Mediation and the plurilingual repertoire of learners

MAREČKOVÁ, Pavla. Mediation and the plurilingual repertoire of learners. In Thinking, practicing and living plurilingualism 3rd edition. 2024.

Basic information

• Original name: Mediation and the plurilingual repertoire of learners
• Name in Czech: Mediace a vícejazyčný repertoár žáků a studentů
• Name (in English): Mediation and the plurilingual repertoire of learners
• Authors: MAREČKOVÁ, Pavla.
• Edition: Thinking, practicing and living plurilingualism 3rd edition, 2024.

Other information

• Type of outcome: Presentations at conferences
• Confidentiality degree: is not subject to a state or trade secret
• WWW: URL
• Keywords (in Czech): mediace, Dodatek k SERRJ; akčně orientovaný přístup; intercomprehension; translanguaging
• Keywords in English: mediation; CEFR-Companion Volume; action oriented aproach; intercomprehension; translanguaging
• Tags: International impact

Abstract

Mediation between two or more (foreign) languages is a process that takes place every day in today's plurilingual and pluricultural society. The Council of Europe reflects this fact and, with the CEFR-Companion Volume (CoE, 2020) and the detailed development of scales and descriptors for individual mediation activities, is sending a clear signal that it is desirable to make mediation an integral part of foreign language teaching at all levels. Mediation competence, as it is understood in Companion Volume, builds on the learner's plurilingual and pluricultural repertoire. In other words: Interlingual mediation cannot be realised without plurilingual as well as pluricultural competence and, conversely, it is possible to develop these competences through mediation tasks and activities. In the oral presentation, the connection between plurilinguism and mediation and their synergy will be explained in more detail. The introduction will outline which pedagogical and multilingual didactic concepts are reflected in the current concept of mediation (CoE, 2020). The role of plurilingual and pluricultural competence in the mediation process is then shown and, last but not least, exemplary tasks are used to illustrate how learners' plurilingual and pluricultural repertoire can be built up and expanded through mediation and how their "multilanguage (learning) awareness" (Nied Curcio/Katelhön 2020: 149) can be trained.

Abstract (in Czech)

Mediace mezi dvěma nebo více (cizími) jazyky je proces, který se v dnešní plurilingvní a plurikulturní společnosti odehrává každý den. Rada Evropy tuto skutečnost reflektuje a prostřednictvím Dodatku k SERRJ (CoE, 2020) a podrobného rozpracování stupnic a deskriptorů pro jednotlivé mediační aktivity vysílá jasný signál, že je žádoucí, aby se zprostředkování stalo nedílnou součástí výuky cizích jazyků na všech úrovních. Mediační kompetence, jak je chápána v Dodatku SERRJ, staví na plurilingvním a plurikulturním repertoáru žáka. Jinými slovy: Interlingvální mediace nemůže být realizována bez plurilingvní i plurikulturní kompetence a naopak, tyto kompetence je možné rozvíjet prostřednictvím mediačních úkolů a aktivit. V ústní prezentaci bude podrobněji vysvětlena souvislost mezi plurilingvismem a mediací a jejich synergie. V úvodu bude nastíněno, které pedagogické a vícejazyčné didaktické koncepce se odrážejí v současném pojetí mediace (CoE, 2020). Poté bude představena role plurilingvní a plurikulturní kompetence v procesu mediace a v neposlední řadě budou na příkladových úlohách ilustrovány způsoby, jakými lze prostřednictvím mediace budovat a rozšiřovat plurilingvní a plurikulturní repertoár žáků a jak lze trénovat jejich „multilanguage (learning) awareness“ (Nied Curcio/Katelhön 2020: 149).

Abstract (in English)

Mediation between two or more (foreign) languages is a process that takes place every day in today's plurilingual and pluricultural society. The Council of Europe reflects this fact and, with the CEFR-Companion Volume (CoE, 2020) and the detailed development of scales and descriptors for individual mediation activities, is sending a clear signal that it is desirable to make mediation an integral part of foreign language teaching at all levels. Mediation competence, as it is understood in Companion Volume, builds on the learner's plurilingual and pluricultural repertoire. In other words: Interlingual mediation cannot be realised without plurilingual as well as pluricultural competence and, conversely, it is possible to develop these competences through mediation tasks and activities. In the oral presentation, the connection between plurilinguism and mediation and their synergy will be explained in more detail. The introduction will outline which pedagogical and multilingual didactic concepts are reflected in the current concept of mediation (CoE, 2020). The role of plurilingual and pluricultural competence in the mediation process is then shown and, last but not least, exemplary tasks are used to illustrate how learners' plurilingual and pluricultural repertoire can be built up and expanded through mediation and how their "multilanguage (learning) awareness" (Nied Curcio/Katelhön 2020: 149) can be trained.