Hi Rania,

I think an autonomous learner is tolerant to the language learning process. They learn to survive with uncertanity without getting frustrated; on the contrary, they focus on what they can understand and try to make intelligent guesses.

Sirin

Hello everyone,

I am a visitor from the global issues area, where I am one of the moderators. I saw your question about learner autonomy, and I thought I would join in the discussion here as well, because learner strategy training is an area I have become very interested in.

Through teaching and studying, I have come to believe that an autonomous learner is one who is consciously aware of the learning process, who is aware of a range of strategies they can apply to language learning, and who has the necessary skills to try out a range of strategies and to evaluate their effectiveness. If a learner can do this, he or she can become autonomous by taking control of and responsibility for his or her own learning. 

For me a key question is therefore how we, as teachers, can help our learners to develop these skills, and as a result, develop autonomy.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts,

Helen

Hello everybody!I agree with Helen , an autonomous learner is a learner who can choose the right strategy for a given task.

carmen gloria

Hello, everybody!

Besides all you mentioned , one of the characteristics of an autonomous learner is that he or she is able to evaluate the learning process and learn from the feedbacks. He or she will employ different strategies and compares them.

Dandelion

Some years ago at the  2004 Autonomy Conference in Hong Kong,  one speaker defined three types of autonomy, proactive, reactive and default.  Proactive according to Littleton was  

The

ers are able to take charge of their own learning, determine their objectives, select methods and techniques and evaluate what has been acquired.

Reactive was:

A form that stimulates learners to learn vocabulary without being pushed, to do past examination papers on their own initiative, or to organize themselves into groups in order to cover the reading for an assignment

while default was

Default autonomy may be understood as a grudging approach to autonomy. (Only doing it that way because he/she has to.)

I think that we need to remember that autonomy comes in many shapes.

Phil

Hey Phil,

In other words, the old adage of 'some are born autonomous, some achive autonomy and some have autonomy thrust upon them'?!

Cheers,

Heather

Rania

Yes - autonomy is interpreted differently in different cultures as desirable or not.

Do we all 'gently' encourage students to be autonomous? Does this happen across the curriculum?

And, at what point, can we dig our heels in and tell learners to 'get on with it'?! I know that sounds harsh, but if we repeat things and write them of the board and give handouts and send emails and still students come back with questions - I really wonder what is the cut-off point? When I was at school (many moons ago) it was literally survival of the fittest, and sink or swim - now, I am judged by my students in evaluations as to whether I am helpful or not - and you can be sure that no matter how much encouragement I have given, how many explanations, in whatever different modes, if I have not done a step-by-step 'how to' with some student for the 10th time, it will come back and haunt me! 

Learner autonomy assumes student receptiveness, acceptance, attention and willingness - ie., if the learner is not willing/able to take on board the concepts and responsibility, use the support provided etc - learner autonomy seems doomed!

REgards,

Heather

I think both students and teachers are live performers in the classroom with personal knowledge and plus teachers' professional experience on the field. It is a circuit on both sides which cannot be seperated from one another. I think we should give students some "thinking time" to evaluate the learning process.

Sirin

Sirin,

How long would you suggest? Days, months or years?!

For myself, I realised a few years after the event how some teachers at school had promoted learner autonomy - when I had the concepts and could frame experiences from that standpoint - and this was all a very longctime ago.

Right now, I am not talking about 'evaluating the learning process' - it is a question of students being prepared and ready to take on board ideas, info and principles. I deal with students who, even when they need to know certain concepts and techniques for grading purposes and things which I have explained, illustrated, demoed and given illustrated handouts about (catering to various learning styles) and which I have gone over in class, individually etc etc umpteen times, come to me on the eve of deadlines with basic questions - these are largely students who have not been too attentive in class and who regularly don't do homework, follow-up, etc ... The reason they come and ask is not about learning, it's about grades. So, it seems it's Ok for them to ignore every bit of info I have given them, every tip and hint, all practical demos and so on ... The urgency of grades gets them to come and see me at the last minute to combat issues I have been dealing with in class for the previous couple of weeks.

Is this learner autonomy?! I think not.  This is hand-holding and laziness at the nth degree. In my day (a long time ago) I would not have dared to approach my teacher with such requests not having been attentive in class.

Is such behaviour 'learner autonomy'? By helping such students - am I promoting learner autonomy? I think not? What do you think?

Heather

Hi Kevin,

Dickinson mentioned this way back in the late 80s - it is a bit like knowing your limitations and  asking for help when you need it and recognising that you do need help. However, it's when people demand help without having reached the point of defeat - ie, without trying first and without using resources that they have been given to start with that upsets me! You know, it's one thing to have tried and failed, but another never to have tried at all...

Equally, people have different levels of autonomy or a different potential for autonomy in different areas - but surely we don't have whole classes of students who have no potential autonomy for language learning?!

Heather

Hi everybody,

 For me  the characterictics of an autonomy learner are

-autonomy , which means a learner knows for what he learns ,

for what he needs knowledge  which he goes to get and spend  time :

 - to fit himself /herself to life

- to make autonomous decisions in solving problems which he/she faces

with  in life  with the help of recieved knowledge

- can put  any  problems  ( it is also an art to to see problems and put questions

and offer it to  society, group, himself/herself to solve)

Learner's autonomy means he/she can solve any  problems independently

( if  a learner is a student ,he/she 'll be able to  solve any, even risk problems on

his /her speciality).

Autonomy gives creativness , proactivness , it develops critical thinking,

satisfaction, respect to a learner.

The problem is how to develop autonomous analytical thinking.

Any ideas?

Gud Day,

I want to know whether it is possible for us to measure autonous learners into some degree and classify them?. What are the current discussion up to?.

Thank you for your reply...