Katelhön, Peggy / Marečková, Pavla (Hrsg): Sprachmittlung und Mediation im Fremdsprachenunterricht an Schule und Universität. Berlin: Frank & Timme, 2022.

Katelhön, Peggy / Marečková, Pavla (Hrsg) (2022): Sprachmittlung und Mediation im Fremdsprachenunterricht an Schule und Universität. Berlin: Frank & Timme.

Abstract

The concept of mediation has undergone significant developments since the publication of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR 2001) and the Companion Volume (CV 2018). Even those who have worked with mediation for some time can find it an elusive concept to grasp. As practitioners who have been working with mediation since 2018, we recognize the importance of staying up-to-date on publications regarding developments in mediation. Therefore, we believe that this volume would be a valuable resource for both university and school teachers, providing a deeper understanding of the concept of mediation, as well as didactic and classroom-related questions.

Comprising nine independent articles about mediation and foreign language teaching in schools and universities, this volume is comprehensive, providing different contexts for mediation and contributing to a clearer understanding of what mediation activities can and should look like. The authors provide definitions, explanations, examples, analyses, critiques, perspectives, and suggestions in the context of mediation. By reading this volume, teachers will gain an understanding of the conditions for successful mediation, and how effectively designed tasks can enable learners to use and improve their plurilinguistic and pluricultural skills, while engaging in real and meaningful activities.

We would like to emphasize that our reviews are written from the perspective of practitioners who stand in front of university students in the foreign language classroom and use mediation tasks on a daily basis. Unless otherwise stated, we refer to the English edition of the Companion Volume 2018 and the German edition 2020.