Concepts about Learner Autonomy

Fostering learner autonomy may be defined in simple terms as helping learners to become more
independent by training them to use language learning strategies effectively in their language
learning process, thus taking the responsibility to control, evaluate and monitor their language
learning process. Dickinson (1992, p. 330).
The idea of learner autonomy was first developed at the Centre de Recherches et d'Applications
Henri Holec, , the "father" of learner autonomy. The need for a term to describe people's ability to
take charge of their own learning, arose for practical, though idealistic reasons.
Trebbi (2006) argues that 'taking charge of one's own learning' is a verbiage since no learning takes
place unless the learner is in charge. He is of the view that taking charge of one's own learning is a
prerequisite of learning and learning itself is impossible without the learner actually taking charge.
responsibility for learning and it can be an indicator to predict academic performance. Their point
of view is that autonomy is a multidimensional construct of capacity that will take different forms for
different individuals. It will also take different forms for the same individual in different contexts and
at different times. Taking the above theories into consideration, we can purport that learner
autonomy is a construct of capacity for making informed decisions one’s own learning. However,
Holec sees autonomous learning as a double process. On the one hand, it entails learning the
foreign language; on the other, learning how to learn can freely apply their knowledge and skills
outside the immediate context of learning. Thus autonomous learning extends beyond a school
context: it is a life-long process of constantly developing awareness.
Learner Autonomy Defined- slides
• Ability to take charge of one’s own learning
• Main idea behind learner autonomy is that
students should take responsibility for their
own learning, rather than be dependent on
the teacher (Holec 1981)
– “The autonomous learner is one that
constructs
knowledge from direct experience, rather than
one who responds to someone’s instruction”
(Benson 2001)
 Objective
• To foster learner autonomy through
motivation. ( develop this idea here)
• Sarah Cotterall pdf 109 / Wachob pdf

• Aprendizaje autónomo: es una nueva actitud hacia el aprendizaje y la

• construcción del conocimiento. Proporciona aprendizajes colaborativos y
• significativos. Es asincrónico y sincrónico, ya que supera límites de tiempo y
• espacio.
• Objetivos del aprendizaje autónomo:
• Desarrollo de la autonomía intelectual, personal y social.
• Trabajo independiente. Pdf EL ESTUDIANTE AUTÓNOMO Y AUTORREGULADO( pdf)
Roles de profesores y estudiantes e interacción didáctica. EL ESTUDIANTE AUTÓNOMO
Y AUTORREGULADO( pdf)

Para lograr desarrollar autonomía en el aprendizaje, se deben cambiar los roles

tradicionales, de una actitud receptiva, pasiva, de consumo aun papel activo en
la toma de decisiones y en la planificación del aprendizaje.
El estudiante autónomo logra un aprendizaje duradero, continuo no solo actúa
motivado solo para aprobar o pasar un examen. En cuanto al docente también
debe cambiar su rol de transmitir sus conocimientos a facilitar, colaborar, guiar,
estimular al aprendizaje. Además de cambiar los roles, también debe
modificarse la inter-relación entre docentes-estudiantes entre si.
Para poder desarrollar este tipo de aprendizaje, es necesario que los docentes
acompañen y retroalimenten las actividades adecuadas a los estilos,
necesidades de los estudiantes, es decir que el estudiante asume un papel
activo en su aprendizaje y el docente como facilitador al desarrollo de esa
autonomía. Para colaborar con este tipo interacciones es necesario diseñar
prácticas educativas que posibiliten un clima de diálogo, colaboración y
confianza además que sean flexibles para adecuarse a las características y
necesidades del estudiante
 Teachers’ role
Dickinson (1992, p. 330) identifies
six ways “in which the teacher can promote
greater learner independence":
1. Legitimizing independence in learning by
showing that we, as teachers, approve, and by
encouraging the
students to be more independent;
2. Convincing learners that they are capable of
greater independence in learning -give them
successful
experiences of independent learning;
3. Giving learners opportunities to exercise
their independence;
4. Helping learners to develop learning strategies so
that they can exercise their independence;
5. Helping learners to become more aware of
language as a system so that they can understand
many of the
learning techniques available and learn sufficient
grammar to understand simple reference books;
6. Sharing with learners something of what we know
about language learning so that they have a greater
awareness of what to expect from the language
learning task and how they should react to problems
that erect
barriers to learning.
As put forward by Dickinson (1992), what teachers
aim to achieve through training learners on language
learning
strategies is to provide learners with awareness on
how to learn a foreign language on their own.
 Students’ role
An autonomous learner is capable
of
􀁸 determining the objectives
􀁸 defining the contents and progressions
􀁸 selecting methods and techniques to be used
􀁸 monitoring the procedure of acquisition
properly speaking (rhythm, time, place, etc)
􀁸 and evaluating what has been acquired
Autonomous learners have the capacity to
determine realistic and reachable goals,

Autonomous learners have insights into their learning styles

and strategies;
take an active approach to the learning task at hand;
are willing to take risks;
are good guessers;
attend to form as well as to content, that is, place
importance on accuracy as well as appropriacy;
develop the target language into a separate reference
system and are willing to revise and reject hypotheses and
rules that do not apply; and
have a tolerant and outgoing approach to the target
language. Omaggio, 1978, cited in Wenden, 1998: 41-42)
Learning strategies ( check slides)
EL ESTUDIANTE AUTÓNOMO
Y
AUTORREGULADO( pdf)

Training included activities based on the content to be Estrategias afectivo-motivacionales

covered in the syllabus of the 2013- 2014 fall academic
year and the parallel strategies that were identified to be
taught. These activities were provided by the researcher in
an attempt to train students in some language learning
strategies and raise their awareness of cognitive and
metacognitive strategies which would enable them to
develop autonomy and improve their language skills. The
activities in the strategy training process included materials
and exercises focused on teaching reading, vocabulary,
writing, listening and speaking strategies. These materials
were retrieved from different books and sources and some
of them were modified for training purposes based on the
sample activities provided by Oxford (1990) to teach
language learning strategies.
El aprendizaje autónomo requiere de un
enlace entre las variables cognitivas y las
afectivo/motivacionales, que se deben tener
presentes en el momento de diseñar y aplicar
estrategias de aprendizaje (Sanz, 1998).
estrategias de planificación propia
estrategias de auto-regulación
estrategias de auto-evaluación
Levett-Jones (2005) y Zion y Slezak (2005) establecen una
relación estrecha
entre el aprendizaje autodirigido y metodologías de
enseñanza basadas en la
resolución de problemas, la indagación y la reflexión. Según
estos autores las
prácticas educativas centradas en el cuestionamiento, la
problematización, la
construcción del conocimiento y la creatividad favorecerán el
desarrollo de la
autonomía en el estudiantado. Esto se vio constatado en las
experiencias
analizadas, ya que cuando el profesorado facilitaba diversidad
de tareas y
estrategias para favorecer el aprendizaje se impulsaba la
autonomía, la
creatividad y la implicación del estudiantado.
Learner Autonomy on MOODLE
Description
Method
Learning strategies (used in MOODLE)