Equipping students with the skills to become proficient in several
languages requires the expertise of specialized educators. Currently,
there is no facility or program in Calgary at the Preschool to Grade
12 level that offers curricular labs (i.e., demonstration classrooms)
capable of facilitating world-class linguistic research and development
and ongoing professional development for language teachers in multilingual
environments…until now!
CFIS has built a unique new facility that incorporates curricular
language labs at various grade levels throughout the building. With
the addition of ten live curricular laboratories, CFIS is actively
pursuing research collaborations with the University of Calgary’s
Language Research Centre (LRC)
This collaboration with the LRC allows CFIS to facilitate
world-class language research and development at its site. The new
LRC is designed to feature high-tech learning environments. Working
together, CFIS is becoming a centre of language excellence, fulfilling
a need to benefit teachers qualified in language education across
the province.
The active use of these labs will:
• Allow multi-lingual education where educators can view multi-lingual
learning in action and take new tools, techniques, and approaches
back to their classrooms.
• Better and more quickly equip language teachers - both from
public boards and private systems - with the knowledge and training
they need to succeed and to provide data on what is most effective
for language learning.
• Provide direction and support for language policy and planning
issues faced by Canadians in a global economy.
• Increase interaction with international governments who
actively support and contribute to these language studies.
• Prepare the next generation of leaders to be multi-lingual
so that we can learn how to develop and advance public policy related
to language learning and economic development.
• Reinforce the globalization of Calgary’s workforce
and the Alberta Government’s drive for diversification through
the benefits of second and third language learning.
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