Mediation practices and additional language literacy

1
National and Kapodisitrian University of Athens
Research Programme Foreign language examination
battery and certification system
Mediation practices and additional language
literacy
Bessie Dendrinos
GALA, 15-12-2007
2
Who is a mediator?

• The language user not concerned to express
  his/her own meanings, but simply to act as an
  intermediary between interlocutors who are unable
  to understand each other directly normally (but
  not exclusively) speakers of different
  languages. (pp. 87-8)

• All language users are potentially mediators.
• The language user in the role of mediator takes
  part in a communicative event, acting as a
  facilitator, a meaning negotiator and
  meaning-making agent (sometimes functioning as
  an arbiter of meaning or an abritrator).

3
When does one take on a role as mediator?

• The mediator acts as a facilitator in a social
  event during which two or more parties
  interacting are experiencing a communication
  breakdown or when there is a communic-ation gap
  between them.
• The mediator monitors the process of
  communication and interferes/intervenes as a
  meaning negotiator in situations which require a
  reconciliation, a settlement or compromise of
  meanings.
• The mediator becomes a meaning-making agent
  inter-preting and creating meanings through
  speech or writing for listeners or readers of a
  different linguistic, cultural or social
  background.

4
Is mediation more important today than before?

• Mediation has had a crucial role throughout
  history from classical times and on through the
  ages, in all social institutions, private and
  public affairs, as well as in the arts (cf.,
  JAL). But, in todays information society,
  mediation is perhaps more essential than ever
  before.

Because of the social shift in late modernity
from the production of goods to the production of
knowledge.
How is knowledge mediated?
Through language and other semiotic modes.
Where does mediation take place?
In all types of social institutions (the church,
the law, diplomacy, politics, advertising, the
mass media), during public and private affairs,
in social settings including the workplace, the
educational space, the home, places of
entertainment.
5
Mediation as social practice
What is the purpose of mediation?
It is an activity aiming at the interpretation of
(social) meanings which are communicated/ relayed
to others who may not comprehend the source text
fully or partially
Mediation is linked with negotiation of meanings
during social interaction, as reconciliation
and/or compromise between two or more
participants is ususally required
What does the social role of the mediator entail?
Power relations. When someone takes (or is given)
this role, s/he assumes (or is granted) the power
to interpret social meanings for someone else.
(Sometimes the mediating statement is qualified
by phrases such as What she means is or What
he really wants to say)
6
Mediation as semiotic practice
Does mediation occur only at the level of text?
The material configuration of mediation is always
a text of some sort (oral, written, visual,
multimodal), but the focus of the mediation task
may be not the lexicogrammar, but the semiotic
means through which the text is articulated
i.e., the discourse, genre, register, style, the
embodied action and/or the visuality.
7
Inclusion/ exclusion of mediation in ELT
Mediation has been absent from the global ELT
scene and this is related to the cultural
politics of English didactics which has
traditionally banned the L1 from ELT programmes
and has undervalued the role of the NNS in
language teaching and learning, materials
production, test development and teacher training.
It has been occasionally present at a local level
in the periphery.
This issue is discussed in some detail in the JAL
8
Mediation and EU language politics

• The recent inclusion of mediation as official
  knowledge in the CEFR, which has legitimized its
  inclusion in FL teaching and assessment on a
  European level, has to do with
• the new demands regarding language learning (the
  12 policy)
• the increasingly important role of the
  intercultural mediator in the EU member states
  and across Europe

Note It is interesting that while for all other
activities there are illustrative scales, there
are non in the CEFR for mediation activities.
9
Mediation and Greek foreign language politics
Steps to inclusion of L1 and mediation in the
Greek ELT scene
The (1983 and the 1997) national ELT curricula
legitimize their use in ELT in primary and
secondary schools.
Uses of L1 for purposes of communicative
teaching and mediation activities appear in ELT
materials locally produced (1984-1987).
Practices of L1 and mediation exclusion, as well
as of devaluating the NNS EFL teacher and trainer
were theorized and ideological analysis of
coursebooks for ELT published (Dendrinos 1987,
1992, 1999, 2001).
Its inclusion (2002-2003) in a high stakes
(state) exam for the certification of additional
language competence (KPG)
10
Mediation in the KPG state exam

• The KPG exam battery assesses candidates oral
  and written mediation performance and, therefore,
  requires that candidates have secondary school
  and adult social literacy, as well as
  communicative skills required at different levels
  of language competence
• to understand (multimodal) texts in Greek
• to select salient information from the source
  text
• to relay information from the source text in
  English

• Successful performance of activities in all test
  papers of the English exams requires that
  candidates are able to function as mediators
• across two languages (from Greek to English)
• within the same language (from English to
  English)

The mediated text may be in a different mode,
genre, register or style than the source text.
11
Sample activities from the KPG exams
12
B1 level oral test
The task Imagine that I am your English friend
who heard about the Greek actress Efi
Papatheodorou on BBC. Im wondering who she is.
Use the information from the text and tell me a
few things about her.
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Task analysis

• The B1 activity is an interlinguistic oral
  mediation task.
• It requires that candidates (have lifeworld
  knowledge and language awareness at the level of
  discourse, genre and text) to use pertinent
  information from a Greek source text (in one
  genre) to form a message in English (in another
  genre and to deliver it in a different channel of
  communication).
• To perform successfully, candidates must have
• cognitive skills to evaluate information and
  select that which is suitable for the specific
  purpose
• literacy to extract salient points for task
  completion
• sociolinguistic competence to form a message
  suitable for the context of situation
• linguistic competence to create a meaningful
  message
• strategic competence to form the message with
  available means

14
B2 level oral task
15
B2 level oral mediation
TASK 1 Imagine I am your Italian friend who wants
to lose weight. Using information from the text,
tell me what types of food I should eat.
TASK 2 Imagine I am your German friend, who works
too many hours but tries to keep fit. Using
information from the text, give me some advice.
16
Task analysis

• The B2 activity is an interlinguistic oral
  mediation task also.
• Both tasks tasks require that candidates use a
  source text in Greek in order to extract
  pertinent information and form a message in
  English.
• To perform successfully in each of the two tasks,
  candidates must focus on different bits of
  information in the source text and relay selected
  information in ways that suit the needs of each
  interlocutor.
• In performing Task 1, the candidate is expected
  to give instructions to someone who wants to lose
  weight, tell him or her what s/he should or
  shouldnt do
• In performing Task 2, the candidate is expected
  to give advice to a friend who just wants to keep
  fit and needs his/her strength.

17
B2 writing mediation
18
B2 level writing activity

• The task
• Use the information in the newspaper text to
  help you write a short report (150 words) about
  what Greeks think of their educational system.
  This report is for a website conducting a survey
  on what European citizens think is wrong with the
  educational system of their country.
• Begin your report like this According to a
  recent opinion poll
• End it by stating your own opinion about
  education in Greece.

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TASK ANALYSIS

• The B2 activity is an interlinguistic written
  mediation task
• It requires that candidates read and understand
  the specific type of multimodal source text and
  use the information therein creatively to produce
  a text of a different genre than the original,
  suitable for the context of situation.
• To perform the task successfully, candidates must
  have
• the linguistic competence to produce a text which
  reports what different groups of people
  (percentages) think about various issues
  concerning education
• the cognitive skills to relate their personal
  opinion on the topic with those of others and
  the linguistic skills to write a conclusion with
  a personal assessment on the issue
• have the sociolinguistic competence to create a
  meaningful report relaying the information in the
  source text in a way that is appropriate for the
  context of situation
• strategic competence to avoid sensitive
  information and to use the means available for
  the creation of the report.

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C1 oral mediation
Candidate A
21
C1 oral mediation
Candidate B
22
C1 oral mediation
TASK 1 Imagine that you and your partner are
planning a trip for the Christmas and New Year
holidays. Exchange information from your texts
and decide about the most interesting New Years
celebration. This decision will also help you
decide which country you might visit.
TASK 2 Exchange information from your texts with
your partner and together decide on the two most
unusual customs to write about for the special
Christmas issue of your school/ local
newspaper/magazine.
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TASK ANALYSIS

• This C1 activity, with two different oral
  mediation tasks, involves candidates in
  interaction and negotiation. The ultimate goal in
  each communicative instance is for them to reach
  a common decision.
• Both tasks require that candidates have
• intercultural awareness
• lifeworld knowledge
• social and practical literacy
• reading skills to extract pertinent points for
  their decision
• cognitive skills for selection of suitable
  information and for decision making
• linguistic competence to relay information
  accurately
• sociolinguistic competence to relay the
  appropriate information in ways suitable for the
  context of situation and the task at hand
• conversational skills to introduce a topic, take
  turns, to keep the floor when needed or to turn
  it over to the other

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So, what does mediation activity involve?

• Mediation is viewed as social practice which
  involves
• whom? meaning making agents
• in what? in acts of communication that require
  negotiation of meaning and relaying of
  information across the same language or different
  languages
• for whom? for interlocutors (listeners or
  readers) of the same or different cultural
  background

• texts resulting from spoken interpretation and/or
  written translation
• summaries of texts across or in the same language
• paraphrases of texts when the language of the
  source text creates problems of intelligibility
  to the intended recipient
• (p. 87)

Examples of mediating activities include
Note for other, complimentary definitions of
mediation see the JAL.
25
What is the relationship between mediation and
translation/ interpretation?
According to the CEFR

• Oral mediation is synonymous with
• simultaneous interpretation (at conferences,
  meetings)
• consecutive interpretation (speeches, guided
  tours)
• Informal interpretation (e.g., in social and
  transactional situations for friends, family,
  clients, or of signs, menus, notices)

• Written mediation is synonymous with
• Exact translation (of legal and scientific texts)
  
• Literary translation
• Summarizing gist (within L1 or between L1 and L2)
• paraphrasing

26
In KPG mediation practices differ significantly
Translators and interpreters have no voice. Their
task is to establish equivalent meanings and/or
reproduce a messages in another language, not to
express opinions or make comments. Mediators have
a voice and produce their own text, often
expressing their take on an issue, their own
opinion or making side comments.
1
Translators and interpreters, are to remain
true to the source text, which they are
required to respect. Mediators may selct which
messages and meanings to convey and, basically,
their loyalty is to their interlocutor rather
than to the source text.
2
Translators and interpreters have no right to
change the discourse, genre or register of the
source text, nor resort to reported
speech. Mediators are required to decide how the
message to be conveyed will be construed. Often,
they must make choices regarding the discourse,
genre, register and style of the target text
considering what is most appropriate for the
communicative event and useful for the other
participant(s).
3
27
Is mediation both a spoken and written activity?
Source text
Target text
28
Is mediation an interactive activity?
Interactive exchange
Non interactive exchange
29
Is mediation an exclusively linguistic activity?
30
Mediation as a verbal activity

• Relaying the message in a (spoken or written)
  text to one or more people who fail to understand
  it as it is (or for a number of other purposes)
• through a different channel of communication
• in a different discourse, genre or register
  (paraphrasing or relaying salient information)
• by conveying the main idea or information
  selected to suit the context of situation
  (summarising, giving gist)

• Relaying in the target language the message in a
  (spoken or written) text that appears in the
  source language (from L1 or L2 or vice versa)
• to someone who is unlikely to understand it fully
  or partially (or for a number of other purposes,
  e.g., to check comprehension)
• either though the same or a different channel,
  same or different discourse, etc.

31
Visual and multimodal mediation

• Relaying the message in a text of single modality
  (such as an exclusively verbal text either
  spoken or written) into a multimodal text or
  vice-versa. For example, relaying
• in a single mode (orally) a message delivered in
  a written text with visual effects, pictures,
  maps, etc.
• in a single mode (in writing) a message delivered
  orally and visually (e.g., film review)
• in a multimodal text (spoken text accompanied by
  sounds, music, gestures, etc.) a text in a single
  mode (e.g., a play)

• Relaying the message in a visual text (pie chart,
  graph, table, map, sketch, photograph, etc.) to
  interlocutors who may not understand this visual
  fully or partially (or for other purposes) by
  performing speech acts such as
• - explaining
• - reporting
• - directing
• - instructing

32
Cultural mediation

• Relaying information to some-one who is from a
  different ethnic, linguistic or/and cultural
  background from that of the mediator
• Filling in an information gap (about social
  habits, operation of social institutions, etc.)
  for listeners/readers who do not share L1,
  cultural experiences, profession, etc.

• Relaying information to someone who shares ethnic
  background and L1, but belongs to a different
  cultural group/ social network from that of the
  mediator
• Interpreting reality for listeners (e.g., TV and
  radio) and/or readers (e.g., printed media) of
  the same ethnic and language background as the
  mediator

33
What mediation involves according to the CEFR

• Aiming at establishing equivalent meaning,
  mediation may involve the following (strategies)
• Planning
• Developing background knowledge, locating
  supports, preparing a glossary, considering
  interlocutors needs, selecting units of
  interpretation)
• Execution
• Previewing, processing input and formulating the
  last chunk simultaneously in real time, noting
  possibilities, equivalences, bridging gaps
• Evaluation
• Checking congruence of two versions, checking
  consistency of usage
• Repair
• Refining by consulting dictionaries, thesaurus,
  consulting experts, rescources

34
What mediation involves according to the KPG

• Wishing to resolve a communication breakdown or
  to facilitate (smoother) interaction during a
  communicative event, the act of mediation may
  involve the following steps
• To develop an understanding of the communication
  problem by employing socio-cultural knowledge and
  experiences, communication skills and linguistic
  resources (in two or more languages).
• Deciding in advance what type of intervention is
  needed mainly by considering interlocutors
  needs.
• Listening to or reading the source text(s) with
  the purpose of locating the piece(s) of
  information or message(s) which are to be
  relayed.
• Recalling pieces of information and/or drawing
  upon the gist of the source text(s) to frame the
  new text.
• Decide upon what to relay and plan input.
• Plan how the target text is to be formulated.
• Enter a meaning making process as the target text
  is being articulated.
• Negotiate meaning with interlocutor.

35
What KPG mediation requires
Depending on the mediation task, which is always
context specific, KPG mediation involves
Socio-cultural and discourse awareness

• Lifeworld knowledge
• Knowledge of how 2 languages (discourse, genre,
  text) operate
• (Critical) language awareness
• Awareness of the grammar of visual design
• (Inter) cultural awareness

• Literacies

• School literacy
• Social literacy
• Practical literacy
• Test-taking literacy

36
KPG mediation requires more
Communicative competence(s)

• Linguistic competence
• Sociolinguistic competence
• Discourse competence
• Strategic competence

Cognitive skills

• To read between the lines
• To select pertinent information
• To retain and recall information for use in a
  new context
• To combine prior knowledge and experience with
  new information
• To combine information from a variety of source
  texts
• To solve a problem, a mystery, a query
• To predict, guess, foresee, infer, make a
  hypothesis, come to a conclusion

Social skills

• To recognize the interlocutors communicative
  need
• To facilitate the process of communication (by
  relaying the info in different form or mode,
  interpret message, explain, elaborate, define,
  etc.)
• Negotiate information by adjusting
  effectiveness, efficiency and relevance to the
  context of situation

37
What do mediators really do?

• The resources mediators put to use and the
  strategies they employ are context and task
  specific

• Mediators do a great variety of activities with
  words and images, materializing
  institutionally defined social or pedagogical
  discourses

• Learning to mediate is a life-long process, but
  mediation skills may be developed through
  pedagogic practices

38
Including mediation in the pedagogical context
When/for what reason does the average Greek FL
user need to mediate?
What kind of mediation task does s/he usually
need to perform?
What sort of communication needs does the
mediation task cover?
What type of texts does s/he have to mediate?
What kind of mediation tasks does s/he usually
need to perform?
What kind of knowledge, skills and strategies
must the FL learner develop so as to be in a
position to perform mediation tasks effectively?
What does the mediation process in different
contexts entail?
Is there a special FL pedagogy conducive to the
development of mediation skills?
39
Studies in mediation

• Studies in Greece
• Collaboration with Israel
• Conference in Finland

40
CONFERENCE ANNOUNCEMENT Mediating
Multilingualism Meanings and Modalities
Conference rationaleIn todays globalized world
of mobilities and flows, multilingualism
isincreasingly an everyday phenomenon that
people encounter and have tocope with (in work,
education, institutions, leisure time and media
uses). In these various contexts, multilingualism
can be mediated not only by languages, but also
by a range of other semiotic means suchas
genres, discourses, styles, embodied action and
visuality. At the same time multilingualism is a
mediational system in itself, sustaining, but
also mobilizing and reorganizing language user
identities, relationships and possibilities for
action and the relative values of languages.
Multilingualism can thus have repercussions in
terms of what resources and possibilities
individuals and groups have - to agency and
participation.
41
Rationale continued
The conference on Mediating Multilingualism
approaches mediation andmultilingualism from
this double perspective. It focuses on
thedifferent ways and means for mediating
multilingualism, viewing multilingualism as a
mediational system. The aim is to shed light on
the complexities of this relationship and to
develop new ways of investigating and
understanding the roles, meanings and modalities
of mediation in multilingual settings. To this
end, the conference aims at bringing together
researchers, students, teachers and other
practitioners who share an interest in exploring
the interface betweenmediation and
multilingualism as a particular linguistic,
social, cultural and ideological contact zone
where the meanings of languages, identities and
relationships are reassessed and renegotiated.
42
CONFERENCE SITE AND CALL FOR PAPERS
University of Jyväskylä, Finland Organized as
the 26th Summer School of Applied Language
StudiesJune 2-5, 2008Deadline for abstracts
January 15, 2008Guidelines for
submissionhttp//www.jyu.fi/hum/laitokset/kielet
/conference2008/enCall for papersSubmissions
are solicited for 20-min. papers and posters
relating to the conference theme. Studies on any
languages and disciplinary takes (e.g.,
sociolinguistics, linguistic anthropology,
discourse studies, pragmatics, ethnography, and
language learning and teaching) are welcome.
Abstracts in English (max. 300 words) should be
submitted via submission on the conference
website.
43

• Research Centre for English Language Teaching,
  Testing and Assessment
• Faculty of English Studies
• School of Philosophy
• National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
• _______________________________
• E-mail rcel_at_enl.uoa.gr

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