Mediation of Teachers in English Teaching - Term Paper Example

Mediation theory Introduction Mediation theory is a product of behaviorist view in psychological studies. This theory holds that different types of learning take place as a result of interaction and association between a stimulus and response. Mediation theory posits that meaning is derived from a linguistic stimulus which is a word or a phrase as it elicits response which is’ mediating’. The response it said to ‘self-stimulating’ as it mediation process as the process cannot be seen on the outside because it is manifested within the learner. 1. Mediation theory The mediation approach to learning was put forward by two theories; Feuerstein’s theory of Mediated Learning Experience and Vogotskian sociocultural theory. The two theories advocate for the significant role played by the sociocultural forces and the environment of a learners in the development of the learners holistically and also in learning. The sociological forces point to the role played by the community, parents, friends, teachers and their peers through different interactions. The relationship and interaction between different aspects on the lives of the child therefore accounts for their development and how they perceive learning. According to Kozulin (1990:151), the main argument of Vogotskian sociocultural theory is the learner as a child is endowed with psychological processes which are natural at first but they later they interact with their environment and the people are around them which leads to radical transformation. The external and cultural processes around learners are mediated into his psychological framework. Feuerstein’s theory of Mediated Learning Experience (MLE, 1991) gives us more practical and operational implications of these interactions. Mediation theory holds that all adults in the life of a child has a role to play in their learning and development from teachers, parents and also peers. Their role is to give balance between the learners and the tasks they are involved in and also between the learners and the environment in a social context such that a learner is able to learners how to interact with the different variables in their environment and also how to promote learning processes. Mediated Learning Experience (MLE) is defined by Fuerstein (1991:7) as a feature on association and interaction between a child and their environment, therefore, it is the experience that is provided by the adults in the leaning of a child where the adult provides guidance to the child and is familiar with the learner’s needs, capabilities, interests, weaknesses and strengths by natural interactions. This enables the adult to play an active role in the creation of an overt mutual interaction with the learner. Mediation theory is taken as the process by which a stimulus, in this case the learning input, is produced by the external environment of learner and then transferred to the learners through a mediating agent, most probably a teacher, caregiver or a parent. The mediating agent chooses, arranges and manages the aspects of the stimulus in a form that the child will be able to intake through the consideration s of the purpose, culture and guided by emotional investment. The role of the mediation agent is to intervene between the learners, the stimulus, and the manifested response so as to interpret, control, expound and strengthen the leaning experience of the learners accordingly. The mediation process thus influences the cognitive structure of a learner (Feuerstein, 1980, 15-16). In the mediation theory, the interaction between the stimulus, leaners and the response is guided by the presence of an intervention which is a mediator. The learner’s experience from the interaction with the environment is influenced largely by the presence of another human with much experience to regulate and interpret the learning outcomes. This theory is contrasted with Piaget’s theory which advocated for direct learning in which there is a direct interaction between he learner, the stimulus and the response without any intervention of a mediator. In this case, the learner interacts directly with the environments and is able to manipulate, regulate and interpret the learning responses which shape their experiences. Mediated learning is not planned as they occur naturally and instantaneously when a child interacts with their parents or teachers in their environment. A successfully nurtured learner may be shaped by interaction of with responsive, warm, generous and hospitable adults which give a learner an opportunity to grow holistically into a culturally endowed learner. Feuerstein’s theory places a huge responsibility on the adults as mediating agents for the learning process and the growth of a child but presents the child to play a very passive role in the process. However, adoption of this theory in learning has proved that when learners interact with the environment through a mediator, the learner becomes very active, responsible, creative and independent. The theory provides a very strong potential for the learning process as it accounts for the changes which occur to a child as a result of interaction with their environment and the reality. Adoption of this theory ensures that learners become responsible individually through connection, ordering and management of the knowledge that have gained in the learning process. The activity of a learner is also very important to ensuring that he grasps the response and employs it to gains more insights on their own developments and organization of knowledge which shapes their lives (Rhodes, 1987:59). Although this theory has been criticized on their portrayal of learners playing an insignificant role in the learning process, this theory has the potential of contributing to the application of theories in the education field. Learners are more motivated and reinforced in this theory as they are seen as active and influential participants in the ordering, organization and elaboration of the learning responses. Active involvement will be an answer to many challenges facing teaching today. 2. Features of mediation theory In mediation theory, a teacher can mediate in the learning process in different ways. There are twelve mediation features that were recognized by Feuerstein’s theory which are manifested in the different mediation processes. The features are divided in two. The first three features are essentially manifested in all mediation processes as they all have structural modifiability. The three essential features are responsible for all the features that many human features share. The others are situation- specific because they largely depend on the conditions and the unique nature of the interaction between the learner and the environment. The features of mediation theory are: Shared intention In the learning process, the teacher presents the task with the requirements to the learner who reads the instructions and responds to the teacher that they are clear and he has understood. The feedback assures the teacher that instructions are reciprocated. The learner is likely to behave in manner consistent with the learning environment as he perceives it. The response of the learners, therefore depend on the attention and optimal help that has been extended by the teachers. A teacher who is more responsive to the students will have more shared intention with the learners which translate into success in the learning process (Sutherland, 1992:3). Significance Teacher’s responsibility is to show the learners the relevance of their learning tasks to their personal values and development. Learners are likely to be engaged on activities they are aware are doing to shape their lives and make them successful. Learners who are motivated by the personal value the tasks will add to them are more likely to respond to difficulty challenges ore enthusiastically promoting active learning (Sharron, 1994). Transcendence Teachers are obliged to enable a learner recognize the general application, relevance and value of their tasks. This enables a learner to identify other areas in which such knowledge can be applied and that its relevance is not just in a vacuum as other areas need that knowledge. In the future, the student will be able to make natural and unguided generalization in facing issues (Warren, 1995:48) A sense of competence Teachers should play an active role in helping learner’s acknowledge their own abilities by promoting high self-esteem and positive self-image. These attributes give the learner the motivation to succeed as they believe in their capabilities. On the other hand, poor esteem and negative image can have long term manifestation as the learner views himself as incapable of succeeding in anything (Sharron, 1994). Control of behavior Control of behavior enables a learner to be a holistic individual who is able to regulate the external pressures of life. The teacher is responsible for teaching the learners how to order and control their behaviors by giving them strategies and skills of control. This enables learners to be responsible and aware of their actions. The achievement will be the development of a mature, responsible and independent learner (Sharron, 1994) Goal setting Learners should be able to set goals for the ultimatum they wish to reach. The teacher should guide the learner in the formulation of feasible, measureable and realistic goals in line with the objectives of the learning process. A learner who approaches a task with already set goals is more motivated to challenge the task and achieve results (Oxford and Shearin, 1994). Challenge Different learners have different capabilities of coping with challenges. The teacher should select challenges which are best suited to the learners. The task should not be very easy as it will not challenge the student while it should not be very complicated for the learner’s level that it will demotivate them. The teacher’s role is to identify the level of challenge that a learner can handle (Burden, 1997). An awareness of change Students should be aware and acknowledge the changes happening to them. The learning process should be progressive in which a learner develops more skills and capabilities to respond to challenges. The teacher should help the learner recognize the changes by evaluation and self-assessment. This should be done regularly to motivate the learners that he is regularly getting better and knowledgeable by the day (Ellis and Sinclair, 1989). Belief in positive outcomes Positivity is the key to success. Learners should always view tasks as a challenge that has a positive result no matter how challenging and difficult they are. This belief will encourage the learner to always make an initial step in solving problems as a learner can only begin to solve a problem which is considered to have a solution and an accomplishment (Burden, 1997). Spirit of Sharing Teachers are required to teach learners the benefits of sharing what they have with others. The benefits of sharing should be linked to the learning outcomes as the teachers should show the learners that sharing has a direct relationship with their learning outcomes. This will enable learners to learn in groups and develop each other through corporation and interaction in social events. Individuality Each student is unique in their own way and the teachers should encourage them to bring out their individuality in learning. This will enable learners appreciate themselves and others as different individual who have strengths and weaknesses. This will help them deal with situations in which they are sidelined by others for their shortcomings. A sense of belonging A sense of belonging and identify is important for the learning outcomes of a learner. The effectiveness of the learning outcomes depend largely on how the learners views his involvement if the learning environment. The teachers should create a conducive learning environment that promotes a sense of belonging to the learners s this will result in effectiveness. 3. Application of mediation theory to language teaching activities In language learning, the leaner interacts with the learning environment with the help of a mediator, who in this case is a language instructor Shared intention The language instructor provides a meaningful language leaning context which motivate the learners to attend the language classes. The teachers should remove the motivation from the syllabus by presenting task which intrinsically motivates the learner. Example; a teacher should present a listening tape for the comprehension which gives the leaners both the sound and the content as opposed to written work. Listening comprehension will inspire the learner to learner the language intrinsically for competence. Transcendence The learner who is listening to news in the target language will get more accustomed to listening and paying more attention to the accent of the language and go beyond the instant intended objectives of the stimulus to focusing on listening to the contents of the new in even other events and activities. This nurtures the feeling of competence and accent acclimatization. The use of videos or tape provides motivational stimulus (Brown 2000). Significance The language instructor communicates the significance of the language tasks to the learner so that the learner participates. As opposed to other pedagogical learning practices, in mediation learning, the teachers explains the reasons why it is important for the learners to study a given language and the connection of such knowledge to the external world. For example, the teacher outlines all the career paths that will be open for the learner if he gains competency in that language. A sense of competence A feeling of competence can be promoted by acknowledge of levels of success reached by a learner. A teacher should regularly assess the progress of the learners and instill the feeling of competent. Language learning requires that the student practice different levels as an assurance that they are able to achieve mastery. For example, students performing public speaking in the target language serves as a comparison with other public relation professional who have masterly of the language. Control of behavior Learners are helped to become responsible by teaching them the consequences of their actions. In language teaching, instructions are presented with requirements for performing tasks. For example, reading a comprehension and answering the given questions within the given time and space failure to which the student will receive a weak grade. This teaches the learners that choice of action has consequences. At a later time, the student is able to regulate their behavior against the set norms. Spirit of Sharing Language learning requires much of group works and interactions with other students. Leaners are able to grasp more of what others know by cooperating in activities such as speech work organization, drama, debates and other activities. The language instructor organizes debates and speech work competition between different groups in class. This way, learners are able to learn from each other and therefore acknowledge the importance of sharing beyond the realms of classwork. Individuality Individuality in language learning can be mediated where the teacher encourages automation even in group participation. The learner is motivated to identify with their individual capacities and talent. For example; the teacher organizes different tasks like report writing, debating and public speaking and encourages different students to take on different tasks. This will enable the teacher to identify the strong points and talents of learners in that language which will enable the teachers to maximize their capacities. Goal setting Leaners are encouraged to set realistic goals which will enable them to competent in target language. The goals should be divided into different time cycle in the learning process. For example, ‘by the end of the week, I will be able to differentiate between competence and performance in English’. This goal is realistic and achievable as is can be measured by assessment. Challenge Challenges promote intelligence. A language leaner should be presented with more challenges every day to inspire and bring excitement in the classroom. A student who successfully completes task will be comfortable and passive if no challenge is presented. For instance, a learner how successfully completes a proposal template is required to apply the knowledge in making the proposal itself. An awareness of change Assessment grades learners into different levels. Teachers should explain to the learner the implication of such assessment in relation to the changes that have taken place. For example, successful competency in Basic English of theory requires advancement into complex genres where theory is applied into practice. The student should be aware that application requires more into synthesis and analysis of knowledge than mere stating and outlining of facts. Belief in positive outcomes This attribute is mostly related to the competency of the teacher. A learner will believe it is possible to achieve the competencies if other people have already done it. The teacher should give the learners examples of successful people who have gone through the same line and emerged competent. For example, the best debater in school is a second language learner or the best report which won the awards was from a second language learner. This promotes the spirit of success in language learning. Work cited Brown, H. D., Principles of language learning and teaching. (4th ed.). White Plains, NY: Person Education, 2000. Burden, R. L., Fuerstein’s instrumental enrichment program: Important issues in research and evaluation. European Journal of Psychology of Education, 11, 3-16, 1987. Ellis, G. and Sinclair, B., Learning to Learn English: A course in learner training. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1989. Feuerstein, R., Instrumental Enrichment. Baltimore: University Park Press, 1980. Feuerstein, R., Rand, Y. and Rynders, J. E., Don’t accept me as I am-Helping “retarded” people to excel. New York: Plenum Press, 1988. Feuerstein, R., and Louis, F., Cognitive perspective for counselling and psychotherapy. International Journal of Cognitive Education and Mediated Learning, 1(2), 143, 1990. Feuerstein, R., Klein, P.S. and Tannenbaum, A.J., Mediated learning experience: Theoretical, psychological and learning implications. London: Freund, 1991. Oxford, R.L., Language learning strategies: What every teacher should know. Boston: Heinle & Heinle, 1990. Oxford, R. L. and Shearin, J., Language learning motivation: Expanding the theoretical framework. The Modern Language Journal, 78, 12-28, 1994. Pratt, D., Chinese conceptions of learning and teaching: a western’s attempt at understanding. International Journal of Lifelong education, 11(4),301-319, 1992. Sharron, H. and Coulter, M., Changing Children’s Minds: Feuerstein’s revolution in the teaching of intelligence. Birmingham: The Sharron Publishing Company, 1994. Warren, P., An Investigation into the Use of Tasks that Develop Both Second Language Learning and Thinking Skills With Children. Unpublished M.Ed. Dissertation. Exeter: University of Exeter, 1995. Read More