Approaches To Learner Autonomy In Language Learning. Learner autonomy and second/foreign language learning. Author: David Little © David Little Abstract This article defines the autonomous learner; summarises arguments in favour of helping language learners to become autonomous; briefly considers the process of 'autonomisation' in language classrooms and self-access learning schemes; identifies some principal lines of research; and concludes by suggesting that the Council of Europe's European Language Portfolio may bring 'autonomisation' to much larger numbers of learners than hitherto and in doing so may provide an important focus for research.
Table of contents Definitions Learner autonomy is a problematic term because it is widely confused with self-instruction. It is also a slippery concept because it is notoriously difficult to define precisely. Why learner autonomy? There are two general arguments in favour of trying to make learners autonomous. In the particular case of second and foreign languages there is a third argument. Helping language learners to become autonomous Research Bibliography. Autonomous learning - Google Scholar.
Learner autonomy. Learner Autonomy has been a buzz word in foreign language education in the past decades, especially in relation to lifelong learning skills. It has transformed old practices in the language classroom and has given origin to self access language learning centers around the world such as the SALC at Kanda University of International Studies in Japan, the ASLLC at The Hong Kong Institute of Education, the SAC at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and ELSAC at the University of Auckland [1]. As the result of such practices, language teaching is now seen as language learning and it has placed the learner as the centre of our attention in language learning education.[1] The term "learner autonomy" was first coined in 1981 by Henri Holec, the "father" of learner autonomy.
Many definitions have since been given to the term, depending on the writer, the context, and the level of debate educators have come to. Some of the most well known definitions in present literature are: Thanasoulas - What is Learner Autonomy and How Can It Be Fostered. The Internet TESL Journal Dimitrios Thanasoulasakasa74 [at] hotmail.com 1. Introduction Over the last two decades, the concepts of learner autonomy and independence have gained momentum, the former becoming a 'buzz-word' within the context of language learning (Little, 1991: 2). It is a truism that one of the most important spin-offs of more communicatively oriented language learning and teaching has been the premium placed on the role of the learner in the language learning process (see Wenden, 1998: xi). It goes without saying, of course, that this shift of responsibility from teachers to learners does not exist in a vacuum, but is the result of a concatenation of changes to the curriculum itself towards a more learner-centred kind of learning.
What is more, this reshaping, so to speak, of teacher and learner roles has been conducive to a radical change in the age-old distribution of power and authority that used to plague the traditional classroom. 2. 3. 4. 4.1. 4.1.1. 4.1.2. 4.2. 5. Promoting learner autonomy through communication strategy training. Kathleen M. Bailey's session approaches the topic of learner autonomy in the contexts of conversations in the target language.
In order to get input, experience interaction, and produce conversational output, second language learners need to participate in sustained conversations. However, speaking a new language entails taking risks – and that’s where communications strategies come into play. About the presenter: Kathleen M. Bailey is professor of applied linguistics at the Monterey Institute of International Studies and a professor in the TESOL Masters Program at Anaheim University as well as Chair of the TIRF Board of Trustees and President of the foundation. She has served on the TIRF Board of Trustees since 2000.