Филологические науки/1.Методика преподавания языка и литературы

O.V. Bondar

Khmelnitsky national university, Ukraine

Learner autonomy and the ways of achieving it

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 [6:2]. 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. 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. Cast in a new perspective and regarded as having the 'capacity for detachment, critical reflection, decision-making, and independent action' [6: 4], learners, autonomous learners, that is, are expected to assume greater responsibility for, and take charge of, their own learning. However, learner autonomy does not mean that the teacher becomes redundant, abdicating his/her control over what is transpiring in the language learning process. It should be noted that learner autonomy is a perennial dynamic process amenable to 'educational interventions' [3], rather than a static product, a state, which is reached once and for all. Besides, in order to help learners to assume greater control over their own learning it is important to help them to become aware of and identify the strategies that they already use or could potentially use. At any rate, individual learners differ in their learning habits, interests, needs, and motivation, and develop varying degrees of independence throughout their lives.

For a definition of autonomy, we might quote Holec [5:3], who describes it as 'the ability to take charge of one's learning'. On a general note, the term autonomy has come to be used in at least five ways [1: 2]:

· for situations in which learners study entirely on their own;

· for a set of skills which can be learned and applied in self-directed learning;

· for an inborn capacity which is suppressed by institutional education;

· for the exercise of learners' responsibility for their own learning;

· for the right of learners to determine the direction of their own learning.

It is noteworthy that autonomy can be thought of in terms of a departure from education as a social process, as well as in terms of redistribution of power attending the construction of knowledge and the roles of the participants in the learning process. The relevant literature is riddled with innumerable definitions of autonomy and other synonyms for it, such as 'independence' [8], 'language awareness', 'self-direction' [3], which testifies to the importance attached to it by scholars. As has been intimated so far, the term autonomy has sparked considerable controversy, inasmuch as linguists and educationalists have failed to reach a consensus as to what autonomy really is. For example, in David Little's terms, learner autonomy is 'essentially a matter of the learner's psychological relation to the process and content of learning a capacity for detachment, critical reflection, decision-making, and independent action' [6: 4]. It is not something done to learners; therefore, it is far from being another teaching method. In the same vein, Leni Dam [4], drawing upon Holec [5], defines autonomy in terms of the learner's willingness and capacity to control or oversee her own learning. More specifically, she, like Holec, holds that someone qualifies as an autonomous learner when he independently chooses aims and purposes and sets goals; chooses materials, methods and tasks; exercises choice and purpose in organising and carrying out the chosen tasks; and chooses criteria for evaluation. To all intents and purposes, the autonomous learner takes a (pro-) active role in the learning process, generating ideas and availing himself of learning opportunities, rather than simply reacting to various stimuli of the teacher [2]. Within such a conception, learning is not simply a matter of rote memorisation; 'it is a constructive process that involves actively seeking meaning from (or even imposing meaning on) events' [3: 271].

Within the context of education, though, there seem to be seven main attributes characterising autonomous learners [7: 41-42]:

1. Autonomous learners have insights into their learning styles and strategies;

2. take an active approach to the learning task at hand;

3. are willing to take risks, i.e., to communicate in the target language at all costs;

4. are good guessers;

5. attend to form as well as to content, that is, place importance on accuracy as well as appropriacy;

6. develop the target language into a separate reference system and are willing to revise and reject hypotheses and rules that do not apply; and

7. have a tolerant and outgoing approach to the target language.

The points briefly touched upon above are necessary but not sufficient conditions for the development of learner autonomy, and many more factors such as learner needs, motivation, learning strategies, and language awareness have to be taken into consideration.

It should be clarified that autonomous learning is achieved when certain conditions obtain: cognitive and metacognitive strategies on the part of the learner, motivation, attitudes, and knowledge about language learning, i.e., a kind of metalanguage. Autonomous learning is by no means "teacherless learning." Teachers have a crucial role to play in launching learners into self-access and in lending them a regular helping hand to stay afloat. To posit ways of fostering learner autonomy is certainly to posit ways of fostering teacher autonomy, as 'teachers' autonomy permeates into learners' autonomy'.

To conclude, the main point of departure for this study has been the notion that there are degrees of learner autonomy and that it is not an absolute concept. Nevertheless, learner autonomy is an ideal, so to speak, that can, and should, be realised, if we want self-sufficient learners and citizens capable of evaluating every single situation they find themselves in and drawing the line at any inconsistencies or shortcomings in institutions and society at large. Learner autonomy consists in becoming aware of, and identifying, one's strategies, needs, and goals as a learner, and having the opportunity to reconsider and refashion approaches and procedures for optimal learning.

Literature:

1. Benson, P. & Voller, P. 1997. Autonomy and Independence in Language Learning. London: Longman.

2. Boud, D. (ed.). 1988. Developing Student Autonomy in Learning. New York: Kogan Press.

3. Candy, 1991. Self-direction for Lifelong Learning. California: Jossey-Bass.

4. Dam, L. 1990. Learner Autonomy in Practice. In Gathercole, I. (ed.). 1990, p. 16. CILT. Great Britain: Bourne Press

5. Holec, H. 1981. Autonomy in Foreign Language Learning. Oxford: OUP.

6. Little, D. 1991. Learner Autonomy. 1: Definitions, Issues and Problems. Dublin: Authentik.

7. Omaggio, A. 1978. 'Successful language learners: What do we know about them?', ERIC / CLL News Bulletin, May, 2-3.

8. Sheerin, S. 1991. 'State of the art: self-access', Language Teaching, 24: 3, pp. 153-157.