DEVELOPING CEFR ILLUSTRATIVE DESCRIPTORS OF ASPECTS OF MEDIATION

Mediation is not concerned with the linguistic expression of a speaker. Instead, the focus is on the role of language in processes like creating the space and conditions for communication and/or learning, constructing new meaning, encouraging others to construct or understand new meaning, passing on information in an appropriate form, and simplifying, elaborating, illustrating or otherwise adapting input in order to facilitate these processes (mediation strategies). Mediation always involves bridging across spaces, facilitating understanding. The context can be social (e.g. Wall & Dunne 2012), pedagogic (e.g. Mercer & Hodgkinson 2008), cultural (e.g. Zarate et al 2004), linguistic (e.g. Statholopoulou 2015) or in the workplace (e.g. Lüdi 2014). The concept of mediation has a very long history, originating in acting as an intermediary in diplomacy and conflict resolution, developing into wider forms of conflict avoidance and counselling services. Its relevance to the educational domain derives from Vgotsky’s (1978) theories, in which, it is seen as a core feature when adults, siblings and peers interact with a child. In the resulting socio-constructivist / social cultural view of learning (Lantolf 2000) it has recently been developed into the concept of ‘languaging’ in order to mediate meaning, a process that takes two forms: collaborative dialogue and private speech (Swain, Kinnear & Steinman, 2015: 32). The latter concerns the individual mediating meaning for themselves and is often internal and invisible. It is the former with which we are primarily concerned in this article. Collaborative dialogue in fact already appears in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR: Council of Europe 2001) in the scale under interaction strategies for Cooperating. In addition, the emphasis in the CEFR on the mediator as an intermediary between different interlocutors underlines its social, collaborative vision of language (Piccardo 2012)

The human silent information regulator (Sir)2 homologue hSIRT3 is a mitochondrial nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide-dependent deacetylase.

The yeast silent information regulator (Sir)2 protein links cellular metabolism and transcriptional silencing through its nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD)-dependent histone deacetylase activity. We report that mitochondria from mammalian cells contain intrinsic NAD-dependent deacetylase activity. This activity is inhibited by the NAD hydrolysis product nicotinamide, but not by trichostatin A, consistent with a class III deacetylase. We identify this deacetylase as the nuclear-encoded human Sir2 homologue hSIRT3, and show that hSIRT3 is located within the mitochondrial matrix. Mitochondrial import of hSIRT3 is dependent on an NH2-terminal amphipathic alpha-helix rich in basic residues. hSIRT3 is proteolytically processed in the mitochondrial matrix to a 28-kD product. This processing can be reconstituted in vitro with recombinant mitochondrial matrix processing peptidase (MPP) and is inhibited by mutation of arginines 99 and 100. The unprocessed form of hSIRT3 is enzymatically inactive and becomes fully activated in vitro after cleavage by MPP. These observations demonstrate the existence of a latent class III deacetylase that becomes catalytically activated upon import into the human mitochondria

Sirtuins: Sir2-related NAD-dependent protein deacetylases

Silent information regulator 2 (Sir2) proteins, or sirtuins, are protein deacetylases dependent on nicotine adenine dinucleotide (NAD) and are found in organisms ranging from bacteria to humans. In eukaryotes, sirtuins regulate transcriptional repression, recombination, the cell-division cycle, microtubule organization, and cellular responses to DNA-damaging agents. Sirtuins have also been implicated in regulating the molecular mechanisms of aging. The Sir2 catalytic domain, which is shared among all sirtuins, consists of two distinct domains that bind NAD and the acetyl-lysine substrate, respectively. In addition to the catalytic domain, eukaryotic sirtuins contain variable amino- and carboxy-terminal extensions that regulate their subcellular localizations and catalytic activity

Innovation and Reform in Course Planning, Teaching, and Assessment: The CEFR in Canada and Switzerland, A Comparative Study

Abstract Change and innovation in education require carefully thought-through procedures as well as time, and benefit both from exchanges of expertise between contexts and from quality assurance (QA) processes. A key document that stimulates change in planning, teaching, and assessment is the Council of Europe’s (2001) Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). However, its innovation potential in language education has been affected by a lack of impact studies and QA procedures. This article reports on the QualiCEFR study, which aims to encourage a culture of QA in relation to planning, teaching, and assessment and to identify promising practices in those processes. The study compared CEFR implementation in Switzerland and Canada employing a mixed-methods design and a QA approach, thematically analyzing data from over 40 interviews. Results have helped to inform the development of an online tool produced in a sister project of the European Centre for Modern Languages (ECML). RésuméLe changement et l’innovation en éducation nécessitent à la fois du temps et des procédures soigneusement réfléchies. Tous deux bénéficient aussi d’échanges d’expertise entre différents contextes ainsi que de processus d’assurance de la qualité (AQ). Le Cadre européen commun de référence pour les langues (CECR) est un document clé qui est en mesure de stimuler le changement au niveau de la planification, de l’enseignement et de l’évaluation (Conseil de l’Europe, 2001). Néanmoins, son potentiel d’innovation dans l’enseignement des langues a souffert du manque d’études sur les incidences du CECR et de procédures d’AQ. Cet article rend compte de l’étude QualiCEFR, dont le but était d’encourager une culture d’AQ dans les processus de planification, d’enseignement et d’évaluation ainsi que d’identifier de bonnes pratiques dans ces mêmes processus. En utilisant un modèle multiméthodes et une approche d’AQ, l’étude a comparé la mise en œuvre du CECR en Suisse et au Canada à travers une analyse thématique de données provenant de plus de 40 entrevues. Les résultats ont fourni une base de départ pour le développement d’un outil en ligne produit au cours d’un projet parallèle du Centre européen des langues vivantes (CELV).

Family Support : Raising educational achievement and tackling social exclusion

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Using theory in Youth and Community Work Practice Ilona Buchroth & Chris Parkin (eds.) Exeter : Learning Matters Ltd (2010) pp. 145 Pbk . £17 ISBN:978-1844453009

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