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...

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...

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.microsof...

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 ide...

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...

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 simplici...

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 i...

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 ref...

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, s...

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 to Mean Girls , the project guides...

In this episode of RASCALS’ Roundtable , Brett and Danielle tackle the messy, meaningful world of organizational change. Their guest, Marco Palmieri, draws on his experience as a teacher, administrator, and MBA in organizational change to explain why successful reform isn’t just about new policies—it’s about people. He shares practical strategies for leading change, reframing resistance, and keepi...

In this episode of *RASCALS’ Roundtable*, Brett and Danielle explore department culture with two experts. Gilbert Émond, professor at Concordia, explains why coordinators should engage rather than manage, how to unstress a system, and why surfacing values matters. Diane Rondeau, veteran teacher and former coordinator at Cégep de Lévis, shares how she rebuilt trust and communication in a toxic depa...

The new devis are here – and for the first time ever, we’ve got the full story on how they were written. In Episode 3 of RASCALS’ Roundtable, we go behind the scenes with Andy Van Drom, Sara Langevin, and Brett Fischer to learn what it was really like to write Quebec’s new ESL curriculum. From creative reinvestment to the infamous “and/or” clause, this is the episode you’ve been waiting for.

In this episode of RASCALS’ Roundtable, Brett and Danielle sit down with two coordinators who share what it’s really like to manage a department. Katherine Ashmore (Collège de Maisonneuve) talks about staying grounded, setting boundaries, and creating efficient systems. Catherine Pépin (Cégep de Trois-Rivières) shares how she dove into coordination early in her career and discovered hidden leaders...

In this Season 2 opener, Brett and Danielle sit down with three teachers navigating their first Cegep ESL experiences. Sergio Arduini shares the challenges of breaking in, Guillaume Benard talks about the freedom and enthusiasm of teaching, and Shanie Sirois reminds us that while overwhelming at times, the joy and support are real. 

At the heart of every great conference is participation . In our Season 1 finale, we return to the 2025 RASCALS Colloquium for a special vox pop exploring how teachers are sharing ideas, shaping the conversation, and getting involved—without necessarily joining the organizing team. You’ll hear from: Maxime Camiré – Cégep de Victoriaville Christina Favvas – Cégep Édouard-Montpetit Amy Pittendreich...

This episode takes you right onto the convention floor at the 2025 RASCALS Colloquium, where we asked CEGEP ESL teachers: What impressed you most this year?   We hear from:  Jonathan Bishop (Cégep de St-Hyacinthe)  Tanya Caouette (Cégep de St-Félicien)  Maxime Camiré (Cégep de Victoriaville)  Isabelle Dompierre-Lapointe (Cégep de Thetford)  Dina Isber (Cégep de Valleyfield)  Caroline Orton (Cégep...

In this episode of *RASCALS’ Roundtable*, we tackle one of the most quietly controversial elements of the new ESL devis: how do we teach—and evaluate—openness, respect, and curiosity? Mikhael Kowalak joins us to unpack what this means in real-life CEGEP classrooms. From grading group discussions to navigating cultural sensitivity, we talk pedagogy, ethics, and that time a student's politics di...

What’s in an R-score? And why does it feel like it was designed by a statistics prof with a grudge? In this episode of RASCALS’ Roundtable , we demystify one of the most confusing—and most important—parts of the Quebec CEGEP system. Guest Sylvain Jomphe, ESL teacher and union president at Cégep de Jonquière, joins us to explain how R-scores are really calculated, what students (and teachers) getwr...

In this episode of RASCALS’ Roundtable , we sit down with Louisa Hadley, president of the Dawson Teachers’ Union, to talk about precarity, and with David Turpie, a CEGEP teacher who’s lived to tell the tale. From long commutes and unpredictable schedules to burning questions about permanence, this episode exposes the challenges and resilience of Quebec’s non-permanent teachers.    🎧 Topics includ...

AI is here—and it’s not going anywhere. In this episode of RASCALS’ Roundtable , we tackle the question that’s on every teacher’s mind: How do we keep students from cheating with AI... and how do we start using it ourselves?  Marie-Gervaise Pilon shares strategies to prevent plagiarism by fostering trust, designing smarter assignments, and understanding the real reasons students cheat.  Robyn Jaqu...

Mise à Niveau isn’t just a course—it’s a lifeline. In this episode ofRASCALS’ Roundtable, Rebecca Peters walks us through how she helped create a course for true beginners in English, built with an ECQ grant and a dream team of CEGEP collaborators. Then, Julia Golden shares how she repurposed the Moodle version of the course to fit the reality at a college where it wasn’t officially offered. Two d...

They come from across the country with a suitcase and a sense of adventure—but are they ready for the classroom? In this episode of *RASCALS’ Roundtable*, we follow the language monitor program from two angles: Alexandra Demers trains new assistants for life in cégeps, while Meredith Lees is designing hands-on materials to help them succeed. Whether you're supervising, mentoring, or just wonde...

In this episode of RASCALS’ Roundtable , we go undercover—well, almost—to bring you three honest, unfiltered takes on Québec’s revised curriculum for CEGEP English second language courses. We reached out across the province and asked teachers to share their thoughts. What we got were three very different perspectives: one sees possibility, one wants precision, and one’s somewhere in between. From...

This week on RASCALS’ Roundtable , we’re joined by Paige Delaney , a passionate high school ESL teacher who’s already putting the new devis into action. We talk: ✔️ Why oral interaction isn’t just speaking—it’s ping-pong ✔️ What reinvestment really looks like outside the classroom ✔️ Why high schools may be ahead of the curve ✔️ How plurilingualism, CEFR, and student identity are shaping a new kin...