Inquiry and Mediated Learning Experience

For some time now I have been pondering about a certain paradox in the guided inquiry.

According to David Tzuriel:

There are two ways to deliver information intentionally, teaching and mediation. Teaching occurs when a teacher is addressing a large group, it is predominantly one direction: I give – You take.

Mediation, mediated learning experience (MLE), is an interactive process where parents, other adults, or child’s peers place themselves between the chosen task and the child to translate the task for the developing child.

As a mediator (active facilitator in John Hattie’s research) you have to have the understanding on what you want to teach. It is the responsibility of the mediator to discover an individual way for everyone to obtain understanding of the concept that you are teaching. The child doesn’t have to get the concept immediately but they have to understand that there was a benefit in the teaching. The child should know even if they didn’t understand the teaching that there was a change in them and that they want more.

To a PYP educator this was an eye opener, this was what being a Change Agent ment. For me this is also increasingly how I see that formative assessment should be done. Assessment should be seen as an opportunity for guidance, a mutual learning experience where both learners gain.