CEFR CEFR - Common European Framework Mediation Strategies and Activities 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is "mediation" in the context of the CEFR Companion Volume?
- Conflict resolution between speakers
- Facilitating communication and making meaning accessible to others (Correct answer)
- A type of grammar exercise
- Translating legal documents
Correct answer: Facilitating communication and making meaning accessible to others
Mediation in CEFR involves facilitating understanding and making meaning accessible across linguistic or cultural gaps.
The CEFR Companion Volume (2018/2020) defines mediation as activities where the user acts as a social agent to create bridges and help construct meaning in collaborative tasks. It goes beyond translation to include all activities where you help others access content.
Question 2: Which is an example of a "mediating a text" activity in CEFR?
- Writing an original essay
- Summarizing a complex text for someone else (Correct answer)
- Reading silently
- Memorizing vocabulary
Correct answer: Summarizing a complex text for someone else
Summarizing a complex text for another person is a core "mediating a text" activity.
Mediating a text in CEFR includes activities like summarizing, paraphrasing, explaining, or translating a text so that others can access and understand it. This is central to the Companion Volume's expanded model of language use.
Question 3: At B1, what can a learner do in mediation tasks?
- Mediate only in their native language
- Convey the main points of a text in another language or a simplified form (Correct answer)
- Provide simultaneous interpretation
- Produce complex academic summaries
Correct answer: Convey the main points of a text in another language or a simplified form
B1 mediators can convey main points simply, though may simplify or approximate meaning.
At B1, the CEFR describes mediation as conveying the main gist of a text or conversation in another language or a simplified form. B1 mediators may miss nuance or simplify, but can transfer core meaning effectively.
Question 4: The CEFR Companion Volume added mediation as a fourth mode of communication. What are the other three?
- Reading, Writing, Grammar
- Reception, Production, Interaction (Correct answer)
- Listening, Speaking, Culture
- Grammar, Vocabulary, Pronunciation
Correct answer: Reception, Production, Interaction
The original CEFR modes are reception, production, and interaction. Mediation was added in the Companion Volume.
The original CEFR (2001) described three communicative language activities: reception (listening/reading), production (speaking/writing), and interaction (two-way communication). The 2018/2020 Companion Volume added mediation as a fourth.
Question 5: What is "mediating concepts" in CEFR terms?
- Teaching grammar rules
- Facilitating collaborative construction of meaning in group tasks (Correct answer)
- Correcting pronunciation
- Explaining test formats
Correct answer: Facilitating collaborative construction of meaning in group tasks
Mediating concepts involves facilitating group understanding and collaborative meaning-making.
Mediating concepts in the CEFR Companion Volume refers to activities where a learner facilitates collaborative construction of meaning, such as facilitating group work, managing discussion, or helping others understand complex ideas.
Question 6: Which scale in the CEFR Companion Volume relates to helping others construct meaning?
- Phonological accuracy
- Facilitating collaborative interaction (Correct answer)
- Lexical range
- Grammatical control
Correct answer: Facilitating collaborative interaction
Facilitating collaborative interaction is a mediation scale in the Companion Volume.
The CEFR Companion Volume includes scales for mediating activities including "Facilitating collaborative interaction with peers" - describing how a learner enables group processes, encourages contributions, and helps construct shared understanding.
CEFR CEFR - Common European Framework Mediation Strategies and Activities 2
What is "mediation" in the context of the CEFR Companion Volume?