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    Programme 2020-2023
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    Mediation in teaching, learning and assessment
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    Adapt mediation tasks


Types of mediation tasks


Before the design process


The design process


Adapting mediation tasks


Assessing mediation
 

Adapting mediation tasks

METLA tasks can be adapted in order to cater for different teaching and learning contexts. The METLA team offers ideas for differentiation across languages, and adaptation across CEFR language proficiency levels, or teaching contexts.

Adaptation across languages 

Having the source texts presented in different languages accompanied by the task instructions in the foreign language is an example of how mediation tasks allow for the use of different languages depending on the teaching context. Chapter 5 of the Teaching Guide presents further ideas how METLA tasks can be adapted to incorporate various languages.

For instance, in METLA task (Task 4), learners are asked to read the text (a text message from a friend who has lost his dog) and then create a flyer for a missing dog. The METLA team provides different versions of the source text (i.e., in different languages, Finnish, Greek and English) in order: i) to leave room to the teacher to pick up the appropriate source text for his/her context; and ii) to show that the teacher can produce his/her own text in any language depending on the learner population.

In the second task (Task 3), the teacher can provide learners in a multilingual class, with a template (in this case a leaflet) which defines the text type to be produced. On the basis of this template they can insert information in their home languages.


Differentiating across (CEFR) language proficiency levels

Many tasks can be differentiated so that they can be used for different learning levels. While the same source text may be used, different tasks can be assigned which are suitable for lower or higher levels of learning. One way of doing this relates to the text type or genre of the target text: whereas learners at lower levels might be required to produce a simpler genre, such as an email to a friend, those at a more advanced level may be asked to produce in English (the foreign language) more complex text types, such as a newspaper article or a report.

Ideas for differentiating across CEFR language proficiency levels:

  • At lower levels it is important to present new knowledge and ideas through visual means or illustrations to accompany the texts. This may not be necessary for higher level learners working on the same (or a similar) task;
  • The language teacher can vary the length of time or the number of lessons for each task;
  • S/he can prepare task sheets including tasks which get progressively harder.