Teaching to Learn and Reciprocal Learning Among Associate Teachers in French as a Second Language Teaching Environments: A Multiple Case Study

French as a Second Language (FSL) teachers in Canada have historically faced deficits in pre-service and in-service professional learning opportunities intended to prepare them for the unique demands of their profession. As definitions of teacher professional learning expand to include informal and non-formal learning experiences, this multiple case study explores the potential of one heretofore underutilized source of professional learning to respond to such deficits.;The research applies a Complexity framework to teacher learning (Davis & Sumara, 2005) and language teaching (Larsen-Freeman & Cameron, 2008) to study the reciprocal learning that associate teachers (ATs) experience when mentoring teacher candidates (TCs). These dynamic learning relationships are nested within the many systems in which ATs work and learn. Data collected from mind-maps, logs and semi-structured interviews with ATs (n=7) working in elementary and secondary Core French and French Immersion contexts was triangulated within and across cases.;Findings show that the participants view the experience of being an AT as an integral contributor to their professional learning. ATs report that mentoring TCs motivates them to explore and apply current theory and refine both their practice and the articulation of that practice. Enhanced pursuit of self-identified learning goals, reinforcement of existing strengths and accentuated implementation of Ontario Ministry of Education initiatives are among the professional growth experiences that participants linked to their work as ATs. Implications call for educational institutions and regulatory bodies to accord increased recognition for the act of mentoring future teachers as a powerful source of ongoing professional learning and a catalyst for wide-reaching improvement in education.