Mediated Learning Notes... Intentionality and Reciprocity

Continuing my series of posts that detail my notes on the book Mediated Learning: Teaching, Tasks, and Tools to Unlock Cognitive Potential. Again, please note that I have no formal training in this field. These are simply my notes and an effort to learn and share what I learn. If anything I write seems useful or of interest to you, I strongly encourage you to purchase the book (of which I am not associated with in any way), attend some workshops, and learn more. And, please, share your insights with me! I am very much the student in this field and am very interested in learning more myself!

Conversely, if reading these posts is about as interesting as watching paint dry, you can easily avoid them. I will always have the words "Mediated Learning" in the title. And I hope that you'll find the other things that I write about more interesting, [smile].


So, in my last mediated learning post, I mentioned the twelve points to consider when mediating. Here they are in graphic form:

The three points in the center are core to any mediated learning exercise. In order for real learning to take place there must be intentionality and reciprocity, transcendence (bridging), and meaning in the learning experience. The other nine components are often necessary as well but they are not as integral. They act mostly to reinforce and enhance the three core principles. At least I think they do. In this post, I'd like to talk about one of the core components of the Mediated Learning Experience (MLE), Intentionality and Reciprocity.

First, let's define what intentionality and reciprocity refer to.

Intentionality refers to the mediator having a goal in teaching. For instance, a mother wishes to teach her son to look both ways and ensure that it is safe before crossing a street. The mother has a specific goal in mind and will use a variety of methods to help her son understand that it is important to check for traffic before crossing a street.

Contrast this with a parent giving their child paints, crayons, and paper and directing him to "Have fun." There is no specific intention for learning to happen. The child may indeed have fun but learning may or may not happen.

Reciprocity refers to the learner / student / child showing that they've learned. Going back to our first example, the child may tell his mother what he is should do when it is time to cross the street. Or, he may demonstrate this. Whatever, the method, the child is able to show that he understood the message that his mother had sent him.

Note that the mediator needs to ensure that the material is presented in a way that the learner can understand. The ideas and material presented must have some interest for the learner. And the learner must be able to pay attention to the lesson being taught. These things will help ensure that intentionality and reciprocity are taking place.

Many times, when dealing with a person affected with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), there is a breakdown in this system. For example, the child can't understand or focus on the message being sent to him. He may have trouble following a procedure to it's logical conclusion. He may become so overwhelmed with the sounds of traffic that he cannot focus on the message being given to him and simply can't hear his mother explaining traffic safety to him.

Often, there is also an inability to reciprocate. The child with ASD may be unable to communicate to his mother that he understood what she said. He may understand what the rules of traffic safety are but becomes overwhelmed when facing a busy street thus forgetting all that he's learned.

As a mediator / parent / teacher, it is important to break down the information into digestible bits in order to get a response from the learner. Only break things down to the level where learning is achieved - don't go overboard. One child may be able to understand what the moral of the story of "The Three Little Pigs" is when first presented with it. Another child may need to have things broken down a bit before understanding that the third little pig's house survived the big bad wolf's efforts to blow it down because, being made out of bricks, it was stronger than the other pigs' houses.

Without a response from the learner, no effective learning can take place. The type of response can vary. Maybe it's a narration. Maybe it's a demonstration of the principles learned. Maybe it's completing a worksheet. Maybe it's something else. The point is that there must be a response. The child who is watching you clean the table is not necessarily learning how to do it. Until the child can clean the table himself, he has not shown you that he's learned how.

Well, I hope this all makes some sense. It's a lot to think about but I'm finding that time spent on considering these things when parenting or teaching is generally well rewarded. Tomorrow I'll talk about "transcendence" or "bridging" and its importance to the learning experience. Hope to see you then.