Learner Autonomy

Learning objectives

By the end of this session, you will have…

·         developed a basic understanding of the principles behind Learner Autonomy

·         discussed ideas for the development of Learner Autonomy in your own students

·         discussed the potential benefits and drawbacks to this approach

·         become more confident about experimenting with this approach in your own classes.

Quotes

“It is commonly recognised in today’s world that autonomous and self-regulated learners will be at an advantage in continuing to learn and adjust throughout their lives as technology and information develop rapidly and continuously.” （Cameron, L. (2001) Teaching Languages to Young Learners.  Cambridge University Press. ）

I read, and I forgot

I saw, and I believed

I did, and I understood.  （Confucius. ）

Guided discovery task

Read the following introduction to learner autonomy, then help each other with the questions that follow:

Learner autonomy encourages the learner to accept greater responsibility for his or her own learning.  In order for learners to do this, teachers need to help learners to be clear about what they are learning, why, and how.  So teachers need to raise student awareness as to what their needs are, help them make more informed choices and equip them with skills and strategies to be more effective inside and outside the classroom.  It involves the whole person in that it takes all the needs of a learner into account: their preferred learning style, their goals, their experience and knowledge.  One of the beliefs behind learner autonomy is that real learning takes place when students are actively involved in their own learning process, asking questions, thinking creatively and making their own decisions and choices.

1.      Learner autonomy incorporates a holistic view of the learner as an individual.

              True              False

2.      Circle the terms that do not belong to the concept of learner autonomy:

Teacher centred                  Experiential learning

Collaborative learning        Traditional approach

Humanistic language teaching  Communicative Lang. Teaching

 

3.      The term autonomy implies individuality and independence.  Does this mean students should work on their own?

              Yes        No

4.      How could you develop/adapt the following techniques to involve the learners more closely?

 

Does not encourage learner autonomy:	Does encourage learner autonomy:
Teacher decides on course content.
Teacher correcting written work.
Choral drills.
Teacher holds answers and read out to whole class.
Teacher presents grammar structure to class on board
Teacher explains meaning of new word.

5.      Discuss the following statements with your group and make a few notes in response:

a) It is not realistic to promote learner autonomy with primary school aged students, as they’re too young.

Notes:

b) There isn’t really time to adopt a learner autonomous approach and train my students; we already have too much work to do.

Notes:

c) Learner autonomy promotes a more equal relationship between learners and teachers, I’m not sure I feel comfortable with this idea.

Notes:

Treasure hunt

cards  "

Working in pairs

Setting goals

Learner diaries to encourage reflection

Keeping vocabulary books

Jigsaw listening activities

Jigsaw reading activities

Negotiated syllabus

Needs analysis

questionnaire

Peer evaluation

Peer teaching

Tidying the classroom

Looking after the class resources

Project work

Group work

Pairwork

Group discussions

Setting targets

Reviewing targets set

Reflecting on progress

Playing memory games

Re-cycling work

Reviewing work done

Learning dictionary skills

Brainstorming

Predicting content before a reading or listening

Peer correction

Teaching good time-management skills

Keeping a homework diary

Use of personalisation to involve whole learner

Teaching reading skills such as skimming, scanning

Encourage questions in class – promote critical thinking

Questionnaire at the beginning/middle/ end of a course

Grade writing with correction symbols to enable students to self-edit writing

Tutorials

Knowledge of prefixes and suffixes

Question posters on wall to encourage questions, e.g. Could you repeat that please?

Awareness about personal learning styles

Use of phonemic chart for pronunciation

Dictionary training

Use of a self-access facility – even a small ‘book cart’ on wheels

Encouraging self-assessment

Benefits of developing learner autonomy

·         Learner autonomy focuses on the needs of individuals rather than on what the teacher decides to teach a class.

·         Students are likely to remember what they are learning when they are involved in the lesson on a personal level – asking questions, relating the lesson to their needs, etc.

·         If students make more informed choices, their learning will be more effective.  Even at a very simple level, if the teacher lets primary students choose their own topic, they will enjoy this more than if the teacher chooses the topic.

·         Students appreciate feeling that their needs are being taken into account, and this is very motivating.

·         Learner autonomy works well for mixed ability classes, it leaves students free to work at their own pace.

·         In classes of 40 or 50+ it is impossible for the teacher to give each student much individual time, but learner autonomy allows the teacher to make more effective use of time.

·         The teacher cannot do everything himself/herself, so an approach which encourages group work, pair work, and students taking some responsibility themselves, makes sense for busy teachers.

·         One of the ultimate goals of learner autonomy is increased student independence – this helps students to help themselves beyond the classroom, when they do not have a teacher to help them.

·         Learner autonomy encourages students to look for help beyond the teacher – help from each other and from other sources beside the teacher, for example, grammar reference books or dictionaries.  This encourages students to be more resourceful which is a useful skill beyond the classroom.

·         Learner autonomy encourages intelligent reflection, e.g. through the use of questions, comparison, discussion, etc.

·         The work that the teacher implements to introduce learner training can also be a vehicle for language learning and language use.