The Best Resources For Using “Mediation Activities” With English Language Learners
Reubens_Stock_Photos / Pixabay
I recently learned a new term used in English language teaching – “mediation activities.”
It’s used to basically describe any activity where students have to explain something to someone else.
Certainly, teaching classmates (see The Best Posts On Helping Students Teach Their Classmates — Help Me Find More ) and jigsaws(see THE BEST RESOURCES FOR LEARNING ABOUT THE JIGSAW INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY ) fit that bill, but there are lots of other activities that would, also. It’s a very interesting – to me, at least – way of looking at lessons. It’s basically challenging students to “make meaning” for someone else. It could even be just rephrasing or summarizing for someone else.
Here are some resources to learn more about it:
Mediation: The What, Why & How Explained is from Emily Bryson.
Mediation in the ELT Classroom is from HLT Magazine.
Mediation skills in the English language classroom is from Cambridge.
Three ways to start encouraging mediation skills with your learners is from Cambridge.
MEDIATION: What it is, how to teach it and how to assess it. is also from Cambridge.
Mediating a Text: A Practical Guide to Task Creation is from MacMillan.
How To Help Your English Learners Develop Mediation Skills is from Oxford.