Learner autonomy:
drawing together the threads of lf-asssment,
goal-tting and reflection
David Little
Learner autonomy: a working definition
The concept of learner autonomy has been central to the Council of Europe’s thinking about language teaching and learning since 1979, when Henri Holec wrote Autonomy and foreign language learning (cited here as Holec 1981). Holec began by defining learner autonomy as the “ability to take charge of one’s own learning”, noting that this ability “is not inborn but must be acquired either by ‘natural’ means or (as most often happens) by formal learning, i.e. in a systematic, deliberate way”, and pointing out that “To take charge of one’s learning is to have […] the responsibility for all the decisions concerning all aspects of this learning […]” (Holec 1981, p.3).
Holec’s report was a contribution to the Council of Europe’s work in adult education, which sought to promote the learner’s freedom “by developing tho abilities which will enable him to act more respo
nsibly in running the affairs of the society in which he lives” (ibid., p.1). When learner autonomy is one of its defining goals, adult education becomes an instrument for arousing an increasing n of awareness and liberation in man, and, in some cas, an instrument for changing the environment itlf. From the idea of man “product of his society”, one moves to the idea of man “producer of his society”.
(Janne 1977, p.3; cit. Holec 1981, p.1)
Learner autonomy, in other words, belongs together with the idea that one of the functions of (adult) education is to equip learners to play an active role in participatory democracy. That is why it remains central to the Council of Europe’s educational concerns.
Implications of this definition of learner autonomy
修改病句类型>英语名句
耐心 英语We take our first step towards developing the ability to take charge of our own learning when we accept full responsibility for the learning process, acknowledging that success in learning depends crucially on ourlves rather than on other people. This acceptance of responsibility entails that we t out to learn, “in a systematic, deliberate way” (Holec 1981, p.3), the skills of reflection and analysis that enable us to plan, monitor and evaluate our learning. But accepting responsibility for ou
ricinr own learning is not only a matter of gradually developing metacognitive mastery of the learning process. It has an equally important affective dimension: in their commitment to lf-management and their generally proactive approach, autonomous learners are motivated learners. What is more, Holec’s definition entails that autonomous learners can freely apply their knowledge and skills outside the immediate context of learning.
Learner autonomy and the ELP
According to the Principles and Guidelines that define the ELP and its functions (Council of Europe 2000/2004), the ELP reflects the Council of Europe’s concern with “the development of the language learner”, which by implication includes the development of learning skills, and “the development of the capacity for independent language learning”; the ELP, in other words, “is a tool to promote learner autonomy”. The Principles and Guidelines insist that the ELP is the property of the individual learner, which in itlf implies learner autonomy. Learners exerci their ownership not simply through physical posssion, but by using thecdfs
ELP to plan, monitor and evaluate their learning. In this, lf-asssment plays a central role: the ongoing, formative lf-asssment that is supported by the “can do” checklists attached to the lang
uage biography, and the periodic, summative lf-asssment of the language passport, which is related to the so-called lf-asssment grid in the CEF (Council of Europe 2001, pp.26–27).
negative是什么意思Learner autonomy and the CEF
The CEF does not concern itlf with learner autonomy as such. However, learner autonomy is implied by the concept of savoir-apprendre (“ability to learn”), which the CEF defines as “the ability to obrve and participate in new experience and to incorporate new knowledge into existing knowledge, modifying the latter where necessary” (Council of Europe 2001,
p.106). When the CEF tells us that “ability to learn has veral components, such as language and communication awareness; general phonetic skills; study skills; and heuristic skills” (CEF, pp.107), we may be prompted to recall the ways in which the ELP can support the development of reflective learning skills.
Why is learner autonomy important?
According to a large body of empirical rearch in social psychology, autonomy – “feeling free and volitional in one’s actions” (Deci 1995, p.2) – is a basic human need. It is nourished by, and in turn n
ourishes, our intrinsic motivation, our proactive interest in the world around us. This explains how learner autonomy solves the problem of learner motivation: autonomous learners draw on their intrinsic motivation when they accept responsibility for their own learning and commit themlves to develop the skills of reflective lf-management in learning; and success in learning strengthens their intrinsic motivation. Precily becau autonomous learners are motivated and reflective learners, their learning is efficient and effective (converly, all learning is likely to succeed to the extent that the learner is autonomous). And the efficiency and effectiveness of the autonomous learner means that the knowledge and skills acquired in the classroom can be applied to situations that ari outside the classroom
Autonomy in formal language learning
In formal educational contexts, learner autonomy entails reflective involvement in planning, implementing, monitoring and evaluating learning. But note that language learning depends crucially on language u: we can learn to speak only by speaking, to read only by reading, and so on. Thus in formal language learning, the scope of learner autonomy is always constrained by what the learner can do in the target language; in other words, the scope of our autonomy as language learners is partly a function of the scope of our autonomy as target language urs.
The development of autonomy in language learning is governed by three basic pedagogical principles:
datum•learner involvement – engaging learners to share responsibility for the learning process (the affective and the metacognitive dimensions);
•learner reflection – helping learners to think critically when they plan, monitor and evaluate their learning (the metacognitive dimensions);
•appropriate target language u – using the target language as the principal medium of language learning (the communicative and the metacognitive dimensions).
What does the teacher do?
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According to the three principles the teacher should
•u the target language as the preferred medium of classroom communication and require the same of her learners;
•involve her learners in a non-stop quest for good learning activities, which are shared, discusd, aeastboys
nalyd and evaluated with the whole class – in the target language, to begin with in very simple terms;
•help her learners to t their own learning targets and choo their own learning activities, subjecting them to discussion, analysis and evaluation – again, in the target language; •require her learners to identify individual goals but pursue them through collaborative work in small groups;
•require her learners to keep a written record of their learning – plans of lessons and projects, lists of uful vocabulary, whatever texts they themlves produce;
•engage her learners in regular evaluation of their progress as individual learners and as a class – in the target language.
References
Council of Europe, 2000/2004: European Language Portfolio (ELP): Principles and Guidelines. With added explanatory notes. Strasbourg: Council of Europe.
(DGIV/EDU/LANG (2000) 33 rev.1)
Council of Europe, 2001: Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, teaching, asssment. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Deci, E. (with R. Flaste), 1995: Why we do what we do: understanding lf-motivation. New York: Penguin.
Holec, H., 1981: Autonomy and foreign language learning. Oxford: Pergamon. (First published 1979, Strasbourg: Council of Europe)xianyan
