Immersion studies at the University of Ottawa: From the 1980s to the present

Abstract

This article traces the history of content-based language teaching at the University of Ottawa from its early roots in sheltered and then adjunct courses in ESL and FLS to the current large-scale French Immersion Studies (FIS). It places content-based language learning at the University in the context of somewhat similar initiatives in the Canadian school situation and in some U.S. universities. The writers show how insights gained from the earlier sheltered and adjunct experiences led to development of the pedagogy and administrative support of the FIS. Issues discussed include the training and orientation of language instructors, criteria for selecting discipline professors, challenges students face and institutional support for students. They also address continuing weaknesses of the program.