Mediation in Context

ACTIVITY 2: LEISURE AND TOURISM ✈️🏨

Mediation in the activity

• Presented as a group task, so mediating communication and concepts. Mediating between languages—reporting in one language but working in other languages online. Collaborate in small groups. Activating all linguistic resources. Reporting all that information in one way
  • co-collaborate new meaning
  • become aware that there are cultural factors that need to be communicated. comes out of the content – not just relaying specific information
  • making information more accessible to people who have different cultural expectations
• Basically student have to select information from authentic sources and then collaborate in order to select the information they are going to use in the email.
  • Supposing the task might be managed over two different countries, the menu. They might discover unexpected analogies between the menus. They might discover unexpected analogies between them
• This activity mediates plurilingualism as it mediates language A and B. A good question would be if in that class there would be a student whose language could be a third language (Language C). In that situation mediation would be between three languages, instead of two. Another aspect is the use of authentic materials. This strategy may put students in contact with language from real situations and not just from the classroom. Plus, using another language to communicate / interact about a topic that is familiar to them, may be considered a form a motivation.
  • and very realistic given real classroom situations in many countries
• The activity employs a familiar (from course books) writing an email task but thanks to the focus on mediation, it is action oriented, engaging, pluricultural, has potential for follow-up activities (virtual museum tours, buying tickets online, etc.)
• I’d say that the activity aims to foster the students’ ability to mediate communication in acting as in intermediary.
  • It is action-oriented since its main focus is a real setting where students have to deal with real-life situations to handle
  • it also gives a very specific and authentic context
• A very interesting activity – students can collaborate and “Can relay in writing (in Language B) specific, relevant information contained” + “Can summarize the text written in one language & translate into another … 🙂
  • It is action oriented as they can do a lot with it – real life activity when you go to visit places, you can make a plan of what to see with some comments
  • I like the way the context is presented. It’s really something they could do outside the classroom.
  • Students have to think what will they explain to others. They have to read the information (authentic texts) and adapt it to the level of the person they will talk to.
  • This can be done a lower levels too. Simple information for A1, and explanation at A2 +, transforming complex information to simpler expression.
• The activity allows to use information gathered in different languages through reading in order to produce an email, so the mediation involves different languages, different modes as well as different registers.
  • They have to gather is through online search, or bringing material to the classroom
  • Helps the student understand and take active part in completing a given task. they can collaborate with each other and teacher as well
• Mediation is manifest in that learners use information in one language to produce a piece of writing in another language.
  • It is an action-oriented activity since it is collaborative, negotiation is involved (selecting sights), critical thinking is exercised (selecting the appropriate information) and the writing purpose at hand simulates real life.
  • This activity could be part of a larger project in which learners ‘advertise’ the city or town they live in to attract visitors. They can include sights, food, historical information, traditions and much more. They can write an article for the school website, make an e-brochure, a video or an interactive infographic and perhaps even create a blog.

Action-orientation

• Learners individually search in various authentic sources (brochures/videos). They collaborate pooling their info, comparing/contrasting & selecting relevant info to include. They create an artefact (email, brochure, presentation). They use their own strategies in the whole process
  • This activity can be graded for B2, requiring them to base their artefact on info retrieved from complex statistical data or to produce an more academic text for an official publication
  • It’s a real and realistic activity.
• Agency and Literacy: The activity is action-oriented since learners are expected to make a choice (e.g., places to see, things to do, etc.) and then to write a text.
• Nevertheless, I’m a bit surprised to read “As you speak English”: being able to speak a language doesn’t necessarily imply you can write it (it’s a matter of literacy)
• Authentic texts; a multi-task project; learners use their reception skills; they collaborate by relaying specific information; they process some of it;
• they discuss the importance of selected material; they give an artefact; they elaborate I; they learn to participate in a group; hey interact.
• The activity exposes students to authentic material, the alteration between different languages along with collaboration and research skills and the correct selection of communication criteria makes the activity highly action-oriented
  • Use of authentic resources
  • Constraints are provided
  • There is a product at the end
  • There is a choice of which attractions to choose
  • Drawing on personal experience
  • Task could be extended by also proposing a listening to a virtual tour (a summary in the other language could be provided) to add in another mode of communication
  • I would suggest modifying the task a bit to make it more grounded in real-life. I don’t believe that a travel agent would make this request of a student. Perhaps the task could be responding to a request from social media. I see this regularly on different social media groups
• Assessment: I wonder how challenging it may to assess such an activity in the sense that the final product (email) is influenced by the previous activities.
• Assessing mediation is an uncharted territory for me at the moment. To be focusing on the product alone would be depriving the activity of its mediation value.

ACTIVITY 3: AT THE RESTAURANT🍽️

Mediation in the activity

• Nice activity: passing on information; acting as an intermediary; mediating different cultures through food; co-constructing new meaning; creativity.
  • Bilingual menus allows learners to use their plurilingual knowledge and competence to make meaning
  • Alternative: 2 students at restaurant waiting for another who is late, so they have to think and negotiate what they can order for the other one
• Mediation here supports oral interaction by using authentic material (a menu). The situation is also very realistic (while travelling, we often need to interpret menus in a language we are not familiar with and somebody else needs to either translate or mediate for us).
  • the best way to make students learn is to involve them.
  • using life as is the case here raise their awareness and participation
  • food is the most cross-cultural issue. I also asked to prepare typical meals from different countries to speak about them . Their motivation was at the top and they learnt new words and idioms and whatever
  • adapt the menu according to different kitchens/ cultures in a sense of pluriculturalism, not only in the language to be taught
  • Definitely and see differences and similarities: In my classes in Milan we can actually speak about a number of dishes, Indian, Moroccan, Thai. They are involved , they like it, they feel empathy. Amazing.
  • When they feel life in the language use , they use language better
• This activity really allows A and B to ‘language’. C doesn’t – but this is what makes the activity realistic.
  • As my colleagues already wrote many interesting comments on this activity, it is only interesting to point out how students will be involved and engaged in discussing menus. Imagination will trigger new ideas, and attention is almost certainly assured.
• An autonomy-oriented activity: I can see creativity and more autonomy as far as the learner is concerned. The role of the teacher is much more of a facilitator not an instructor.
  • Another nice task would be to find words in FL that are similar to LoS. To compare and to observe languages … To add a metalinguistic aspect.
  • This could also involve research as there are many menus for different restaurants on the internet. To make a choice
  • I think it’s good that students have to make a choice that is not given in advance. The result is something that they “construct” during the activity.
  • Higher levels could have a more demanding context – doctors visit; dispute at work; accusation at work; social services

Action-orientation

• The activity is action-oriented since it makes sense and requires some collaboration/interaction between the people involved – more authentic, not just using authentic materials. Adding to this:
  • bilingual menus often feature errors in translation or misinterpretations, false friends etc which would allow learners at B2 level a greater challenge 
  • many other languages can be used and pupils can negotiate which language to use  ― 
  • menus can be vegetarian or vegan
  • students have to order dishes for another person who is late – have to decide what he/she likes, what to order for this person
  • Students have to negotiate tipping, what is included as standard with a meal (free bread? water?) 
  • students have limited budget and have to order for two people within its limits
• This activity is an adapted roleplay and therefore action-oriented – although still designed for a simulation not reality. While the mediation is brought in by a third party who does not speak the target language it rather seems to lack creativity.
  • This activity seems very appealing and practises a quite realistic form of mediation in the sense that you can easily find yourself in a situation where your knowledge of the language is better than that of your friend’s. Oral interaction is highly supported in this case where the content has to be rendered comprehensible for the two participants in the first place and then to the server when they come to play.
  • Some of our students are used to travelling, and so they can easily  find themselves in the situation. So it is not difficult that they get involved
• This is an action-oriented activity suitable for different CEFR levels depending on the level of the speaker. It could be A2- B1 level of interaction demanding collaboration so as communication does not fail.
  • It is easy to make the participant lower his/her speech level since the language structures required are not rather demanding.
  • The activity is authentic, meaningful and collaborative since students perform as a team of social agents in the real-life social context.
  • I think this activity is very accessible for all CEFR levels, it’s easy to adapt and close to reality.
  • Learners can move into their role easily and you can create a good L1 and L2 combination.
• I am less convinced by this activity. “Student B pretends not to speak English”. The scenario is therefore rather artificial, and it is a more traditional role play. The scenario needs to be rewritten and made more authentic in order to become “action-oriented”.
  • Why not asking a student with a migrant background to bring a menu in his first language? Than she/he would have to translate it for others to understand and mediate between two/three languages and cultures.  
  • Why do you think the scenario is not authentic? I guess it IS! Can’t we have a real-life situation when one person doesn’t speak a FL? Doesn’t this scenario require taking certain actions? Or perhaps I’ve missed something?
  • It’s true Student B is ‘playing dumb’ – but kids love that – and they change roles
  • Or it could be made more realistic if two students with different levels of language ability work together
  • I wouldn’t be that categoric. It’s all a matter of cultural background – in some countries the activity would be authentic and meaningful even for those who are under 16, though in other contexts even adults can find it ‘artificial’
• Because of the similarities to the “classic” roleplay, this model can be easily understood and copied by language teachers who are not familiar with the concept of mediation. The task is rather suitable for adult learners. Students younger than 16 would not face such a situation.
  • I think it could be used in a classroom of younger learners too if adapted in a suitable manner
  • They would rather stand in front of a McDonalds than sitting in a restaurant. I’d rather take a situation where they cook something together and use a recipe or a youtube video, dividing work and trying to cook the dish in reality. Cooking it is a really good idea and they can bring dishes to school to taste. This is more than authentic!  And they can use the language to explain how they prepared it, the origin of the recipe, particular occasions on which this food is generally eaten – and also memories and emotions related to special dishes.
• Yet another example of how traditional role-plays can be adapted to enhance mediation, two-fold in this case although under a single person’s responsibility. I am more interested in mediating communication in conflictive situations. I believe the latter is more of a challenge.
  • Fully agree. Much more difficult to think of good scenarios for facilitating communication in delicate situations/disputes 
  • Although I believe it would be far more difficult to negotiate a scenario of a conflictive situation I find the idea extremely interesting!
  • I’m a bit sceptic about the role played by student B who is supposed to be unfamiliar with English
  • But students love the play acting – this one has been used a lot
  • Yes, and I think it would add to the activity to have a student that knows good English, for example, to pretend they do not. It would be great fun!!
  • Where is the agency, though? I find it hard to spot in this activity. Do you think a student who is fluent in English should take on the role of the non proficient speaker?

ACTIVITY 4:  NEWSPAPER ARTICLES 📰

Mediation in the activity

• Students can collaborate to understand the meaning of unknown words in the text. They can also access their plurilingual repertoire to co-construct meanings. The co-construction of meaning enables students to learn together (collaborative learning)
• l like the Text variant 2, because it can bring interesting debate issues. At the outset, one would need to make sure to ensure norms are set for respectful speech on all sides of this issue. True mediation could occur when discussion breaks out: understanding opposing points of views, understanding each other’s perspectives, co-constructing meaning, researching and sharing scientific, moral and empathetic competencies.
  • Yes – Text 2 has more going for it. Text one is just a report – not a lot to discuss
  • A debate is different, indeed. A learner could be the discussion leader and would have to mediate communication. A great role.
• The ‘creating an artefact’ bit is not quite clear. Though I can see how the activity can be expanded.
  • A debate could be organised at the end of the production phase in order to act what students have learnt
• The overall idea of the activity is fine, but the scenario needs to be developed: Why should the learners summarise the text? To whom do they present their personal opinion? What is the purpose of the activity? – It needs to be meaningful to the learners. There needs to be a need for summarising and presenting so that the learners become “social agents” and have an objective in completing the task. Who is the target group?
  • I guess the context setting is always very important.
  • Agreed. It is also not clear which languages are to be used. Except for English, which is the language of the input text.
• This can be a real-life situation. When we read something in a paper or online and we need to transfer the information
  • I totally agree about the missing purpose in the activity.
  • Yes – absolutely. This activity suffers from the “underspecification of context” – the criticism of Elisabeth Kolb. The text(s) should be on a topic of topical relevance – and it should lead into a clear product
  • Students could be using the articles to create a podcast/news soundbite…
  • I am also not really sure about the role of L1 here, as the original text is in L2 as is the final product. In my view the use of L1 is not necessary here
  • It would be good if it was a mixed level group. Then the weaker ss could work together to produce TL while the stronger students lead the production of a report or presentation
• The learner must actively verify comprehension of the text. Then by summarizing in L2, the learner is demonstrating a further nuanced understanding. Finally by taking a personal position this learner engaging and interacting and in a sense it personalizes and makes the experience relevant.
  • Yes, but why? and whom do they address? Why are these tasks relevant to the learners? Which objective do they want to reach?
  • I would hope that this would be contextualized and that there would be elements of learner choice: which task/topics.

How is the activity action-oriented?

• One problem is that they write the summary individually. No collaboration there. It is text mediation. L2->L2. The task is poorly set up.
  • Good point – they could work together to write the summary or at least compare after they’ve written their own summary and write a final draft together?
  • Exactly. In this scenario they could also explain unknown lexis to each other. Discuss the relevance and pertinence of ideas for the summary, etc. A lot of opportunity for various types of mediation.
• Further discussion and projects: Students could discuss the social impact of something illegal cross-culturally (how it can be seen in different cultures) and also do a project on peculiar thefts around the world

ACTIVITY 5: ENVIRONMENT / SUSTAINABILITY 🌱💧

Mediation in the activity

• I think this activity involves quite a bit of mediation, but it could involve more if there was a research element that built upon the videos that are presented to the students.
  • There is a lot of room to extend the tasks, and add new tasks, to create more opportunities for mediation opportunities/follow-on activities. Maybe we could brainstorm these options together 
  • Research element: preparing relevant arguments for each side (hotter summers, major storms, certain neighborhoods flooding?)
  • Example: Role-play where interviewer mediates debate between climate activist and climate denier 
  • How does climate change manifest in your town, region, country?
  • Present local climate changes and then compare them globally and think about the effects of them from a wider or global perspective
• Students are processing and summarising different contents. The first mediation is in this exchange of information. The second step is in creating a proposal or the letter for authorities. Here they convey all the ideas they got from the first activity and create an artefact.
  • If the option was taken to read a text it could possilby go into translating a text. And this would add a second role to mediation: create a plurilingual/pluricultural space for communication 🙂
  • Yes, it would go well into facilitating communication in a delicate situation or acting as a intermediary
• This task is very well designed because it includes both cognitive and relational mediation.
  • Additional ideas for relational mediation: What I suggest for relational mediation is to more structure students’ discussions so that they become more successful.
  • For example, we can give them various type of formats: Six Thinking Hats, Force eld analysis….
  • Creation of ground rules could be very useful for mediating collaboration.
• Phases: More evident how meaning is constructed. It moves from individual to collective. It activates almost all categories and strategies.
  • Learners use to use language as a tool not just for interaction but also for interthinking
  • So maybe the discussion in the small pairs would be like a brainstorming session?
  • Learners learn to use the right type of language – exploratory where they engage critically but
  • constructively with each other’s ideas. 
  • Creation of collective knowledge which is very much valued today. Shared understanding, not what they think as individuals, which is too narrow when facing complex problems.
• In this activity, the main role of mediation is the co-construction of meaning. First students have to extract information from a video/text and then share them in small groups where others have other information and all together they create a new something. And I think what bothers me a bit in this activity is that it is not very clear what the output is: a discussion? understanding the meaning of environment or sustainability? I think it could be even more efficient if the output the students have to produce is more precise.
  • I think the end goal would be a debate, but I’m not clear on that either. 
  • The  end goal is the letter or the proposal.

Making it more action-oriented

• Perhaps, research on the people giving the original ted talk could be envisaged so as to give deeper understanding to message the speakers want to communicate in their talk. This would perhaps help students to articulate arguments to local councils etc. regarding their proposals. Understanding the message and who is articulating that message and why they are articulating that message is important in order to write a more convincing proposal
  • One task could be to research arguments used by a “devil’s advocate” to the views presented in each video
  • It would be great if the students were asked in the first  place to send videos on the topic that they find interesting and express their own views or the contrary and then have a discussion and not “feed” them a pre-selected item. If that is too complex because of time constraints (but it could actually be a homework 🙂 they could be given various videos to choose from.
  • Assign a selected amount of videos as is, and then send more videos, as you suggest?
  • Students could be asked to make their own documentaries to talk about an environmental issue in their local area that concerns them or to show a solution to a problem that they consider worth sharing with others.
  • Absolutely agree, in this way you encourage students’ autonomy; then if send some videos are not relevant you can provide constructive feedback.
  • Mediation-type task: synthesize all ideas generated in discussion into an action plan/manifesto to lobby local council, national governments, EU, UN
  • They can make their own videos.
  • They can interview locals and then report what they said (summarise) in the target language.
• As it is the most dramatic aspect may be the conceptualization of actions.
  • These could be about how the broader conclusions reached in the discussions can be brought to some intervention in the local context (articles, protests, posters, activities, etc).
• I miss a context, a goal to share, discuss… e.g. draw up a petition, formulate recommendations to a lobby group …
  • Should it be specifically focused on local effects of climate change. Asking each group to consider the information which is being mediated in terms of their town, their regions…and then maybe moving forward to possible actions.
  • True. It says: a proposal for raising awareness at the school level, or a joint letter of protest about a particular issue to the appropriate authorities – but it could/should be more clearly defined.
  • It may also lead to a discussion about eco-refugees…a step further and a new concept.
• To bring it closer to an action-oriented and mediating task (the way it stands now, it is more like a split-viewing information- sharing kind of activity), a context should be added for the final discussion, e. g., two confronted groups with different standpoints on the matter and a third group of mediators who help reach a compromise and find common ground.
  • The mediating group should only focus on helping reach this common ground.

Assessment

• My reservation is related to assessment. If we assess the final product, then we’re looking at L2 proficiency, language accuracy etc. I wonder if there’s a way to assess mediation rather than linguistic competence?
  • Use Can Do Statements provided? e.g. after reading to speaking task, Can I: summarise (in Language B) extracts from news items, interviews or documentaries containing opinions, argument and discussion sources *reasonable, ** well, or ***very well
  • And expand them for an assessment scale? How can one capture the Phase 1 activities?
  • Break the above Can Do Statements into constituent components to create a relevant rubric for self-peer- and instructor- assessment
  • Perhaps we should first consider different types of assessment and decide WHY/WHAT FOR (purpose) and WHAT (skill, fluency, accuracy, product, process, etc) we are going to assess, e.g. formative / summative, traditional / alternative, etc. Then we’ll see which criteria to apply
  • note taking activities mostly formative?
  • Can also be used for summative too. But you should be clear about the criteria
  • Or judging efficiency of note-taking, and judging if they can recall the main points of the video, a week after taking the notes?

ACTIVITY 6: TRAVELMANIA ✈️🚊🛥️

• Very nice complex task, students use different genres, including a formal one. They practise real life skills – discussion in a group, dividing work in a team, researching, preparing a presentation in a team and also answer questions. I would add one more phase – evaluation or feedback, how the team preparing all that sees it after they finished. What they experienced, good moments, things to improve etc.
  • I agree with the evaluation phase. it is very important to reflect on what has been done, experienced and accomplished. That strengthens agency. I mean evaluation related to the process of solving the task, making the learners identify their own learning, which would be different, if not for all, at least for some of them.
  • Totally agree, and the power of collaboration and co-construction of meaning. Students look back at what they have done, achieved, what they can improve next time, how well they did their part as a team and individually
• This is very rich, as learners have to mediate texts, mediate concepts, co-construct meaning, use different languages. It is a very good scenario. It is very authentic. I like it. Could also use a lot of other themes.
  • Many students’  real world is that they are plurilingual. So having the opportunity of dealing with the different languages they use in the ‘street’, at school is awesome.  
  • Exactly. This scenario can be used for other topics. So many language functions practised in international environment… 
  • I agree, it’s a reality and going towards the same goal using different languages is amazing
• Great idea for heritage language classes and/or making HL visible in Foreign Language Classes. The HL would be fostered as well as all other languages students know. They would feel confident in using them all to co-construct meaning. This activity underlines agency as learners may actually put into practice their linguistic repertoire and all “feel” at ease using it.
  • Mediation acts as “bridge” not only between languages, but also between “beliefs about languages” as far as “power”, “importance” or “role” are concerned.
• Mediation is embedded in the task as it is on a plurilingual approach!
  • The use of a language/languages they know enables the students to complete the task. It also encourages them to carry out the task.
  • Mobilising all their linguistic / non-linguistic resources in order to complete the task.
• Seeing students working in different languages for a common goal in Italian is wonderful
  • It’s interesting that this one does not use LoS/L1 at all. Just the L2 and L3 
  • I totally agree. Cooperation is a key skill, although challenging! 
  • For sure, it might be challenging at the beginning but I am sure it will very fruitful
• The language repertoire is used as a means to an end.
  • The process of co-construction of meanings presupposes the sharing of tasks and the motivation to carry them out, activating all the plurilingual resources at one’s disposal.
• FOCUS on alternating languages and switching are the most important added value
• Acknowledge of multiculturalism: Students are encouraged to express their opinions and points of views- empowering and motivating
  • use of different languages allow students to express different views, to gather different perspectives – multicultural aspects.
  • Multilingual creativity: If you can use different languages, you may develop multilingual creativity and self-efficacy. It also broadens their views of linguistic landscapes.
• A great activity, no doubt about that. I’m just trying to think how/when assessment could be incorporated into it. What would be the assessment criteria? If no grades are required, then it’s fine, but if I were to grade it (say, to motivate the kids), what would be rational/practical in this activity?
  • These are actually lessons to get students used to this type of thing as preparation for an oral exam “Certificate of Plurilingualism” – so the assessment is there.
  • You can always assess students for completing individual microtasks and then for completing the whole thing 🙂
• How do you assess the learning outcome? How do you assess the language component?
  • Assessment can be based on both the process (mediation) and the learning outcome.