English and School

Education

ENCOURSE
English and New Competencies for Ukrainian Reformed School Education

Pre-course
activity
 ENCOURSE

Task 1

‘Mediation is making meaning and facilitating communication beyond

linguistic and cultural barriers.’
How would you translate this sentence into Ukrainian?
What would be some good questions to ask to clarify the meaning
of this sentence?

You’re going to watch a video from CEFR—the Common European Framework of

Reference for languages—which explains mediation.
Before you watch, try to predict what word is missing from each of these
examples of mediation.

Learners mediate when they discuss how to approach a task…

…think something through t_______r…
…e_______n something to teammates…
…take notes on i__________n from the web…
…relay the content of a t__t to others…
…or help someone else who doesn’t u_________d.

Now watch the video and check your answers [Link]

1) together 2) explain 3) information 4) text 5) understand

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Task 2

How will the world of work our current learners enter be different from today’s
world of work?
What skills will learners need for careers or further study as a result?

Now watch the video and note what the speaker says about the relationship between
Mediation and future careers.

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Task 3

For each of the competencies mentioned in the CEFR Companion Volume, there
are descriptors of what the language user ought to be able to do at each level.
All the sentences from the descriptor begin with ‘can…’

For example, the descriptor for A2 level Mediation Competencies begins…

‘Can use simple words/signs to ask someone to explain something. Can recognise
when difficulties occur and indicate in simple language the apparent nature of a
problem….’

Here are the verbs and nouns from the B1 descriptor for Mediation Competencies
in general. Try to read them aloud, filling in the missing words to make sentences.

(can) collaborate – people – backgrounds – show – interest – empathy - ask –

answer – questions – formulate – respond – suggestions – ask – people – agree –
propose – approach – convey – points – make – texts – express – language –
topics – interest – check – meaning – expressions

(can) introduce – people – backgrounds – show – awareness - questions –

perceive – invite – people – contribute – expertise – experience – views – convey
– information – informational texts – subjects – interest – limitations – cause –
difficulty - formulation

Now read the real descriptors on the next page. How similar are they to the
sentences you made? Don’t worry about grammatical accuracy, this activity is
just about meaning.

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Can collaborate with people from other backgrounds, showing interest and
empathy by asking and answering simple questions, formulating and responding
to suggestions, asking whether people agree, and proposing alternative
approaches. Can convey the main points made in long texts expressed in
uncomplicated language on topics of personal interest, provided they can check
the meaning of certain expressions.

Can introduce people from different backgrounds, showing awareness that

some questions may be perceived differently, and invite other people to
contribute their expertise and experience as well as their views. Can convey
information given in clear, well-structured informational texts on subjects that
are familiar or of personal or current interest, although lexical limitations cause
difficulty with formulation at times.

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Task 4

During the course, you will often need to refer to the CEFR Companion Guide.
Bookmark the CEFR Companion Guide so that you can find it more easily later.

[Link]
learning-teaching/16809ea0d4

Explore the CEFR Companion Guide by answering the questions.

1. On what page does the chapter on Mediation start? 70 / 80 / 90

2. On page 90, a diagram shows a range of Mediation Competencies.

How many competencies fall under the category of ‘Mediating
Communication?’ 3 / 4 / 5

3. Descriptors are provided in orange tables for each Mediation

Competency, describing what an English Speaker might be able to do at
each level of competency, ranging from pre-A1 to C2. Sometimes, there is
not a descriptor for every level. How many levels of descriptors are provided
for the competency Analysis and criticism of creative texts (including
literature) on pages 107-108? 4 / 5 / 6

4. On what page does the chapter on Mediation end? 120 / 121 / 122

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Read about the different Mediation Competencies to familiarise yourself with the
content of the course. If you have any questions you want to ask about Mediation,
make a note of them in the box below. When you start the course and receive
your Teacher’s Workbook, you can add them to your KWL chart (‘0.6 Your
expectations’).

Can you come up with a metaphor or a brief way

to describe what mediation is?

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Task 5

Look at the ENCOURSE Overview in Appendix 1

and find the answers to these questions:

How many modules will there be?

What are the requirements to pass the course?
How many practicums will there be?

How much total time are you expected to spend on the course, including time in
training sessions and time outside working on asynchronous tasks?

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Task 6

The course will suggest using Task-Based Learning as a suitable lesson structure
to help students improve their mediation. Follow the links below to find out about
Task-Based Learning and annotate the mindmap as you develop your
understanding.

[Link]
[Link]
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Task 7

One of the focuses of the course will be how to use formative assessment while
teaching a lesson focused on mediation competencies.

Refresh your knowledge of formative assessment by watching this short video:

[Link]

Dylan Wiliam gives an analogy about the importance of Formative Assessment.

He talks about a pilot flying from one destination to another without taking
regular readings. What is the meaning of the analogy?

Another common analogy about assessment is:

“Formative assessment is when the chef tastes the soup. Summative assessment
is when the guests taste the soup.”
What does it mean to you?
When the cook tastes the soup, can he still change the flavour?
What about when the guests taste the soup?

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Task 8

Look through this bank of Formative Assessment strategies.

Choose three you could use in your classroom.

STRATEGY
1. Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down
Students will give a thumbs up for yes or a thumbs down for no. Students
Non-verbal/Non-written Cues

can also give a thumbs up for being ready to move on or a thumbs down
for not being ready. The only drawback is some students who are not good
judges of readiness.
2. Fist to Five
Students indicate their confidence level with material being presented by
displaying a number from zero (fist) to five. The teacher can re-teach
students who are at a 1 or 2, and those at a 4 or 5 can receive a more
challenging problem to complete.
3. Show Me, Don’t Tell Me
The teacher demonstrates and explains a gesture to represent a concept,
idea, or definition. The teacher then checks for understanding by telling
the students to “show me, don’t tell me.” This works well if you’ve taught
signals for different vocabulary words. Students can “show” the answer in
unison as you read a definition aloud.
4. Take a Stand
Teacher presents an issue and designates opposite sides of the room as
opposing viewpoints. Students choose where to stand on the continuum
based on their personal beliefs. This works well for controversial issues or
before/after a debate.
5. Four Corners
Teacher labels the four corners of the room A, B, C, and D for multiple
choice questions or strongly agree, agree, strongly disagree, or disagree
for opinion-based questions. When given a cue, students move to the
appropriate corner to answer the question.
Additional Notes:

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6. Tell Your Partner/Check your partner

Teachers have students tell their partner the answer or explain the new
material. In order for this to be effective, partners should be assigned
numbers or letters to take turns.
Partner/Group Work

7. Think-Pair-Share
Ask students a question. Have students think of their answers individually
for several minutes, then discuss their answers with a partner. After several
minutes, ask partners to share what they talked about. Useful for difficult
questions.
8. Small Group Discussion
Pose discussion questions to small groups of 4-6 students and allow them
time for discussion. Walk around the room and monitor the students’
discussions to check for understanding. Once students have finished, you
can ask one student from each group to explain to the class what they
talked about in their group.
9. Whiparound
Whiparounds can be used to provide examples, give “I agree” or
“I disagree” statements, or list key points. You point at/call on different
students in quick succession, and they have to give you an immediate
answer. Point to/Call on as many students as possible. Time these in order
to minimize off-task behavior.
Additional Notes:

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10. Got/Need
Students create a mini t-chart where they will list what they “got” and what
they still “need.” This is great for longer lessons.

11. Summaries
Students write short summaries of what they have learned. Use a strategy
like the 5 W’s or Beginning, Middle, End to aid students. Or set a summary
challenge, such as “Answer the question in exactly 20 words.”
12. Misconception – Prove Me Wrong!
Teachers give students a misconception regarding material in the lesson.
This could be an incorrect key point, a math problem worked incorrectly,
or any misconception that could occur within the material. Students have
to disprove the misconception using their understanding of the lesson.
13. Poems/Songs/Stories/Drawings
Written

Students write poems, songs, or stories about a topic or issue they are
studying in class. This is a way to let them be creative while checking for
understanding. It also appeals to different learning [Link] to minimize
off-task behavior.
14. Exit Tickets
At the end of a class, you can ask students a few questions about the day’s
lesson. They can write their answers on a sheet of paper and hand it to you
as they leave the classroom. This is a great way to get instant feedback
about what students learned in the lesson and then adjust your next lesson
to address any gaps in the students’ understanding.
15. Quick-Write
This can be a great way to start or conclude class. Give students a prompt
that addresses the content you have been teaching and give them 510
minutes to write down all of their ideas.
16. Quick List Competition
Given a topic and a limited amount of time, students create a single
column or double (T-chart) column list. The group with the most number of
items or most unique item may get a prize such as extra points on an
assignment.
Additional Notes:

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17. Presentation
Giving students the opportunity to present or give speeches to their
classmates is a good way to check for students’ understanding as weil as
let the students teach or reinforce concepts to other students.
18. Debate
Verbal

You can allow groups of students to debate each other by teaching them
different sides of an argument or concept and having them use the
information they have learned to hold a debate.
19. Role-play/Skits
Giving students the chance to act out a scene from a story or create their
own skit based on a concept, historical event, or story is a creative and fun
way for students to show what they understand and for you to assess their
learning.

Taken from:
[Link]
Module 3 Participant Handbook
Handout 3.5D

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Task 9

A key part of this course will be trying new ideas in class and paying attention
to how successful they are, especially to how the students respond.
Start using the Formative Assessment strategies you have chosen
in your classes and keep a record of what happens.

Strategy – When used Result Will you use this

(try to give specific strategy again in
examples of how the future?
students responded) Will you adapt it?

Example: Stronger students like Now that the students

Misconception – I was Denys and Alisa caught understand the idea, I will
teaching about the water on quickly and explained use it again, but I will
cycle and I said ‘So, the to me why my statement nominate a student to
water flows to the sea was wrong. So, it worked speak so that I don’t only
and that’s where the but it didn’t involve the get answers from the
water cycle ends?’ whole class. strongest students.

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Task 10

Use this glossary to familiarise yourself with some vocabulary which will be used
during Module 0, the introductory module. There will be three more glossary
exercises to complete before Modules 1, 2 and 3.

Didactic — using direct transmission of knowledge to teach, i.e.,

from the teachers or from a book to the learner

Delicate — easily broken or damaged; needing gentle treatment

Mutual — having something in common; sharing an attribute

Conditions — aspects of a situation or circumstance i.e., weather

conditions

Concept — an idea

Soft skills — social skills involving interaction with other people such as
communication, teamwork and assessing people’s attitudes

Competency — a level of skill or ability in a certain area

Collaborate — work together

Facet — one side or aspect of something

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Choose a word from the glossary to complete each sentence

1) You don’t need to have good technical skills to work as a counsellor but it’s
essential you have strong __________________.

2) There are many different _________ to the role of teaching.

3) Patriotism is a difficult _________ to define and people often argue about

what it means.

4) He hated me from the first moment he met me but that was okay. The
feeling was _________.

5) A spider’s web is _________ but strong enough to catch insects.

Check your answers below.

Thanks for completing the pre-course tasks.

We look forward to seeing you at ENCOURSE!

1) soft skills 2) facets 3) concept 4) mutual 5) delicate

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 ENCOURSE

Project Overview
Rationale
In 2016, opinion polls showed that 75.6% of Ukrainians believed that the nation’s
education system was in need of reform (Hrynevych, Linnik, and Herczyński, 2023).
It was widely felt that textbooks were too theoretical, teaching methods outdated
(Hrynevych Liliia, 2016) and that there was little connection between the learning
outcomes of the Ukrainian school system and the self-fulfillment or employability
of young people graduating from it (Hrynevych, Linnik, and Herczyński, 2023).

This situation prompted the adoption of a new policy direction in education, set in
motion by the 2017 Education Law for Ukraine. The intent was that Ukraine’s
education system would evolve toward an increased focus on learners’ needs, with
teachers motivated to work more freely and creatively in partnership with learners
and parents to equip school leavers with life skills for employment and an active
role in their community (Hrynevych, Linnik, and Herczyński, 2023).

The new competency-led attitude toward education meant that education at Upper
Secondary Schools would be focused less on the passive transmission of knowledge
from teacher to learner, and more toward the nurturing of soft skills, such as
problem solving and decision making useful in communication and collaboration
(Derzhavnyi standart profilnoi serednoi osvity, 2020). With regard to the teaching
of foreign languages, all stakeholders in the education process will be encouraged
to think beyond language as a subject to be studied in the classroom and see it as
a tool for communication. This has led to the adoption of the concept of mediation
as one branch of a language user’s skillset; the goal is for learners to understand
themselves as a mediator in linguistic interactions, capable of negotiating
interactions where there is a dynamic of linguistic and cultural diversity (Derzhavnyi
standart profilnoi serednoi osvity, 2020). To provide structure to the focus on
mediation, the Ministry of Education and Science will introduce new learning
objectives based on the CEFR Mediation Competencies. These competencies have
been adopted by CEFR as part of a drive to see education policies in terms of
enabling social mobility, with the ability to engage in mediation also allowing social
agents to participate in communities and reducing feelings of otherness (Language
Policy Unit, 2015).

Aims

This course has been developed by British Council and is intended to be delivered
by INSETT—In Service Teacher Training—organisations to Upper-Secondary English
Language Teachers in Ukraine.

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At the time of this course’s creation, some plans for how Mediation Competencies
will be incorporated into the curricula and assessments of Upper Secondary
schools are yet to be decided. The general aim of the course is to give teachers a
clear overview of what Mediation Competencies are, how they can be developed,
and how they fit in with other areas of teaching. Further, teachers should practice
developing Mediation Competencies in their classrooms and reflect on their
practice. Finally, they should play a part in creating a bank of lessons intended to
be used to develop Mediation Competencies.

Outputs Outcomes

A training course on Mediation Teachers who have the relevant

Competencies, how they can be knowledge of Mediation
developed, assessed, incorporated Competencies to know how to
with wider teaching practice etc. incorporate the concept into their
teaching.

A practicum with guided group

reflection exercises. Teachers who are confident in their
ability to develop Mediation
Competencies in the classroom and
An exercise wherein teachers work have practical experience of doing
together to create Task-Based so.
lessons developing Mediation
Competencies, the best examples of
which can be shared with other Teachers who are ready to focus on
teachers. Mediation Competencies,
independent of whether a
curriculum is ready when the
reforms are introduced.

Approach and Mode of Delivery

This training course has been designed to maximise opportunities for teachers to
apply as they learn. While there are some points where the trainer will be explaining
or presenting information, there will be more times when the teachers are engaged
with a task, typically analysing, creating or problem solving. Not only is this intended
to make the materials more engaging, but it is also intended to provide a model of
the kind of communicative, active learning Ukraine’s education reforms are moving
toward, for the teachers to follow.
While these materials have primarily been designed for face-to-face delivery, the

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probably need for online delivery has been taken into consideration with adaptations
suggested for trainers who need to deliver this training online. There is also a stage
where teachers are challenged to consider how Mediation Competencies could be
developed online.

Course Structure and Assessment

The course consists of intensive sessions delivered by trainers, totaling 34 hours,
and practicum lessons in the classroom, estimated at 11 hours. During the
practicum, the teachers will apply ideas they have focused on during the training
and then develop their reflections with a group or partner. After Modules 1 and 2
there will be an assessment challenging the teachers to present what they learnt
from their practicum and group reflections. Teachers will also be required to work
as a group to submit a lesson focused on the development of Mediation Competencies
to complete Module 3.

Module 0 – Introductory Module

Teachers should gain an overview of what Mediation Competencies are and their
significance in Ukraine’s Education Reform.

Learning Objectives:
- Teachers should understand what mediation competencies are and how
they differ from other areas of language teaching.
- Teachers should have an opportunity to reflect on how teachers might
understand the concept of Mediation Competencies as part of their teaching.
- Teachers identify activities in their own teaching with development of
Mediation Competencies.
- Teachers understand how Mediation Competencies fit into Ukraine’s wider
education project.
- Teachers understand the structure of the course and establish expectations
for what they will learn throughout.

Module 1

This module introduces the Mediation Competencies which fall under ‘Mediating a
Text’ and ‘Mediating Concepts.’ It challenges teachers to consider how these
competencies will be useful to learners in their lives beyond school and how they
can be developed. It also covers how Mediation Competencies can be developed

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online, how different learning needs can be met while developing Mediation
Competencies and how Mediation Competencies might be Summatively Assessed.

Learning Objectives:
- Teachers should be able to broadly describe the two categories of Mediation
Competencies and begin to become familiar with the specific competencies.
- Teachers should be able to explain how the mediation competencies will be
useful and beneficial to students in their lives after school.
- Teachers should be able to outline two lesson structures to develop the
mediation competencies.
- Teachers should think of ways to simulate real-world interactions in the
classroom.
- Teachers should design a lesson to develop mediation competencies.
- Teachers should be familiar with how mediation might be tested and begin
to think about how to prepare their learners for a mediation test.
- Teachers should give informed consideration to how different learning needs
could be accommodated while developing mediation competencies.
- Teachers should be able to negotiate the online development of Mediation
Competencies.

Assessment:
Outside of training time, teachers will take part in a practicum where they test out
some materials they have designed on their own class before analysing and
reflecting on the experience, first alone and then with a group. They will produce a
video or write-up on the reflection which they will submit to their trainer for marking.
This will be assessed by the trainer against a marking rubric. The practicum will
give the teachers the opportunity to see the effects of the new approaches and
techniques they’re learning on their own learners.

Module 2

This module introduces the Mediation Competencies which are grouped under
‘Mediating Communication’ and ‘Mediation Strategies.’ Similarly to Module 1, teacher
will spend time looking at how these competencies will be useful and how they can
be developed. Teachers will also meet the questions of how mediation can be
formatively assessed, how mediation tasks can be differentiated for different
learning needs and how a focus on Mediation Competencies fits in with a trend
toward Learner-Centred teaching.

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Learning Objectives:
- Teachers should be able to reflect on and explain what they learnt from the
first practicum.
- Teachers should be familiar with Mediation Strategy Competencies.
- Teachers should know what it’s like to participate in a mediation exercise.
- Teachers should create communicative tasks to facilitate the development
of Mediation Competencies.
- Teachers should be able to describe how Mediation Competencies can be
beneficial to learners in their lives after school and say how situations which
demand these competencies could be simulated in the classroom.
- Teachers should be able to explain the key concepts of the course.
- Teachers should know of different approaches to formatively assessing
Mediation Competencies and be able to make an informed decision about
how to incorporate Formative Assessment in their own teaching.
- Teachers should understand how a focus on Mediation Competencies fits in
with Learner-Centred Teaching.
- Teachers should be able to suggest how differentiation can be incorporated
into the development of Mediation Competencies to give learners with varied
needs the best chance of achieving their potential.

Assessment:
The format of the second practicum is similar to the first except that the teachers
will reflect together with a partner rather than a whole group. Also, this practicum
will be heavily focused on Differentiation, so the teachers should have a rich variety
of different experiences to share. They will produce a video or write-up on the
reflection which they will submit to their trainer for marking. This will be assessed
by the trainer against a marking rubric. The practicum will give the teachers the
opportunity to see the effects of the new approaches and techniques they’re
learning on their own learners.

Module 3 – Extension Module

In this module, teachers will take an active role in preparing the education system
for the coming education reform. They will look at the benefits of Task-Based
Learning and then work in groups to design their own lessons—using a provided
template—which can be used to develop Mediation Competencies. They will then
provide feedback on other groups’ materials while continuing to develop their own
lessons.

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Learning Objectives:
- Teachers should reflect on and explain what they learnt from the second
practicum.
- Teachers should be able to design a lesson to develop Mediation
Competencies
- Teachers should be able to access a library of lessons developing Mediation
Competencies to draw from when they begin teaching in the new three-year
format.
- Teachers should be able to describe what they’ve learnt throughout the
course from a wide perspective
- Teachers should create a clear action plan of what they’re going to next to
prepare to develop your learners’ mediation competencies, including a plan
for peer observations and feedback.

Assessment:
Each group of teachers should submit at least one lesson plan to complete the
course.

Wrap-up meeting

A meeting will be held between the trainer and the cohort to take stock of what the
teachers have learnt from the course and to assess how well the teachers’ action
plans from Module 3 (including peer-observations) have progressed.

Course completion

To complete the course and be awarded with a certificate, teachers must participate
fully in the training sessions to the satisfaction of the trainer. They must achieve a
grade of at least 70% on each of the assessments for Modules 1 and 2 (with one
opportunity to resubmit each assessment if the criteria are not met first time) and
their group must submit a viable lesson developing Mediation competencies during
or after Module 3.

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