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Autonomy and student-centered learning

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Title: Autonomy and student-centered learning


1
Autonomy and student-centered learning
  • Phil Benson
  • Hong Kong Institute of Education

2
(No Transcript)
3
Autonomy and student-centered learning
  • What is autonomy - definitions and versions?
  • Why autonomy, why now?
  • What kind of autonomy do we want?

4
Sources for autonomy in language teaching and
learning
Political philosophy
Educational reform
Personal autonomy
Freedom in learning
Autonomy in language learning
Constructivism
Self-directed learning
Psychology of learning
Adult education
Focus on learner
Language learning
5
Sources for autonomy
  • Political philosophy Immanuel Kant,
    Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Jean-Paul Sartre, Robert
    Young, Joseph Raz, Anthony Giddens
  • Psychology Lev Vygotsky, George Kelly, Bruno
    Bettleheim
  • Educational reform John Dewey, William
    Kilpatrick, Paolo Freire, Ivan Illich, Carl
    Rogers
  • Adult education Allen Tough, Malcolm Knowles,
    Philip Candy, Stephen Brookfield, Jack Mezirow
  • Language learning Learner-centredness,
    Communicative language teaching, Individual
    differences, Learning strategies, Sociocultural
    theory

6
What is autonomy?
Learning situations Learning without a teacher or on your own
Teaching situations Autonomous classrooms, learning schemes, etc
Methods of learning Self-instruction, use of learning strategies, etc.
Learners independent actions Autonomous events and episodes
Learners responsibility Self-directed learning, planning, decision-making,etc.
The right to control ones own learning Student power, learner control, learners rights.
A capacity that learners possess or acquire Abilities, attitudes, predispositions, etc.
7
Definitions that are not definitions
  • 100 competencies associated with autonomy
    (Candy, 1991)
  • Autonomy in learners can take numerous different
    forms, depending on their age, how far they have
    progressed with their learning, what they
    perceive their immediate learning needs to be,
    and so on (Little, 1991, p.4).
  • Autonomy is a multidimensional capacity that
    will take different forms for different
    individuals, and even for the same individual in
    different contexts or at different times
    (Benson, 2001 p.47).

8
Control over learning
  • Autonomy is the capacity to take control of
    ones own learning Benson (2001)
  • What is a capacity?
  • What do we mean by control of learning?

9
What is a capacity?
AUTONOMY
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What is a capacity?
  • just as the ability to drive a motor vehicle
    does not necessarily mean that whenever one gets
    into a car one is obliged to take the wheel,
    similarly the autonomous learner is not
    automatically obliged to self-direct his learning
    either totally or even partially. The learner
    will make use of his ability to do this only if
    he so wishes and if he is permitted to do so by
    the material, social and psychological
    constraints to which he is subjected.
  • (Holec, 1988 p.8)

11
Controlling what?
AUTONOMY
12
Controlling what?
  • Learning management
  • (e.g. making a study plan)
  • Cognitive processes
  • (e.g. attention/noticing input)
  • Learning content
  • (e.g. choosing what you learn)

13
Versions of autonomy(Benson, 1997)
  • Technical
  • Positivism focus on learning management
  • Psychological
  • Constructivism focus on cognitive processes
  • Political
  • Critical theory focus on learning content

14
Perspectives on autonomyOxford (2003)
  • Objected to privileging the political
  • Added Sociocultural I (Vygotskyan)
    Sociocultural II (SCT, investment, situated
    learning, etc.)
  • All perspectives are valid

15
Proactive and reactive autonomy
  • Proactive autonomy
  • regulates the direction of activity as well as
    the activity itself.The key words are action
    words learners are able to take charge of their
    own learning, determine their objectives, select
    methods and techniques and evaluate what has been
    acquired
  • Reactive autonomy
  • ...regulates the activity once the direction has
    been setthe kind of autonomy which does not
    create its own directions but, once a direction
    has been initiated, enables learners to organize
    their resources autonomously in order to reach
    their goal.
  • Littlewood (1999)

16
Versions of autonomy
  • Convergence, divergenceconvergence and
    convergencedivergence perspectives Ribé
    (2003)
  • Individualcognitive, socialinteractive and
    exploratoryparticipatory perspectives -
    ORourke Schwienhorsts (2003)
  • Nativespeakerist, culturalrelativist and
    social approaches Holliday (2003)

17
Strong and weak pedagogies
  • Weak pedagogies
  • Assume that students lack autonomy
  • autonomy is seen as a deferred goal and as a
    product of instruction rather than as something
    which students are currently ready to exercise
    directly.
  • Strong pedagogies
  • Assume that students are already autonomous
  • Focus on co-creating with students optimal
    conditions for the exercise of their autonomy
  • (Smith, 2003, 130-132)

18
Arguments for autonomy
AUTONOMY
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Arguments for autonomy
  • Ideological
  • the individual has the right to be free to
    exercise his or her own choices, in learning as
    in other areas, and not become a victim (even an
    unwitting one) of choices made by social
    institutions.
  • Psychological
  • Learning is more meaningful, more permanent,
    more focussed on the processes and schemata of
    the individual when the individual is in charge.
  • Economic
  • society does not have the resources to provide
    the level of personal instruction needed by all
    its members in every area of learningindividuals
    must be able to provide for their own learning
    needs, either individually or cooperatively, if
    they are to acquire the knowledge and skill they
    want.
  • Crabbe, D. (1993, p.443)

20
Why autonomy? Why now?
  • Globalization and
  • The expansion of second language education
  • The self as a reflexive project
  • The self as technology

21
The expansion of second language education
  • More teachers and more learners
  • Biographical diversity
  • Diversity of purposes
  • Migration of learners
  • Migration of teachers
  • Diversity within classrooms
  • Diversity of situations and practices
  • Autonomy as
  • Sensitivity to diversity
  • A practical solution to the problems posed by the
    complexity of mass education

22
The self as reflexive project Giddens (1991)
  • Traditional vs. late modern cultures
  • The need to form ones own identity in late
    modern society
  • The self as a reflexive project narrative
    identity
  • The role of second language learning in the
    formation of new identities
  • Identities are fragmented, contradictory and
    dynamic but falling to pieces is
    pathological
  • What holds our identities together??

23
The self as technology
  • Self-improvement culture
  • a range of practices and text-types focusing
    on the individual and her or his relationships
    with others, and particularly on the problems of
    modern personal life. Among the most accessible
    expressions of this culture are self-help and
    popular psychology books, and broadcast talk
    shows of the confessional type where people
    talk about their experiences, problems and
    feeling, sometimes receiving advice from an
    expert (a therapist, counsellor or
    psychologist). (Cameron, 2002, p.75)
  • Emphasis on self-training workforce and the
    importance of communication skills in the new
    economy.

24
Autonomy and agency
  • We believe that learners have to be seen as more
    than processing devices that convert linguistic
    input into well-formed (or not so well-formed)
    outputs. They need to be understood as people,
    which in turn means we need to appreciate their
    human agency. As agents, learners actively engage
    in constructing the terms and conditions of their
    learning. (Lantolf Pavlenko, 2001 p. 145)

25
Conclusion
  • What is autonomy? Or what kind of autonomy do we
    want?
  • Autonomy as the production of responsible,
    active, flexible and adaptable
    worker-learners?
  • Autonomy as agency learners as critically
    aware individuals capable of authoring the world
    in which they live?

26
References
  • Benson, P. (1997) The philosophy and politics of
    learner autonomy. In P. Benson P. Voller (eds.)
    Autonomy and Independence in Language Learning.
    London Longman, pp. 18-34.
  • Benson, P. (2001) Teaching and Researching
    Autonomy in Language Learning. London Longman.
  • Benson, P. (2007) Autonomy in language teaching
    and learning. State of the Art article. Language
    Teaching, 421.
  • Cameron, D. (2002) Globalization and the
    teaching of communication skills. In D. Block
    D. Cameron (eds.) Globalizaton and Language
    Teaching. London Routledge, pp.67-82.
  • Candy, P.C. (1991) Self-direction for Lifelong
    Learning. San Francisco Jossey-Bass.
  • Crabbe, D. (1993) 'Fostering autonomy from within
    the classroom the teacher's responsibility'.
    System, 214, 443-452.
  • Giddens, A. (1991) Modernity and Self-identity
    Self and Society in the Late Modern Age.
    Cambridge Polity.
  • Holec, H. (1988) 'General presentation, Prospects
    / Présentation Génerale. Perspectives'. In H.
    Holec (ed.) Autonomy and Self-directed Learning
    Present Fields of Application. Strasbourg
    Council of Europe, pp. 5-18.
  • Holliday, A. (2003) Social autonomy addressing
    the dangers of culturism in TESOL. In D.
    Palfreyman R.C. Smith (eds.) Learner Autonomy
    across Cultures Language Education Perspectives,
    Basingstoke Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 110-126.

27
References
  • Lantolf , J. P and Pavlenko, A. (2001) (S)econd
    (L)anguage (A)ctivity theory understanding
    second language learners as people. In Breen, M.
    (ed.), Learner contributions to language
    learning New directions in research. London
    Pearson Education (pp. 141-158).
  • Little, D. (1991) Learner Autonomy. 1
    Definitions, Issues and Problems. Dublin
    Authentik.
  • Littlewood, W. (1999) 'Defining and developing
    autonomy in East Asian contexts'. Applied
    Linguistics, 201, 71-94.
  • Oxford, R.L. (2003) Toward a more systematic
    model of L2 learner autonomy. In D. Palfreyman
    R.C. Smith (eds.) Learner Autonomy across
    Cultures Language Education Perspectives,
    Basingstoke Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 75-91.
  • ORourke, B. K. Schwienhorst (2003). Talking
    text Reflections on reflection in
    computermediated communication. In Little,
    Ridley Ushioda (eds.), Learner autonomy in
    foreign language classrooms Teacher, learner,
    curriculum and assessment. Dublin Authentik, pp.
    4762.
  • Ribé, R. (2003). Tramas in the foreign language
    classroom Autopoietic networks for learner
    growth. In D. Little, J. Ridley E. Ushioda
    (eds.), Learner autonomy in foreign language
    classrooms Teacher, learner, curriculum and
    assessment. Dublin Authentik, pp. 1128.
  • Smith, R. C. (2003). Pedagogy for autonomy as
    (becoming)appropriate methodology. In D.
    Palfreyman R.C. Smith (eds.) Learner Autonomy
    across Cultures Language Education Perspectives,
    Basingstoke Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 129146.
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