RASCALS' Roundtable

In this season‑finale episode of RASCALS’ Roundtable, Brett Fischer and Danielle Viens sit down with three influential voices in Québec’s ESL community to reflect on what makes a teaching career sustainable and meaningful.
Christine Baida, President of SPEAQ, looks back on the challenging early years of teaching and reminds us that grit grows through support and community. Recently retired CEGEP teacher David Coward reflects on the students, colleagues, and creative projects that gave his career purpose. Finally, DanBoulerice brings it home by reminding us that ESL isn’t just about language—it’s about citizenship, culture, and helping students become better humans.
This episode is a love letter to collaboration, mentorship, and finding your people in education.

In this episode of RASCALS’ Roundtable, Brett and Danielle speak with Christophe Chénier, professor of language assessment at the Université de Montréal, about Quebec’s decision to align the new ESL and FSL devis with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).
We explore what CEFR actually is, how teachers can use descriptors meaningfully, the difference between subjectivity and “whimsical individuality” in judgment, and why fairness must consider context—from Montreal to Lac-Saint-Jean. Christophe also explains why aligning placement testing with CEFR will be essential for successful implementation.
🔗 Christophe’s bio and publications

In this episode, Brett and Danielle speak with Laurent Duval about Together for Success, an online resource designed to help teachers implement the new devis. Laurent explains the Understand, Apply, and Adapt sections and how teachers can use them. Listeners also learn about upcoming pilot testing and a Devis Q&A webinar.

To sign up for the Devis Q&A Webinar: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/10974d14-4769-4f8b-96fd-8160dd1c6f4e@c0eecc4d-675b-4b90-81a0-a5cd46c51b04

In this episode, Brett and Danielle bring you highlights from SPEAQ, Québec’s largest ESL conference. Dr. John Spencer explores the power of voice, choice, and student empowerment in the classroom. Dr. Philippa Parks reflects on teacher resilience and shares practical strategies for supporting early-career educators. Finally, Dr. Tanja Vaillancourt introduces SPEAQ Magazine, a vibrant hub for ideas, creativity, and community in the ESL world.For a deeper dive:
John Spencer’s YouTube channelwith his presentation on Voice and Choice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7S9kyk-odA&list=PLzDOGMsmDvetuGqZoFtyEv9s1_6WxMda9&t=67sFor a free issue of SPEAQ: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cY6oXUE7yfg-l9wGm8Iv01JOvIAaimN_/view

In this episode of RASCALS’ Roundtable, Brett and Danielle talk with Marie Martineau, Christi Milsom, and Sarah Adair about the province’s first open-source English 100course - built by teachers for teachers.
From bridging the gap between high school and CEGEP to making reinvestment activities fun, the team shows how collaboration and digital literacy can transform the classroom. With free, ready-to-use materials, adaptableactivities, and evaluation grids aligned with the new devis, this project offers a sneak peek at what English 100 could look like in 2027.
🎓 Teachers can join the Winter 2026 pilot or follow project updates by contacting [email protected]

In this episode of RASCALS’ Roundtable, Brett and Danielle sit down with Jérôme Loisel (Cégep de Lévis) to explore EssentialistTeaching - the idea that doing less can help both teachersand students experience more meaning, focus, and calm in theclassroom. Jérôme shares practical stories about cutting unnecessary evaluations, building intrinsic motivation, and redesigning tutoring through simplicity, clarity, and engagement.

📘 Resources mentioned:
• Greg McKeown’s Essentialism (summary): https://makeheadway.com/library/books/essentialism-summary
• Just One (game, Repos Production): https://www.rprod.com/en/games/just-one

In this episode of RASCALS’ Roundtable, Brett and Danielle talk with Stéphanie Major (Cégep de Bois-de-Boulogne) about what ESL teachers can learn from Phys. Ed when it comes to teaching autonomy. Stéphanie shares how her students move from awareness to goal-setting, self-monitoring, and independence - - and how teachers can adapt those same strategies for language learning.
It’s a crash course in motivation, reflection, and sustainable learning - minus the push-ups!

In this episode of RASCALS’ Roundtable, Brett and Danielle talkwith Vanessa Pacitti (Collège Ahuntsic) about a study-abroadmodel that bridges language, science, and physical education.Once based in Hawaii and now heading to Belize, the trip blends academic rigor with cultural immersion, giving students the best of both worlds. Months of preparation lead to real-world interactions abroad and reflective writing afterward, helping students transform experience into lasting learning. The result? Authentic communication, personal growth, and a powerful sense of community.

Tune in to discover how short study-abroad trips can create long-term impact—and for practical tools on planning your own, visit the CCDMD’s Facilitating Study Abroad site: https://abroad.ccdmd.qc.ca/about/

In this episode of *RASCALS’ Roundtable*, Brett and Danielle explore how communities like SALTISE and AQPC bring teachers together to share ideas, research, and inspiration. Chris Whittaker, from Dawson College, tells the story of how a few active learning classrooms grew into a province‑wide network where research meets practice. Then, Margaret Wells, from the Royal Military College Saint-Jean, shares how writing for Pédagogie collégiale opened the door to AQPC, a conference that’s redefining inclusion for English and allophone educators in Québec.

Links:

Chris Whittaker – https://www.saltise.ca/member/chris-whittaker/
• Publications –https://scholar.google.ca/citations?hl=en&user=MiagshMAAAAJ

Margaret Wells – [email protected]

• Publications –

https://eduq.info/xmlui/bitstream/handle/11515/38855/Lepine-Wells-36-3-23_EN.pdf

In this episode of RASCALS’ Roundtable, Brett and Danielletalk with Ian Pitblado (Collège Laflèche) about a screenwriting unit that turnsspeculative fiction into a high-impact learning experience for English 103.Students move from world-building to query emails in a six-step process thatdevelops autonomy, self-regulation, and real-world writing skills. From Dune toMean Girls, the project guides students through a writing process that’sperfectly aligned with the new devis. Tune in to learn how to bring cinematicstorytelling and authentic tasks into your ESL classroom.