Medialingua Project

 

Phase 2: Piloting "Newly created activities", March-September 26

Welcome to the operational guide for the Second Phase of the Medialingua Project. The primary goal of this stage is to design, realise and test new mediation activities and in the end identifying those most effective for both teachers and students.

Step 1: Activity Creation

  • Quantity and Topics: Each school is expected to create a total of 11 activities covering six specific mediation topics (relaying specific information, explaining data, processing text, etc.).

  • Categories: The team decided to exclude more complex categories like "Analysis and Criticism of Creative Texts," which are generally reserved for high-level (C1/C2) students.

  • Documentation: Activity names and target CEFR levels will be recorded in a shared document. These titles and levels are not final and can be adjusted as the activities are developed and tested.

  • Topic Distribution: The shared table ensures that the 11 activities from each country cover all necessary scales rather than duplicating the same topics (e.g., all 11 activities being about relaying information).

Step 2: Activity Structure (5+5+1)

  • Short Activities: 5 activities lasting up to 10 minutes.

  • Longer Activities: 5 activities lasting up to 30 minutes.

  • Lesson Plan: 1 comprehensive lesson plan for a 60-minute class.

  • Source Materials: A discussion was held regarding the use of online podcasts as source materials. It was recommended to provide a written script for any audio used, in case the original link is taken down or the resource becomes unavailable.

Step 3: Piloting and Deadlines

  • Piloting: Once created, activities must be piloted in schools to test their effectiveness.

  • Deadlines:

    • Activity Creation: The initial brainstorming and creation deadline is the end of March 2026.

    • Piloting Completion: All piloting must be finished by the end of May or June 2026, depending on when each partner's school year ends.

  • Prioritization: Because there may not be time to pilot all 11 activities, each school should rank their activities by priority. High-priority activities (those most likely to be included in the final project e-book) should be piloted first.

  • Evaluation: Following piloting, the team will select the most successful activities to be featured in the second LTTA (Learning, Teaching, Training Activity) week in Nuoro from 18th to 24th October 2026.

Medialingua Mediation Activity Template

Each activity must be documented with the following sections:

  • Title: The name of the mediation task.

  • CEFR Level: Proficiency target (e.g., A2, B1, B2).

  • Activity Length: Designed for a single 60-minute lesson plan.

  • CEFR Alignment: Specific identification of the mediation category (e.g., mediating a text, concept, or communication).

  • Mediation Scales: Selection of relevant scales from the seven text mediation scales in the CEFR Companion Volume.

  • Mediation Descriptors: Specific "Can Do" statements sourced from official CEFR documentation.

  • Brief Description: A short summary of the task, source texts, and what students will mediate.

  • Focus and Aims: The primary goal, such as cross-linguistic mediation.

  • Materials/Resources: Visual aids, digital tools, or source texts required.

  • Procedure: Step-by-step instructions for the classroom.

  • Assessment: Formative assessment goals (e.g., clarity of reformulation or collaboration) and tools like peer feedback tables.

Activity Evaluation Checklist

Before piloting an activity, teachers should check it against these criteria to ensure quality and relevance:

  • Information Gap: Does the receiver genuinely lack information that the mediator must provide?

  • Real-Life Relevance: Is this a task students would realistically perform outside the classroom?

  • Authenticity: Does the task feel meaningful and natural (ecological validity)?

  • Audience: Is there a clearly defined target audience for the message?

  • Context/Scenario: Is the activity set in a believable real-world situation with realistic constraints (e.g., time limits or dead phone batteries)?

  • Clarity of Instructions: Are instructions written clearly on slides to avoid repetitive verbal explanations?

  • Purpose: Do students understand "why" they are performing the mediation?

Practical Tips for Implementation

  • Model Mediation: Provide students with authentic examples or models (e.g., a video on how to moderate a debate or a template for a polite request email).

  • Passive vs. Active: Mediation can occur between an active mediator and a passive receiver (e.g., a student taking notes from a lecture).

  • Adaptability: Tips for simplifying input for lower-level students should be included at the beginning of the project’s e-book.

Lesson Plan Template and an example https://docs.google.com/document/d/1AzZ-r7D-C1xH6vmUa287fCR72-3Gg3bwtstY76GST3Y/edit?usp=sharing

Mediation Activity Declaration

Chironi Satta Students Feedback Form

Chironi Satta Teachers Feedback Form

Table 1

Table 2

https://www.coe.int/en/web/common-european-framework-reference-languages/

CEFR Descriptors

https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/text-checker/ 

Project Team Meeting 5, April 1, 2026 at 15:30 CET

Figma Presentation