BEd (French)

Students entering the Faculty of Education’s Concurrent BEd (French) program generally do so in Year 2 of their academic program.

Considerable emphasis in the program is placed on ensuring excellent French language proficiency and a deep understanding of francophone cultures. To satisfy the francophone cultural component of the program, teacher candidates participate in a one-year study program in a francophone context during Year 3 of a four-year program or Year 4 of a five-year program on a stop-out from the Faculty of Education, or enrol in two full course equivalents (12 credits) in francophone culture as part of the bachelor’s degree requirements. A significant proportion of the practicum is carried out in Ontario French Immersion schools. Candidates also have experiences in English language elementary settings.

Note: the BEd (French) degree is currently offered for the most part at the Glendon campus. The program option is available at the primary/junior level only.

All students are required to apply to the Faculty of Education and will be selected as per the requirements listed below:

• Must have completed by April 30 a minimum of four (4) full courses (24 credits) of a first year of undergraduate studies or the equivalent.
• Have a minimum C+ overall average in an undergraduate program at York University or the equivalent.
• Have a minimum of six (6) full courses (36 credits) left to complete their academic degree.

Applicants who do not present one of the following must successfully complete a written and oral French placement test:

• Four full years of study in French at the secondary school level.
• One full year of study in French in an accredited university degree program.
• Two full years of study in French in an accredited college diploma program.

Note: the Faculty does not count time spent in FSL courses, letters written by applicants or senior-level high-school French course(s) as proof of French language proficiency.

The above requirements are general guidelines only. The Faculty reserves the right to require a successfully completed language proficiency test.

Applicants must have a minimum 5.00 (C+) overall average and be admitted to and continuing in an undergraduate program in one of the Faculties of Environmental Studies, Fine Arts, Glendon, Health, Liberal Arts and Professional Studies or Science and Engineering.

Applicants normally complete both degrees (e.g. BA and BEd) within four years of coregistering if they are taking a three-year undergraduate degree and both degrees must be conferred at the same convocation.

Applicants must attend both education classes and fulfill practicum requirements during the daytime throughout the academic year. A limited number of sections of some courses are offered in the evening.

Applicants must complete at least 12 credits (two full university courses) towards their academic degree in each calendar year (i.e. September to August) to comply with the concurrency requirements of the Faculty of Education.

Successful candidates are normally selected on the basis of education-related experience, references, university grade point averages, a written test in French and individual interviews conducted in both English and French.

Note: an application will not be regarded as complete until all documents and materials have been received by the Faculty of Education. It is the responsibility of applicants to ensure that their file is complete.

Application forms for Concurrent programs are available in January for admission to the Faculty of Education for the following academic year. Application forms can be downloaded from the Faculty of Education Web site at http://www.yorku.ca/foe/. For information contact BEd Student Services, Faculty of Education, 128 Winters College, tel.: 416-736-5001.

Please note that Faculties of Environmental Studies, Fine Arts, Health, Liberal Arts and Professional Studies and Science and Engineering students take the majority of their BEd (French) education courses at the Glendon campus.

BEd (French) Practicum

Practicum seminars in each of the three years are designed to cover basic issues of observation, inquiry, reflection, school structures, portfolios, lesson planning, curriculum design, classroom management and assessment. Each seminar is supported by university coursework and a relevant placement.

Placements in Year 1 of the BEd (French) program consist of a set of experiences in francophone community-based and/or French Immersion school-based sites (not individual classrooms). Teacher candidates complete a 50-hour placement.

In Year 2, one day per week in the fall term takes place in an English school/classroom. A winter placement plus a four-week final block take place in a French Immersion setting in the same panel (i.e. primary or junior). In Year 3, teacher candidates are placed in school settings in which a variety of French Immersion classroom experiences are offered. The emphasis of the placement is on the panel not addressed in Year 2. This placement consists of one day per week and a four-week culminating block.