, Jeanneau and Ollivier, 2021). Throughout our discussion, we will also make connections to several key themes of the tenth edition of SLPC, such as the development of new literacies and sustainable skills, as well as issues of equity and social justice awareness.
Presented in English
Catherine Caws is a professor of language pedagogy in the French department of the University of Victoria (Canada) and directs the research laboratory on language learner-technology interactions. Her research interests focus on language learning in a digital context, the ergonomics of interfaces and learning contexts, the design of learning, and the analysis of the corpus of interactions from a socio-cultural perspective. She has coordinated several research projects funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC-Canada) and participated as a guest expert in research work at the European Center for Modern Languages of the Council of Europe.
Dr. Philippe Blanchet
University of Rennes 2, Brittany, France
Teaching minority languages: sociolinguistic problems and glottopolitical issues between L1 speakers by inheritance and LS by learning
The objectives and the very object of the teaching-learning of minority languages are not self-evident. Whether it is the identification / denomination of the language, the choice of the variety or the various standards to be taught, graphic choices, the skills expected for teaching and targeted by learning, or the educational, professional social and political objectives, the most frequent situation is that of disagreements. This presentation will offer, from extensively investigated fields, an overview and investigation of these factors, in order to analyze these situations, identify the sources of these disagreements, and examine essential conditions that contribute to proposing balanced, acceptable and functional solutions.
Presented in French
Philippe Blanchet is a professor in language sciences, specialized in sociolinguistics, interlinguistics, language didactics and glottophobia, at the University of Rennes 2 (France). He is a teacher trainer and director of a new master's degree in "Francophonie, plurilinguisme, minorités, interculturalité" at the University of Rennes 2. He is an expert in multilingual education and language policy for major international organizations and has worked in many fields. He is the author of numerous reference works in sociolinguistics and language didactics. He has published widely on Provençal. He has coordinated and participated in several (inter)national research projects.