Reuven Feuerstein, Louis H. Falik and Krisztina Bohács: Mediated Soliloquy – Mediation of Language and Communication Through Self-Talk

The goal of this paper is to provide the reader with the theory, historical context and some practical guidelines and suggestions for implementing guided language development that incorporates Mediated Learning Experience (MLE) and contributes to cognitive and social development. Our approach, which we titled Mediated Soliloquy (MSL) is a potentially powerful tool to overcome many of the communication difficulties experienced by children and adults. There is often a poverty of language in many populations, for a variety of endogenous or exogenous reasons. For the developing child, the linguistic and/or communicational deficit limits a whole range of cognitive and social development. We consider Mediated Soliloquy a necessity for children with developmental language difficulties, children with innate and/or acquired cognitive deficiencies (due to genetic/chromosomal, neuro-physiological and sensorial etc. problems) and adults affected by various conditions impairing speech recognition, production and ideation. In our paper we define the concept of Mediated Soliloquy, this intentional act that is undertaken explicitly (on part of the mediator) and implicitly on the part of the child to enrich the linguistic environment and experience of the child, and expose him/her to an intensive experience which is not conditioned by the expectation (by either party) of receiving a response. Then we give a taxonomy which incorporates the developmental and structural aspects of language and gives a way to the agent how to present the experience to the child in a mediational format. The establishment of the soliloquy activity on the part of the parent, therapist, speech pathologist or other agents creates a speaking environment in which the non-speaking child (or limited speaking child or individual) is immersed. After providing some illustrative case studies on the usefulness of MSL we indicate further possibilities of research of the method.

MAGYAR PEDAGÓGIA 110. Number 2. 97-118. (2010)

Address for correspondence: Reuven Feuerstein, Feuerstein Institute, The International Center for the Enhancement of Learning Potential, 47 Narkiss street, POB 7755, 91077 Jerusalem, Israel Louis H. Falik, Feuerstein Institute, The International Center for the Enhancement of Learning Potential, 47 Narkiss street, POB 7755, 91077 Jerusalem, Israel Bohács Krisztina, Mediált Tanulásért Alapítvány, H–1141 Budapest, Cserebogár u. 49.

 
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