Rêver en français workshops

Winter 2025: from January 27 to April 11

IMPORTANT NOTICE: there won’t be any workshops during reading week, i.e. the week of March 3.

The project Rêver en français has been designed to meet the language needs of anglophone and allophone graduate students at Université Laval. Through listening activities, reading, writing and interactions, designed to raise cultural awareness, the workshops aim to encourage the integration of students into the French-speaking community at Université Laval and its surroundings.

Within this 10-week training period, 48 hours of workshops will be distributed as follows:

• Two workshops of two hours per week (available from Monday to Thursday, per the schedule you have chosen);
• An intensive workshop of four hours, two Saturdays.

When you register, you will be able to choose the schedule that suits you best according to your availability for the two weekly workshops and for the two intensive workshops. 

Group 1
In class, (Room to be confirmed)
Mondays and Wednesdays from 16:30 to 18:30 (January 27 to April 9)
Two Saturdays from 13:00 to 17:00 (to be confirmed)

(10-week workshops: There won’t be any workshops during reading week, i.e.
the week of March 3 to March 7).

Group 2
In class, (Room to be confirmed)
Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:30 to 10:30 (January 28 to April 10)
Two Saturdays from 13:00 to 17:00 (to be confirmed)

(10-week workshops: There won’t be any workshops during reading week, i.e.
the week of March 3 to March 7).

Group 3
In class, (Room to be confirmed)
Tuesdays and Thursdays from 16:30 to 18:30 (January 28 to April 10)
Two Saturdays from 13:00 to 17:00 (to be confirmed)

(10-week workshops: There won’t be any workshops during reading week, i.e.
the week of March 3 to March 7).

Terms and conditions

Registration for the Winter 2025 workshops will begin on December 2, 2024

To register, select the group and time slot that suits you best. When you register, you will need your personal identification number (9-digit PIN provided by Laval University) and have a valid credit card ready to pay the registration fee of $150.

Group 1 (facilitator: to be confirmed)
In class, (Room to be confirmed)
Mondays and Wednesdays from 16:30 to 18:30 (Starting January 27, 2025)
Two Saturdays from 13:00 to 17:00 (to be confirmed)

Register

Group 2 (facilitator: to be confirmed)
In class, (Room to be confirmed)
Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:30 to 10:30 (Starting January 28, 2025)
Two Saturdays from 13:00 to 17:00 (to be confirmed)

Register

Group 3 (facilitator: to be confirmed)
In class, (Room to be confirmed)
Tuesdays and Thursdays from 16:30 to 18:30 (Starting January 28, 2025)
Two Saturdays from 13:00 to 17:00 (to be confirmed)

Register

The registration fee is $150.

An interview of about one hour will be held at the end of the training period to take your comments and to inform you about future training activities, if you want to continue to improve your French.

The eligibility criteria for the Rêver en français workshops are as follows:

• Have a mother tongue other than French;
• Be enrolled in a second or third-cycle program at Laval University OR be a postdoctoral fellow;
• Pay the registration fee of $150;
• Agree to follow the schedule established at the time of registration.

Please note that visiting or exchange students (who are not enrolled at Université Laval) are not eligible to participate in the workshops. Please note that visiting or exchange students (who are not enrolled at Université Laval) are not eligible to participate in the workshops.  Please also note that students who have already participated in the first series of workshops will not be allowed to register a second time (unless they are true beginners).

The workshops are offered to all eligible students, regardless of their proficiency level in French.

The activities proposed in the workshops will meet the needs of students just beginning their learning of the French language, as well as those at the intermediate level.

• What are the workshops about?
  You will find a brief description of the workshops in the Workshops section. Please note that the workshops are not courses, and therefore they do not include exams. During the workshops, you will participate in a variety of activities related to the cultural realities of Québec, in order to develop your knowledge and fluency in French.

• Who can register for the workshops?
  The admission criteria are outlined in the Registration section.

• Where will the workshops be held?
  The workshops will be held on premises located near your laboratory, your seminars or your associated Faculty.

• When will the workshops take place?
  The start and end dates of the first two training sessions can be found in the Registration section.
  The two-hour workshops will take place twice a week, at a time chosen during your registration. You will also have two four-hour workshops taking place on the Saturdays suggested during your registration.

• Is it possible to register for only one workshop per week?
  The training sessions last 10 weeks, for a total of 48 hours: one workshop per week would give you only 20 hours of training, which is not enough.

• What materials do I need for the workshops? Should I buy specific textbooks?
  It is advisable to have in hand a logbook (a notebook or an electronic device) to take notes and keep track of your language skills in French. Access to a dictionary (paper or online) is also recommended.

• When and where can I sign up?
  See the Registration section.

• What information will be requested for application?
  During registration, you will need your personal identification number (nine figure PI provided by Université Laval and a valid credit card.)

• How much does the workshop cost?
  The cost of the workshops is detailed in the Registration section.

• Do these workshops make me earn course credits?
  The workshops are completely different from the FLE and FLS credit courses. Attending the workshops will not give you credits.

• What scholarships are tied to these workshops?
  The workshops are not associated with any scholarship, but they only cost 150$. For information on scholarships related to the FLE courses, please contact Thérèse Guay at Therese.Guay@elul.ulaval.ca or at 418-656-2131, ext 406714.

• Who should we contact if we will be absent from a workshop?
  For any absence, please write as soon as possible to the moderator of the workshops at this email: reverenfrancais@lli.ulaval.ca. Your message should contain the following information:
  • Your last name, first name and identification number (9 digit);
  • The date of your absence and its duration;
  • A brief justification.

• I don't speak French, could I use my mother tongue?
  We encourage you to use French to the extent of your knowledge,  since they are conversation-based workshops. Occasional use of another language will be tolerated, especially if you are a beginner in French. However, it is necessary to use French as much as you can to take full advantage of the workshops.
  The facilitators master French and are all university trained to teach French. They will not be able to provide you with explanations in another language, but will do their best to help you.

Zita De Koninck, is a Full professor (recently retired) in the Département de langues, linguistique et traduction, Faculté des lettres et des sciences humaines of Université Laval. Throughout her career in research and teaching, she has worked to promote the integration of allophone students in Quebec society. Her areas of specialization and expertise in the domain of second language pedagogy are language learning for academic purposes in multi-ethnic settings, acquisition of reading skills and vocabulary learning. She has offered seminars and courses related to these areas, and published numerous articles from her research. The project Rêver en français is a fulfillment of one of her dearest wishes which is to better support the learning of French among students enrolled in graduate studies.

Suzie Beaulieu is an associate professor in the Département de langues, linguistique et traduction, Faculté des lettres et des sciences humaines of Université Laval. She teaches courses in the undergraduate degree program of Teaching French as a second language and Certificate in French as a second language. She also offers seminars for graduate students in the second language teaching program. Her research interests and areas of expertise are the development of oral skills in French as a second language, form focused instruction and applied sociolinguistics. She obtained her PhD in Applied Linguistics from the University of Alberta in 2012.

Marc Lafontaine is a full-time lecturer in the Department of Languages, Linguistics and Translation. He teaches undergraduate courses within the Bachelor of Education in French as a Second Language as well as in the Certificate of Aptitude for Specialized Second Language Instruction. His research interests are related to psycholinguistics, particularly attitudes, motivation and learning strategies, as well as to the development of oral communication skills. He obtained his Ph.D. in psycholinguistics in 2001.

The workshops will be offered by students enrolled in the Bachelor's degree in teaching French as a second language (BEFLS) of Université Laval. These students receive a four-year training, during which they complete five practicums in the teaching of French. The students you will meet will be in the last years of their teaching degree. They will be accompanied by members of the Rêver en français team.

These accompanying members will ensure that the workshops meet the targeted needs. They will assist the moderators to organise and facilitate the workshops. The accompanying members do not act as supervisors; they rather have a supportive role.

Javier Bejarano, has a bachelor’s degree in Modern Languages, a master’s degree in Applied Linguistics (Spanish as a Foreign language) and is currently enrolled as a doctoral student in Second Language Teaching at Université Laval. He teaches Spanish at the Centre de Loisirs Montcalm and also serves as teaching assistant in the Spanish grammar course at Université Laval. His area of interest is the teaching and learning of vocabulary.

Stéphanie Bouchard-Gervais is a master's degree student in Second Language Teaching at Université Laval and she holds a bachelor's degree in teaching English and Spanish as a second language. She is particularly interested in task-based language teaching and in the development of oral fluency of French as a second language learners.

Caterina Ciampi is a master's degree student in Second Language Teaching at Université Laval and holds a degree in Linguistics and Foreign Language Teaching. She teaches Italian as a foreign language online and is particularly interested in corrective feedback in distance language learning.

Carl Laberge is a master's degree student in Second Language Teaching at Université Laval. He holds a bachelor's degree in teaching French as a second language and he has facilitated workshops to support the learning of French for several years. He specializes in the development of listening comprehension in French as a second language.

Diana Osorio is enrolled in a master's degree in Second Language Teaching at Université Laval and  holds a bachelor's degree also in Second Language Teaching. She has facilitated French language workshops for adult immigrants for several years and she is particularly interested in the acquisition of second language vocabulary.

Roxane St-Hilaire is a student in the master's degree degree in Second Language Teaching at Université Laval. She holds a bachelor’s degree in French Studies - Language and Communication. She teaches French as a second language and has facilitated francisation workshops for many years. She is particularly interested in the social integration of allophone adult immigrants.

Maude-Amélie Marchand is a master’s degree student in Second Language Teaching at Université Laval. She graduated in French as a Second language teaching. She teaches French as a language of instruction (francization) in primary schools but is also experienced with the francization of adults and teenagers. She specializes in the development of reading in French as a language of instruction.

Paola Llorente is enrolled in a master's degree in Second Language Teaching at Université Laval and holds a bachelor's degree also in Second Language Teaching. She has taught Spanish and French for several years and she is particularly interested in second language teaching, flipped classroom and emerging technologies.

Hongqian He is a master’s degree student in Second Language Teaching at Université Laval. He holds a bachelor’s degree in French language et literature. He is particularly interested in language attitudes toward accents.

Meng Liu is a master's degree student in Second Language Teaching at Université Laval and holds a bachelor's degree in French Second Language. She is particularly interested in foreign language teaching for adult beginners and in the intercultural competence.

We would like to thank Adelehsadat Mahdavi, John Coffie Teye and Alyssa Dupere, graduate students, for their involvement at the beginning of the project. Their collaboration has been very helpful.

We would also like to thank every student teacher from the BEFLS and the CAESLS programs for their participation in the Dream in French project.

• Émily St-Arnaud
• Alexandre Drouin
• Étienne Bernier
• Maude-Aurélye Sirois-Bruneau
• Justin Houde
• Colombe Lafontaine
• Caroline Lavoie
• Allison Gagné
• Édouard Mireault
• Monia Bédard
• Andrée-Anne Veilleux
• Dominique Brochu

Bejarano, J., & De Koninck, Z. (2018) L’expérience Rêver en français : les tâches multi-niveaux pour l’enseignement / appropriation de la culture québécoise et l’échange interculturel. In Actes du 7^e Colloque sur l’enseignement de langues étrangères, La culture dans l’enseignement-apprentissage des langues : Réflexions, changements et défis, held in Montreal on May 24 and 25, 2018 (pp.12-24).

Bejarano, J., & Duchemin, M. (2020). L’intégration des unités phraséologiques à l’intérieur de l’approche par les tâches : l’expérience du projet Rêver en français. La Revue de l’AQEFLS, 33, 1, 20-27. 

• Bejarano, J. (2018, mai). L’expérience Rêver en Français : les tâches multi-niveaux pour l’enseignement/ appropriation de la culture québécoise et échange culturel. Communication presented at the 7^th Meeting on Language Teaching, Montreal, Quebec.
• Bouchard-Gervais, S. (2018, mai). Approche par tâches et développement de l’aisance perçue à l’oral chez des apprenants du français de niveau débutant. Communication presented at the 80^th congress of ACLA, Regina, Saskatchewan.
• Bouchard-Gervais, S., Osorio, D., & St-Hilaire, R. (2018, april). Approche par tâches et enseignement multiniveau. Communication presented at the 37th congress of AQEFLS, Laval, Quebec.

• 80th Anniversary Engagement Bursary of the Faculté des lettres et sciences humaines of Laval University (2018)
• Finalist at the Mérites du français 2018 contest of the Office québécois de la langue française