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Home > ECML-Programme > Programme 2020-2023 > RECOLANG > Comment passer

How can we move from a deficit-based view of learning to a strengths-based view?

The principles set out support the idea of a positive transfer of competences and knowledge from one language to another, in this case from the home language(s) to the language(s) of schooling (Cummins, 2000), whatever the language (vernacular, unwritten, etc.). The emphasis is on success at school through promoting plurilingualism and the acquisition of the language of schooling.

The role of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR)

These principles are in line with the work on plurilingual competence (outlined in part 1), which is at the heart of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR, 2001) and its Companion Volume. These plurilingual competences or, in other words, the general competences "consist in particular of their knowledge, skills and existential competence and also their ability to learn" (CEFR, 2001: p. 10-11).

These different resources are interdependent and interrelated when we are communicating or learning: we then mobilise certain attitudes and procedural competences (know-how), which in turn draw on knowledge about the language, and so on. "'Depending on the learners in question, the ability to learn may involve varying degrees and combinations of such aspects of existential competence, declarative knowledge and skills and know-how" (CEFR, 2001: p. 12), and it is also linked to the learner's language and learning experiences. 

Video by Shahzad Saif

But then ...
... "how do you do it?"

1. Devising assessment criteria which combine description of the language with knowledge, ‘savoir-faire’ and ‘savoir-être’

The linguistic dimension is only one part of communicative competence. A "breakdown" of the language giving priority to assessment criteria centred on linguistic elements of a language only addresses part of the communicative competence that a learner can mobilise in the language. There is a great risk that taking account only of these linguistic criteria will fail to take account of the other knowledge, competences and behaviours involved, particularly those which enable transfers from one language or variety in the learner’s repertoire to another.  

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2. Devising assessment criteria that reflect the heterogeneity of learning paths and contexts

These assessments are aimed at learners from multilingual backgrounds, with one or more different home languages and one or more previous languages of schooling which were different from that of the education system which these learners are currently enrolled in. Moreover, the system itself encompasses different institutions which are organised on a centralised, regional or local basis.

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3. A language activity which should not be neglected: mediation

What does mediation mean?

Mediation refers to any operation, device or intervention which, in a given social context, aims to reduce the distance between two (or more) poles of difference or ‘otherness’ which are in tension with each other. Interlinguistic mediation involves a language user acting as an intermediary between interlocutors who do not share the same language. This means that the mediator deliberately selects information from a source text in one language and transmits it in another language (target text) with the intention of bridging linguistic and cultural gaps. Mediation is part of a person's plurilingual competence, and mediation activities at school enhance and develop this competence.

What kinds of mediation tasks are there?

Mediation tasks are those which require language users to transfer information from one language to another for a given communicative purpose. Mediation involves interpreting the meanings expressed by the learner and constructing new meanings in the target language, formulated a way appropriate to the context of the situation (Dendrinos, 2006). This type of activity encourages transfer strategies* from one language to another, especially when this process is explained in class and is the subject of metalinguistic reflection.

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*Transfers: "To meet their needs for comprehension or expression, children draw on the linguistic resources available to them. In so doing, they sometimes resort to lexical knowledge or syntactic competences associated with another language. These transfers can be of great assistance: the closeness between two linguistic systems makes it possible to overcome difficulties, save valuable time and progress in the acquisition of a language. The ability to make such transfers needs to be developed. It plays a part in learning strategies. In some specific cases it may of course happen that a transfer made by a child does not work or results in the use of an incorrect expression." The Council of Europe’s European Centre for Modern Languages, Multilingual glossary of key terms in language education, 2015
www.ecml.at/Resources/ECMLglossaries/tabid/5484/Letter/T/language/en-GB/Default.aspx

Why assess mediation?

Assessment involving the use of interlinguistic mediation meets the needs of any modern plurilingual society: "as teaching moves towards a multilingual approach, assessment should also follow suit" (Gorter and Cenoz, 2017: p. 43). Used as classroom and assessment activities, mediation activities (tasks) also allow home languages and cultures to be taken into account, thus creating links between the language of schooling and learners' repertoires, but also links between the learners' socio-cultural context and that of the school. Interlinguistic mediation activities that involve the joint use of languages in the classroom can be used to reduce linguistic and cultural barriers because they involve a plurilingual approach to language teaching and to education in general (Stathopoulou, 2015).

What are the aims of mediation activities?

Mediation activities that integrate the three other modes of communication (reception, production and interaction) contribute to the development of plurilingual competence and to building bridges at school between languages and contexts for the following reasons:

  • they respect learners’ languages and cultures of origin;
  • they help learners to see all languages as equal;
  • they treat diversity as an asset;
  • they foster linguistic and cultural inclusion;
  • they form part of a plurilingual approach to language teaching;
  • they stress the importance of mediation between languages;
  • they encourage the integration of different languages within different learning tasks with a view to developing learners' plurilingual competence. (Teaching Guide developed for the METLA project "Mediation in teaching, learning and assessment" website)
Que signifie la médiation ?

Par médiation, on désigne toute opération, tout dispositif, toute intervention qui, dans un contexte social donné, vise à réduire la distance entre deux (voire plus de deux) pôles altéritaires qui se trouvent en tension l’un par rapport à l’autre. La médiation interlinguistique concerne un·e utilisateur·trice de langue qui joue le rôle d’intermédiaire entre des interlocuteurs·trices qui ne partagent pas la même langue. Cela signifie que le·la médiateur·trice sélectionne délibérément des informations à partir d’un texte source dans une langue et les transmet dans une autre langue (texte cible) dans l’intention de combler les lacunes linguistiques et culturelles. La médiation fait partie de la compétence plurilingue d’une personne et les activités de médiation à l’école valorisent et développent cette compétence.

Quelles tâches pour la médiation ?

Les tâches de médiation sont celles qui exigent des utilisateurs·trices de langues qu’ils transmettent des informations d’une langue à l’autre dans un but de communication donné. La médiation implique l’interprétation des significations exprimées par l’élève et la construction de nouvelles significations dans la langue cible, exprimées de manière appropriée au contexte de la situation (Dendrinos, 2006). Ce type d’activité favorise les stratégies de transfert* d’une langue à une autre, d’autant lorsque ce processus est explicité en classe et fait l’objet d’une réflexion métalinguistique.

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*Transfert « Pour faire face à ses besoins de compréhension ou d’expression, un enfant puise dans les ressources linguistiques dont il dispose. Il a parfois recours dans ce cadre à des connaissances lexicales ou à des savoir-faire syntaxiques qui relèvent d’une autre langue. Ces transferts peuvent représenter des aides importantes : la proximité entre deux systèmes linguistiques permet de lever des difficultés, de gagner un temps précieux et de progresser dans l’appropriation d’une langue. A ce titre, la capacité à opérer de tels transferts doit être développée et entrainée. Elle participe des stratégies d’apprentissage. Bien entendu, il peut arriver, dans certains cas particuliers, qu’un transfert opéré par un enfant ne fonctionne pas ou conduise à une expression erronée. » Conseil de l'Europe (Centre européen pour les langues vivantes), Glossaire multilingue de termes clés de l’éducation aux langues, « Transferts », 2015
www.ecml.at/Resources/ECMLglossaries/tabid/5484/Letter/T/language/fr-FR/Default.aspx

Pourquoi évaluer la médiation ?

La nécessité d’évaluer (par) la médiation interlinguistique répond aux besoins de toute société plurilingue moderne : « l’enseignement s’oriente vers une approche multilingue, l’évaluation devrait également suivre la même voie » (Gorter et Cenoz, 2017: p. 43). Utilisées comme activités en classe et en évaluation, les activités (les tâches) de médiation permettent aussi la prise en compte des langues et cultures familiales, créant ainsi des liens entre la langue de l’école et le répertoire des élèves, mais aussi entre le contexte socioculturel de l’élève et celui de l’école. Les activités de médiation interlinguistique qui demandent l’utilisation conjointe des langues en classe peuvent être utilisées pour atténuer les barrières linguistiques et culturelles (parce qu’elles suggèrent une approche plurilingue de l’enseignement des langues et en général de l’éducation (Stathopoulou, 2015).


Que visent les activités de médiation ?

Les activités de médiation qui permettent d’intégrer les trois autres modes de communication (réception, production et interaction) contribuent au développement de la compétence plurilingue et à l’établissement de passerelles entre les langues et les contextes à l’école pour les raisons suivantes :

  • elles respectent les langues d’origine et les cultures d’origine des élèves ;
  • elles contribuent à considérer toutes les langues comme égales ;
  • elles considèrent la diversité comme un atout ;
  • elles promeuvent l’inclusion linguistique et culturelle ;
  • elles s’inscrivent dans une approche plurilingue de l’enseignement des langues ;
  • elles soulignent l’importance des activités de médiation entre les langues ;
  • elles encouragent l’intégration de différentes langues dans différentes tâches scolaires en vue du développement de la compétence plurilingue des apprenant·e·s. (Guide pédagogique du projet METLA « Médiation dans l’enseignement, l’apprentissage et l’évaluation » site web)
Home language assessment activities can be designed to assess learners' ability to move from one language to another in their repertoire.

For example, it may involve measuring the ability to process information by relaying it from one text to another. What's more, in the classroom, assessment (and its results) informs both the teacher and the learners about the next steps to be taken to achieve the learning objectives.

The assessment of home languages involving mediation tasks as part of formative assessment can be a continuous learning experience for learners.

At school, learners should be given the opportunity to reflect on their mediation competences and strategies and to assess them, as an integral part of their lifelong learning (see the Teaching Guide developed for the METLA project "Mediation in teaching, learning and assessment").

Other criteria are discussed in the "When and how to assess" section, which looks at means and contexts of assessment that are linked to each other.