This study examined the professional identity formation of French as a Second Language (FSL) and English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher candidates in Canada using arts-based multiliteracies approaches. The research was conducted in the context of ongoing FSL/ESL teacher shortages and changing classroom demographics in Canada.
The researchers employed various arts-based activities with FSL/ESL teacher candidates, including:
Venn diagrams of linguistic repertoires
Conceptual collages of the "ideal teacher"
Plurilingual poems
Plurilingual portraits
Identity texts
Life-story interviews
Arts-based activities allowed access to different types of knowledge, including embodied experiences with languages.
The research identified multiple, sometimes conflicting, discourses that teachers engage with in their profession.
Activities revealed tensions and contradictions in teachers' belief systems about language teaching.
The process enabled teachers to deconstruct and reconstruct their belief systems, particularly around plurilingualism.
The research approach repositioned participants as active members in knowledge construction.
Arts-based activities supported socio-emotional development and wellbeing among participants.
Identity Development in Teacher Education: Incorporate explicit identity work in teacher preparation programs, using arts-based approaches to help future teachers explore their beliefs, experiences, and professional selves.
Plurilingual Pedagogies: Encourage the adoption of plurilingual approaches in language classrooms, recognizing and valuing students' full linguistic repertoires.
Critical Reflection: Provide opportunities for teachers to critically reflect on their beliefs about language, teaching, and learning throughout their careers.
Socio-emotional Learning: Integrate activities that support teachers' socio-emotional development and wellbeing into professional development programs.
Challenging Monolingual Ideologies: Work to deconstruct monolingual ideologies in language education, promoting more inclusive and diverse approaches to language teaching.
Arts-Based Professional Development: Utilize arts-based methodologies in ongoing professional development to engage teachers in deeper, more transformative learning experiences.
Teacher Retention: Address teacher identity development as a strategy to improve long-term teacher retention, particularly in the context of FSL education in Canada.
Culturally Responsive Teaching: Support teachers in developing critical intercultural awareness to better serve diverse student populations.
By implementing these implications, educators and educational institutions can foster stronger, more resilient teacher identities and potentially address challenges in FSL teacher recruitment and retention.
To obtain access to any document related to this research, please send a request to the following e-mail address : mimi.masson@usherbrooke.ca
Publications linked to this research :
Masson, M. & Cote, S. E. (2024b). An Arts-based Multiliteracies Approach to Elicit Meaning-Making in Language Teacher Identity Work. In B. Peters (Ed.), Arts-Based Multiliteracies for Teaching and Learning (pp. tbd). IGI Global.
Masson, M. et Côté, S. (2024a). Belonging and legitimacy for French language teachers: A visual analysis of raciolinguistic discourses. In X. Huo & C. Smith (Eds.), Interrogating Race and Racism in Postsecondary Language Classrooms (pp. 116-149). IGI Global.
Masson, M., et Van Geel, S. (2024). A raciolinguistic exploration of pre-service ESL teachers’ conceptualisation of plurilingualism using drawings. TESL Canada Journal, tbd.
Other publications :
Elsherief, H., & Masson, M. (2020). Every Teacher is a Language Teacher. http://hdl.handle.net/10393/40933
Masson, M., Azan, A. & Battistuzzi, A. (2024). Centering social justice and well-being in FSL teacher identity formation to promote long-term retention. in Education, 29(2), 54-77. https://journals.uregina.ca/ineducation/article/view/723
Masson, M. & Cote, S. E. (2025). An arts-based multiliteracies approach to elicit meaning-making in language teacher identity work. In Arts-Based Multiliteracies for Teaching and Learning (pp. 327-364). IGI Global.
Masson, M., & Cote, S. E. (2024). Belonging and Legitimacy for French Language Teachers: A Visual Analysis of Raciolinguistic Discourses. In Interrogating Race and Racism in Postsecondary Language Classrooms (pp. 116-149). IGI Global.
Masson, M. & Van Geel, S. (2024). A Raciolinguistic Exploration of Pre-Service ESL Teachers’ Conceptualization of Plurilingualism Using Drawings. TESL Canada Journal, 41(1), 1-25. https://teslcanadajournal.ca/index.php/tesl/article/view/1767
Masson, M. (2018). Reframing FSL teacher learning: Small stories of (re) professionalization and identity formation. Journal of Belonging, Identity, Language, and Diversity, 2 (2), 77-102.
Presentations
Mimi Masson et Shawna Carroll. (2024) Artful connections : Bridging language and identity through arts-based activities [Présentation].
Videos
Masson, M. (2024). L'usage de portraits plurilingues dans la formation des enseignant.e.s d'anglais langue seconde. [Online conference]. Conférence CLÉ. https://www.collectif-cle.com/actualites/2024/5/22/video-conference-cle-masson
Masson, M. (2024). Teaching ESL From an Anti-Biased Anti-Racist Persepective. [Webinar]. Webinaire REEAL. https://www.sunnylau.ca/copy-of-talks