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PODCAST

RASCALS" Roundtable

The podcast where CEGEP ESL teachers come together for news, stories, and a little inspiration! La réalisation de ce balado a été rendue possible grâce au soutien financier du ministère de l’Enseignement supérieur par le biais de l’entente Canada-Québec (ECQ) relative à l’enseignement dans la langue de la minorité et des langues secondes

education language learning

All Episodes

00:20:59

Short Trip, Long Impact: Rethinking Study Abroad

RASCALS" Roundtable ·

2025/11/10

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

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00:38:24

It Takes a Network: From SALTISE to AQPC

RASCALS" Roundtable ·

2025/11/03

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

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00:22:58

Lights, Camera, Learning! Screenwriting for the 103...

RASCALS" Roundtable ·

2025/10/27

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

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00:20:47

From Chaos to Cohesion: The Art of Change

RASCALS" Roundtable ·

2025/10/24

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 keeping teams engagedthrough communication and empathy. Whether you’re implementing the new devis or facing

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00:39:08

Staffroom Survival Guide: Fixing Department Culture

RASCALS" Roundtable ·

2025/10/13

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 department, offering practical tools for meetings, priorities, and valuing teachers.

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00:33:26

Curriculum Confidential: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at...

RASCALS" Roundtable ·

2025/10/06

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.

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00:31:38

Coordinators: Saints, Superheroes… or Something...

RASCALS" Roundtable ·

2025/10/06

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 leadership skills along the way. Together, their stories reveal the emotional labour, challenges, and

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00:24:57

Lucky Us: New Teachers, Fresh Perspectives

RASCALS" Roundtable ·

2025/09/25

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.

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00:19:31

The Heart of the Colloquium: Presenting and...

RASCALS" Roundtable ·

2025/07/01

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 VictoriavilleChristina Favvas – Cégep Édouard-MontpetitAmy Pittendreich – Cégep Lévis-LauzonÉlise Mitchell – Cégep de ChicoutimiIan Pitblado – Collège LaflècheMarc-Alain Blanchard

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00:19:32

The Heart of the Colloquium: Presenting and...

RASCALS" Roundtable ·

2025/06/23

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 VictoriavilleChristina Favvas – Cégep Édouard-MontpetitAmy Pittendreich – Cégep Lévis-LauzonÉlise Mitchell – Cégep de ChicoutimiIan Pitblado – Collège LaflècheMarc-Alain Blanchard

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00:22:34

Humans Still Win (For Now): Highlights from the...

RASCALS" Roundtable ·

2025/06/16

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 du Vieux Montréal) Amy Pittendreich (Cégep Lévis-Lauzon) 🔥 This episode includes reflections on three standout

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00:26:19

Open to Debate: Can We Evaluate Openness and Curiosity?

RASCALS" Roundtable ·

2025/06/16

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 didn't quite align with his - and yet he still got an A+. 🎧 Featuring: Mikhael Kowalak, teacher and

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00:24:17

Placement Test Shenanigans and the Revenge of the R...

RASCALS" Roundtable ·

2025/05/16

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) getwrong about them, and what we can do to help.🎧 Topics include:· What exactly is the R-score?· Why

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00:41:50

Permanent-ish: Tales from the Precarious Frontline

RASCALS" Roundtable ·

2025/05/12

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 include: - The mental and financial cost of precarity - Why continuing education teachers face the biggest

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00:33:48

Chat Me If You Can: AI in the ESL Classroom

RASCALS" Roundtable ·

2025/04/26

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 Jaquays walks us through the teacher side of AI—from using it to polish CVs and lesson plans, to turning

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00:19:30

Set Up for Failure? Not on Their Watch: The Return of...

RASCALS" Roundtable ·

2025/04/21

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 different strategies. One powerful message: no student should be left behind.

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00:27:23

So You’ve Got a Language Monitor—Now What?

RASCALS" Roundtable ·

2025/04/16

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 wondering what your Odyssey assistant actually does—this one’s for you.

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00:36:00

Vox Pop Confidential: Three Teachers. Three Takes....

RASCALS" Roundtable ·

2025/04/03

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 creative reinvestment to the mystery of “le monde anglophone,” nothing is off the table!

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00:18:25

Mind the Gap: A High School Teacher’s Guide to the...

RASCALS" Roundtable ·

2025/03/28

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 kind of ESL teachingPaige brings a thoughtful and practical lens to the devis conversation—one rooted in real

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00:24:09

Help Me, Help You: The Peer Tutoring Episode

RASCALS" Roundtable ·

2025/03/24

What if the key to student success isn’t more grading... but more collaboration?In this episode, we meet two CEGEP teachers who are giving tutoring a major glow-up. Becky McKnight from Cégep St-Jean is piloting a bold new program that places paid tutors inside the ESL classroom, offering real-time support and creating a dynamic new role somewhere between peer and TA.Then, we welcome back Joy Blake from Cégep de Granby, who shares her innovative for-credit tutoring course, where advanced students

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