Christine Armstrong

B.A. (Hons.) 1988 (York); B.Ed. 1988 (York); M.A. 2000 (Queen’s); M.Ed. 2006 (Queen’s); Ph.D. 2024 (Queen’s)

Dr. Christine L. Armstrong is an Ontario Certified Teacher  and a passionate educator in the Teacher Education programme. Her area of specialization is second / additional language acquisition and retention. Christine draws on 30 years of experience teaching at the Intermediate / Senior levels. She has taught a variety of L2 programmes, including French as a Second Language (FSL) - Ontario curriculum: Core; Extended; Immersion - and International Baccalaureate (IB); as well as Spanish - Ontario curriculum and IB.

To enrich Teacher Candidates’ experiences in her FSL (I/S) curriculum programme, Christine’s focus is on bringing theory into practice and ensuring that her students leave the programme amply prepared for all aspects of their FSL teaching professional practice.

Christine’s research interests and lived L2 / intercultural experiences - both her own, and that of her children and students - infuse her teaching practice with practical examples of how theory meets practice. She has been a lifelong learner, completing the degrees of M.A. in Spanish language and literature; M.Ed. in the use of writing portfolios in secondary French Immersion programming; and Ph.D. in engaging secondary French Immersion learners in self-directed learning to support the development of their language skills and learner autonomy.

In the early stages of her education and career, Christine lived and worked in Québec City as a tour guide and later as a university summer exchange student, then in Toulouse, France where she taught English as a Second Language (ESL) at both the elementary and secondary levels. During her undergraduate years, Christine attended Glendon College - a uniquely bilingual campus which brought English and French speakers together. These experiences reinforced the importance of the connection between language and culture and the value of linguistic lived experience in FSL / additional language acquisition.

Understanding that not all learners can access such a lived experience has influenced Christine’s interest in supporting inclusive FSL education. She endeavours to model instructional inclusivity to her Teacher Candidates through the selection of quality resources, such as the CEFR, TransformingFSL, and the DELF. These resources bring globalization into the classroom and help to support learners’ development and awareness of themselves as global citizens. Furthermore, Christine embraces inclusive L2 educational philosophies such as plurilingualism and pluriculturalism which affirm the lived experience of many learners.

Christine further expands her Teacher Candidates’ understanding of the school system and their future place of employment through insights into program and organizational administration which she developed as a Languages Department Head in the latter part of her career, and by having earned Principal’s Qualifications.

Her teaching mantras are “My students are worth my effort” and “Teacher humanity, humility, and humour”.

Research Interests

• Second / additional language acquisition and retention
• Metacognition in second / additional language acquisition and retention
• The link between language and culture and how teaching culture supports language acquisition
• Plurilingualism and pluriculturalism in additional language acquisition
• Self-directed learning
• The development of learner autonomy
• The late/ mature adolescent L2 learner
• Instructed Language Learning (ILL) and Form Focused Instruction (FFI)
• Listening in service to second / additional language acquisition and retention
• Form-focused metacognitive listening to support L2 acquisition and retention

Publications

Peer-reviewed

Armstrong, C. L. (2011). Understanding and improving the use of writing portfolios in one French Immersion classroom. The Ontario Action Researcher, 11(2), 1-29. http://oar.nipissingu.ca/PDFS/V1121.pdf

Theses

Doctor of Philosophy in Education (Queen’s) - 2024

Supporting the development of senior secondary French Immersion students’ French as a second language and learner autonomy through self-directed form-focused metacognitive listening activities

Master of Education (Queen’s) - 2006

Understanding and Improving the Use of Writing Portfolios in One French Immersion Classroom

Master of Arts (Queen’s) – 2000

La presentación irónica de Rosalía Bringas en Tormento y La de Bringas: el propósito didáctico de Benito Pérez Galdós

Un mot en français

Je suis éducatrice passionnée. Je crois fortement à la valeur inestimable de l’éducation ainsi qu’à la capacité d’enseigner et d’apprendre une langue additionnelle. J’ai l’honneur et le privilège de faire partie de cette faculté d’éducation où j’entame ma 7e année de formation professionnelle de nouveaux professeurs. Je suis dédiée à faciliter le développement professionnel de nos candidats à l’enseignement. J’offre la synthèse de 30 ans d’expérience au palier secondaire en tant qu’enseignante de langues - le français et l’espagnol - comme chef de département de langues, et comme correctrice du DELF. Mes domaines de recherches visent l’acquisition de langue additionnelle, notamment l’usage du portfolio d’écriture ainsi que le développement de l’autonomie chez l’apprenant dans le programme d’immersion - la mise de mes études de Maîtrise et de Doctorat.

Mes mantras pédagogiques sont : « Mes étudiants valent tous mes efforts ! » et « L’humanité, l’humilité, et l’humour chez le professeur ».