Supporting Every Child’s Right to Read
Right to Read Inquiry & French Language Programs
Dr. Kathryn Garforth & Kim Lockhart, a French Immersion Special Education Teacher, discussed how the Ontario Human Rights Commission’s #RightToRead Public Inquiry’s Recommendations impact the French Language Programs.
The Right To Read Inquiry Recommendations
Resources mentioned in this conversation:
- Teaching Reading IS Rocket Science, by Louisa Moats
- Structured Literacy and Typical Literacy Practices, by Louise Spear Swerling
- Structured Literacy: An Introductory Guide, International Dyslexia Association
- French-Language School Boards In Ontario Criticize English-Only Literacy Study by Steven L. Burrows
- Ontario’s French-language school boards slam English-only literacy study by CBC News
- Ontario’s French-language college boards slam English-only literacy examine by Edu Magazine
Kim Lockhart is a French Immersion, elementary Student Support Teacher (SST) with the Limestone District School Board in Kingston, Ontario. She graduated from the Concurrent Education Program in 2000, with a double major in French and Biology.
In 2015, Kim earned her Master of Education degree from Queen’s University. She specialized in evidence-based instructional practices that support students with reading difficulties in French Immersion Programs and developed a resource for parents: “Supporting and Inspiring Your Child with Reading Difficulties in the French Immersion Program”.
In 2020, Kim received her Orton-Gillingham Classroom Educator certificate and has adopted the OG approach in her French as a Second Language classroom. Kim is a member of the Ontario Modern Languages Teachers Association (OMLTA), the Canadian Association of Second Language Teachers (CASLT) and a Board member with the Learning Disabilities Association of Kingston.
When she is not teaching, Kim volunteers her time giving workshops and presentations to parents and educators across the province, helping them advocate for the learning needs of their children.
Kim also volunteers for the International Dyslexia Association (IDA) of Ontario, facilitating workshops for parents of dyslexic children in FSL programs and is an IDA of Ontario Literacy Coach for teachers. She continues to advocate for structured literacy teaching training and hopes to see the day when all students have equitable access to effective, research-based reading instruction across Canada.
