About Us

Together for Success was created in response to one of the most important transformations in second-language teaching in Québec colleges in more than 30 years: the implementation of the new competencies in ESL and FSL.

Several members of our team participated directly in the revision and writing of these new competency-based expectations, which place greater emphasis on communication, progression, autonomy, collaboration, and meaningful language use.

Once the new competencies were adopted, departments across Québec became responsible for undertaking substantial work: reviewing plans-cadres, assessments, learning activities, and teaching materials. Yet the support available varies greatly from one institution to another. Some departments have received or will receive release time and structured support, while others must navigate the transition largely on their own.

Although every CEGEP maintains its own pedagogical autonomy, we believed there were important parts of this work that could – and should – be done collectively. Rather than having dozens of departments independently reinvent the wheel, we saw an opportunity to pool expertise, share resources, and support one another through this transition.

That vision led to the creation of Together for Success, an ECQ-funded initiative bringing together six ESL and FSL teachers from colleges across Québec. It is the first project of its kind in the history of the CEGEP network: a bilingual, intercollegial collaboration dedicated to supporting the implementation of new competencies.

The project has brought together many teachers: a provincial community of practice with more than 80 members, the ESL and FSL networks through webinars, and pedagogical collaborations, including the development of learning scenarios.

Meet the Team

Annie Bélanger — Cégep Champlain St. Lawrence

Annie Bélanger is a French as a Second Language teacher recognized for her work in inclusive pedagogy, flexible learning pathways, and student support initiatives. She has developed several ECQ-funded projects, including videos to support tutoring and an explicit teaching toolkit in FSL. Her pedagogical leadership earned her an AQPC Honourable Mention.

Chloe Collins — Collège Lionel-Groulx

Chloe Collins has contributed to several ECQ projects focused on the transition between secondary school and CEGEP ESL. She has presented widely on collaborative annotation, plurilingualism, and intercollegial collaboration at conferences such as RASCALS, Moodle Day, and the AQPC conference.

Laurent Duval — Dawson College

Laurent Duval is a French as a Second Language teacher who has distinguished himself through his pedagogical leadership and participation in several initiatives related to language teaching in the college network. He has collaborated with various organizations, including the CCDMD, contributed to the development of pedagogical materials and textbooks, and participated in several projects related to the modernization of the Charter of the French Language in anglophone colleges. He received an AQPC Honourable Mention in 2025.

Brett Fischer — Cégep André-Laurendeau

Brett Fischer, PhD, is an ESL teacher and researcher whose work focuses on experiential language learning, creativity, and learner autonomy. He has co-created several educational initiatives, including the CCDMD-funded website Facilitating Study Abroad and the ECQ-funded professional development podcast RASCALS’ Roundtable. As one of the concepteurs of Québec’s new ESL devis, he has also played a key role in shaping the future of ESL education in the province. In recognition of his contributions to pedagogy and innovation, he received an AQPC Honourable Mention in 2025.

Maria Popica — John Abbott College

Maria Popica is an FSL teacher and researcher specializing in motivation and experiential language learning. She has led and contributed to numerous projects funded by the ECQ, PAREA, the Office québécois de la langue française, and CEWIL Canada. Her experiential learning model has been adopted in several Québec colleges, and her contributions to pedagogical innovation have been recognized by the AQPC, ACPLS, AQEFLS, and the Ministère de l’Enseignement supérieur.

Danielle Viens — Cégep du Vieux Montréal

Danielle Viens is an ESL teacher, department coordinator, and union executive member with master’s degrees in TESOL and instructional leadership. She has led multiple large-scale ECQ and PAREA projects related to language learning, experiential education, and professional development. She also co-hosted the RASCALS’ Roundtable podcast and played an important role in supporting the implementation of the new devis across the network.

Our goal is not to prescribe a single way of teaching. Every college, department, teacher, and student population is different. Instead, this platform was created to support the network by:

• clarifying the new competencies
• sharing practical tools and examples
• reducing unnecessary duplication of work
• encouraging dialogue and collaboration
• helping departments adapt the new competencies to their own local realities

At its core, Together for Success is based on a simple idea: meaningful educational change happens more effectively when teachers work together.