ARCHIVED—Recipient Bios
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Year: 2002 – Province: Nova Scotia
Certificate of Excellence Recipients
Gaston Comeau
School: Bridgewater Elementary School
130 York Street
Bridgewater, Nova Scotia B4V 1R3
Principal: Mitch Landry
School Telephone: 902-541-8240
School Fax: 902-541-8250
School Website: www.bes.ednet.ns.ca
Grades/Subjects Taught: Grade 5 French immersion, all subjects
Teaching Approach:
- Every child has unique abilities for learning, creating and communicating in the classroom.
- Practise "scaffolding learning": plan today's lessons to build on yesterday's learning and current knowledge.
Outstanding Achievements:
Is both a pioneer and a teacher-leader for middle French immersion instruction in Nova Scotia. Comeau's classroom is a vibrant showcase for:
- development of strong French oral communication skills as well as strong academic skills through innovative small groupings of students
- continuous use of teacher-prepared resources to meet the linguistic needs of middle immersion students
- development of problem-solving strategies to build skills for lifelong learning
- regular integration of French-language information and communications technology in daily lessons.
Pays special attention to mathematics and science instruction, which are both particularly challenging in a second language. Students have twice won the provincial science video competition held by the Discovery Centre, a science centre in Halifax. Students have also won provincial and national chess championships.
Comeau is also a recognized leader in math education. He presents frequent mini-math workshops to fellow teachers, shares teaching strategies with his peers at provincial, national and international conferences, serves on the Nova Scotia elementary mathematics leadership team, and contributed to the French translation of the new elementary mathematics curriculum.
Rave Reviews:
"There is still a place where the joy of learning is just as important as the pursuit of results and goals, and that place is Gaston Comeau's Grade 5 classroom." Parent
"He has earned great respect from his current and former students, parents and professional colleagues." Principal