People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria

Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research

El-Bachir El-Ibrahimi University of BBA
Department of English Language and Literature

What can teachers do

to promote learning?
Under the supervision of :

Dr.Bachir Sahed

Module : Educational psychology

Members: Level and Group : Master one / group 02
• Khelladi Ikram

• Hadj Mbarek Sara

• Deraredja Loubna

• Louali Widad
CONTENT
• Introduction
• Feuerstein's theory of mediation and its features
• Factors concerning taking control of teaching
• Factors concerning fostering social development
• Application of mediation theory
• Investigating mediation in language classrooms
• Conclusion
 INTRODUCTION
Reflecting on our own learning experiences in school , it can be deduced that teachers
can affect learning in a range of ways that go far beyond the transmission of knowledge.
Some of these ways may include teaching learners how to Iearn, boosting their confidence,
motivating, displaying a personal interest, enhancing self-esteem and organizing an
appropriate learning environment.

The concept of mediation has played a central role in all social interactionist theories. For
Vygotsky and his followers, mediation refers to the use of 'tools‘ which refer to anything
that is used in order to help solve a problem or achieve a goal. The most important of these
tools is symbolic language (Kozulin 1990). For these theorists, the use of mediational
language to help learners move into and through their zone of proximal development (ZPD)
( the space between what the learner can do without the assistance of a more
knowledgeable one and what he can do with that assistance) is of particular significance .
 Some current views of second language learning see language as 'picked' up' or acquired
by natural processes with which the teacher should not interfere (e.g. Krashen 1981, 1982).
However mediation theory tells us that it is the role of the teacher to help learners to find
ways of moving into their next level of understanding of the language.

According to Long (1980) , the importance of instruction in the classroom in helping

learners to acquire linguistic rules is a debatable topic. Some theorists maintain that
instruction can assist language acquisition, and some others believe it cannot .

A Question arises from the latter:

what is the teacher's role in facilitating the learner’s

Progression from one level to the other ?
MEDIATION THEORY:
In chapter2:

“ The part played by other significant people in the learners' lives who enhance their learning by selecting and
shaping The learning experiences presented to them.”

This theory suggests that:

a child's learning is shaped by the intervention of significant adults from birth whom are called mediators or mediating
adults, and the experiences they provide are called mediated learning experiences.

These adults, at first parents, but later teachers, select and organise stimuli that are most appropriate for the child,
shape them and present them in suitable ways to promote learning. They also contribute in shaping the child's early
attempts at responding to stimuli, directing and encouraging more appropriate responses while explaining why one
response is more useful than another (Feuerstein et al. 1980).
• Thus, in contrast to Piagetian theory which states that children develop at
their own pace through interaction with the environment, the way in which
significant adults interact with children plays a central part in their cognitive
development. This enables the child to construct a view of the world and his or
her place within it. Cognitive, social and emotional development are linked in a
complex way , and building an appropriate climate in the home or classroom
within which those developments are fostered is very important .
 Critics!

This theory ,however, is criticized for it gives less attention to the learner's
contribution to the mediating process. Studies of early childhood development
claim that within the social context of the family, the actions of children affect
those of the parents. (Bornstein and Bruner 1989).

But the theory of mediation supports in some aspects the Piagetian theory
because it does not deny the importance of the individual learner role in the
learning situation . Nonetheless, it emphasizes the centrality of mediated
learning experiences above cognitive development.
To what extent the concept of teacher as a mediator differs from that of a
disseminator of information ?
There is a fundamental difference.

• First, mediation must be concerned with empowering and helping learners to acquire the knowledge, skills and

strategies they will need in order to progress, to tackle problems, to function effectively in a particular culture. It

is also concerned with helping learners to become autonomous , enabling them to become independent thinkers

and problem-solvers.

• Second, mediation involves interaction between mediator and learner and considers the learner as an active

participant in the process.

• Third, there is an emphasis on reciprocation , that is, the importance of the learner reciprocating the intentions of

the mediator or teacher. This means that the learner is ready and willing to carry out the task presented, and that

there is an agreement about what should be done and why.

• Fourth, learner’s autonomy involves more than providing suitable self-access materials. The mediator needs to

help the learners to interact with the materials in various ways until they become truly self-directed.
FEATURES OF THE THEORY
A N D T H E I R P O S S I B L E I M P L I C AT I O N S F O R T H E L A N G UA G E
TEACHER.

There are twelve features of mediation. The first three ones are essential for all
learning tasks and the remaining ones are helpful, but they do not necessarily
apply to all tasks, and depend on the situation and culture in which the learning
is taking place.
Main features:
• Significance
The teacher needs to make learners aware of the significance of the learning task
so that they can see the value of it to them personally, and in a broader cultural
context. Any learning task must have value or personal meaning to the learners.
If learners do not find personal significance in a task, then it lacks the necessary
vitality or relevance.
• Purpose beyond the here and now
learners must be aware of the way in which the learning experience will have wider relevance to
them beyond the immediate time and place ( beyond the classroom environment).
How might the activity lead to learning that will be useful to the learners in the future? How can
I help the learners to understand this?

A learning experience should produce learning which is more than just the behaviour required by the
task itself. The learner should learn something of more general value than the actual item taught by the
task. For example, in learning vocabulary, learners might learn a strategy that will help them to learn
further items of vocabulary more easily.

After knowing what we want our learners to do and why, we need to consider the third feature of
mediation, shared intention.
• Shared intention

In presenting a task, the teacher must have a clear intention, which is understood and
reciprocated by the learners. This feature is referred to as Intentionality and Reciprocity. In
presenting learners with any learning task, teachers should convey precisely what they want
them to do by providing a clear set of instructions. At the same time it is essential to ensure
that they are both able and willing to attempt the task , so that they approach it in a focused
and self-directed way.
Note:
The developmental stage of the learners also plays an important part. Young children will need
more direction from their teachers. Adults, on the other hand, are more likely to have clear ideas
about what they want to learn ; therefore, play a more central role from the start in negotiating
learning activities.
The secondary features may include:
• A sense of competence: the feeling that they are capable of coping successfully with any
particular task with which they are faced.
• Control of own behavior: the ability to control and regulate their own learning, thinking and
actions.
• Goal-setting: the ability to set realistic goals and to plan ways of achieving them.
• Challenge: an internal need to respond to challenges, and to search for new
challenges in life.
 FACTORS CONCERNED WITH
TAKING CONTROL OF LEARNING
1- Sense of competence
In order for learners to achieve a successful learning they need to preceive themselves as
competent and capable and this process requires a good teacher that helps them boost their self
confidence, self esteem and self image. Language teachers are often the ones who are in need to
deal with students competence and capability due to the learners lack of confidence towards the
new language they’re about to learn and the fear of expressing themselves in a strange language.
Competence is a feature that is considered important for language teaching. However, it is not
sufficient for learning to be effective. This means that learners also require to compete through
learning the necessary skills and strategies.
2- Control of behavior
It is important for monitors to teach learners how to take control of their learning process and their
behaviors which means the ability to solve language problems in a systematic and logical manner.
This process can be made due to the learners capability of taking control over their learning what
makes them process the necessary skills to take on such a task.
• 3- Setting goals

Setting goals comes first. The ability to set one's own goals in life and in learning, as well as to

make plans for achieving those goals, is essential. Some people will then have a tendency to

seek out "quick-fix" without considering the potential long-term repercussions. In any learning

activity, children who create their own goals are more likely to succeed than those who have

goals chosen for them, according to recent research. Foreign language learners can participate

in goal-setting in a variety of ways ( long and short term ).

4- Challenge:
• It's crucial to offer a suitable challenge and support the students in developing suitable
solutions to these issues if we want them to become absorbed in the work we assign them.
Finding language learning projects that are challenging enough to be a challenge without
being overly difficult is necessary to achieve this. In light of this, it can be worthwhile to
examine a variety of exercises in foreign language coursebooks for kids or teenagers and think
a bout which ones offer the right kinds of challenges for students in that age range. Also, it's
critical to support students in creating their own difficulties as a step toward autonomy.
No matter how much information a teacher may have about a group or even individual
learners , it is virtually impossible to match each learner with the right level of task without
involving the learners themselves in the process . Since the ultimate goal of mediated learning
experiences is to produce independent learners and problem - solvers , increasing the
involvement of the learners in all aspects of the learning process should be encouraged at
every opportunity .
5- Awareness of change

• Many language-learning programs are built around students completing tasks and behaving in a
certain way, which the teacher sets and then assesses. Instructors typically advise students of
their progress in a variety of methods, such as through grades, compliments, or test results. To
create autonomous learners, we would consider it equally necessary to promote the capacity for
self-evaluation. The instructor must find strategies for assisting students in increasing their
awareness of their own progress without relying on teacher feedback in order to mediate in this
manner.
5- Belief in positive outcome

• It is obvious that this principle is strongly related to that of developing competence and may
even be a precursor of it in that we cannot start thinking about how we may accomplish
anything unless we first feel it is possible. Feuerstein stated that until we start out with the idea
that anyone can learn well, regardless of age or disability, we would always be creating hurdles
to learning. Feuerstein and others' records of the previously unfathomable learning successes of
those with autism, Down's syndrome, and other physical and emotional issues offer compelling
support for these claims. Children and people with little to no schooling can learn to speak one,
two, or even more languages if they feel the need to do so, according to data from all around
the world.
 FACTORS CONCERNING FOSTERING SOCIAL
DEVELOPMENT

Educators can mediate students' learning by:

Encouraging sharing and collaborative work:
A crucial component of humans' social existence is sharing and cooperating,
without which they may experience difficulties in learning and a very eccentric
worldview.
Thus, educators' responsibility is to develop collaborative learning skills by using
activities such as group brainstorming and discussing an idea or solving a problem
with a partner or group, to prepare them for later life when they will be expected
to work as part of a team. For example, at university, they may need to work on
group projects, and most workplaces involve team working with common goals
and collective responsibility.
Individuality:

Along with learning to collaborate, students also need to feel they can think and feel
differently from others and develop their unique personalities; it is known as
individuation.

Individuality can be promoted in the language classroom in a variety of ways through

the activities assigned, the teacher's attitude, and the atmosphere established. It is
possible to encourage language learners to use the foreign language to reflect their
unique selves. Keeping a diary or personal journal, expressing oneself through play,
engaging in activities that call for the expression of thoughts, creative writing, or
participating in class discussions are a few examples.
Encouraging a sense of belonging:

The last way of mediating is encouraging a sense of belonging because students

need to feel they are belonging to a community and a culture. It helps students to
learn how to interact effectively with others and manage their emotions.
Educators can create a sense of belonging by getting students involved in activities
together, such as teambuilding or collaborative work; class newspaper where
everyone has a contribution to make and no one is left out.
 APPLICATION OF MEDIATION
THEORY
It is important for teachers to select the area of mediation to consider in an activity
that suits needs of the class and not necessarily advocating all aspects of the
theory in the activity.
Here is some examples to illustrate how teachers might mediate in some activities:
Task one :
vocabulary task of filling the gap with right opposite of the adjective. Dedicated to
adult pre-intermediate learners :

Mediation tools :
Sense of competence , goal setting , change , individuality .
I'm quite hardworking adjectives
Complete the grid with suitable oppasites and then check your answers with your
teacher.
hardworking xxxxx lazy
Tidy xxxxx ....................
.................... xxxxx easy going
organised xxxxx ....................
sensible xxxxx ....................
Efficient xxxxx ....................
Where would you put yourself on each line of the grid ? Put a circle round one x on each line
and then compare your answers in groups.
Task 2 : comparison task about finding the differences in two pictures taken from “ Comparisons
Instrument of Instrumental Enrichment” (Feuerstein et al.1980)

The possibilities of mediation :

1)Value and purpose in the here and now :

* Attending to similarities and differences between the cultures and languages, between language
structures or between lexis or morphology.

* Targeting particular vocabulary ( items or expressions) such as : the picture on the right ...

* Working in pairs facilitate language acquisition.

In mediation teachers has to explain the choice of the task and the purpose of it and then help their
learners to see the value to them.
2) Control of behaviour:

Teachers help with exploring the problem systematically avoiding impulsivity and discussing
strategies and logics. This could be done by using discourse strategies such as listening
attentively, checking , questioning .

3) Goal setting and challenge :

Learners could be asked to set themselves a challenge by deciding how many of the five
differences they can find in a specified time.

4) sharing :

teachers can start the lesson with sharing the importance of cooperative work and the good
behavior.
 INVESTIGATING MEDIATION IN
LANGUAGE CLASSROOMS
There have been few attempts at investigating the mediation that occurs in language
classrooms. Warren (1995) designed a questionnaire for teachers to evaluate their own mediation
in language classes. This can be used by having an observer watch the class and then complete the
questionnaire with the teacher. A preferable way of using it is to video the lesson and then watch
the video with an observer in order to complete the questionnaire. A second questionnaire,
designed by the authors, seeks to investigate teachers' perceptions of the different features of
mediation.
 CONCLUSION

The chapter we have presented examines the mediation theory concept from
Vygotsky and Freinstein’s perspective ,in specific, relating the aspects of the theory
to teaching in general and language teaching in particular. Considerable Studies
show that the influence of the theory in languages teaching is both powerful and
profound even though these ideas are still in the beginning of the application in
this field.
REFERENCE

Williams and, M., & Burden, R. L. (1997). What can teachers do to promote
learning. In Psychology for Language Teachers: a Social Constructivist
Approach (pp. 65-84). Cambridge University Press.