Dynamic Assessment in the Classroom

Mediation is the term proposed by L. S. Vygotsky in his Sociocultural Theory of Mind that accounts for the development of human mental abilities. Specifically, Vygotsky explained that while other animals interact with their environments in a direct manner, humans relate to the world through a process that is mediated by others in our social environment and by artifacts available in our culture. In schooling, a high premium is typically placed on instructional materials as well as interactions with peers and with the teacher, and communicative second language (L2) classrooms are certainly no exception. However, external forms of mediation are prohibited during most assessments, rendering them distinct from other forms of classroom activity. Dynamic assessment (DA) breaks with this convention, arguing instead that important diagnostic information about individuals’ abilities is obtained through analysis of their response to mediation. DA thus advocates cooperative interaction between teachers and learners, with the result that assessments continue to function as instructional opportunities. This chapter explores mediation as it is realized and elaborated in L2 DA. As illustrated through analysis of an L2 DA interaction, it is argued that effective mediation should be developmentally relevant when learners are engaged in what they cannot do independently and should also be systematic, becoming only as explicit as necessary to guide learners during the activity.