The group mediator in a subject of teaching and learning languages

Abstract

This paper presents a didactic proposal and experience that considers the implementation of the mediator figure. It is designed to be applied in a class taught in Galician, which includes a group of foreign students from various nationalities as well as students from other regions of Spain. The mediator acts as a peer tutor within a collaborative classroom dynamic that also integrates other methodologies such as lecture-based instruction, problem-based learning (PBL), and project-based learning (PBL). The main objective of incorporating the mediator figure is to achieve a high level of applied and meaningful learning for both local and international students in the subject Strategies and Methods of Language Teaching and Learning. This course is primarily taught in Galician within the Interuniversity Master's in Applied Linguistics, which includes both native Galician students and international students from countries such as the United States, China, Saudi Arabia, Russia, France, and others, as well as students from different autonomous communities in Spain. These students mainly study L2 languages such as Spanish, English, French, and German, and in some cases, also Galician.