Are my Beliefs about Learner Autonomy Hindering my Ability to Empower my Students to be Independent Learners? Classroom Research can Lead the Way.

Dr. Agnes Katsianos

 

Classroom education is one of the most important and complex of all human endeavors. It has been generally accepted that education is carried out by the teacher, standing in front of a class and transmitting information to a group of willing learners. This view, however, simplifies what is a highly complex process “involving an intricate interplay between the learning process itself , the teacher’s intentions and actions, the individual personality of the learners, their culture and background, the learning environment and a host of other variables” (Williams and Burden , 1997, p.5)

 

Learner Autonomy (LA)

 For some years now, I have been reflecting on the way teachers foster LA in their classrooms and the difficulties they encounter. The term ‘learner autonomy ‘ in the context of language learning was coined by Holec in 1981 and described as “the ability to take charge of one’s own learning” (p.5 as cited in Little, 1991, p.7). For Benson (2011b), its rise in popularity “reflects concern with the meaning and impact of language learning on students whose individuality is suppressed in modern mass educational systems”(p. 15). He sees LA as “linked to the philosophical idea of personal autonomy which involves people struggling for greater control over the course of their lives”. Teachers’ roles in fostering LA in the L2 classroom are a central concern of my teacher training work and classroom research. How this is done can greatly impact on the motivation levels of students. Teachers can and should give increasing power to their students. Much research on LA has focused exclusively on the learners. Al-Busaidi and Al- Maamari.
( 2014) argue that it is equally important to explore the teacher dimension of LA given the impact teacher’s beliefs can have on the learning process. After all, many teachers may feel intimidated when initially confronted with what may appear to be a relinquishing of power in the classroom. In our school, we have undertaken a number of projects aimed at addressing this gap and investigating what LA means to the teachers. And indeed, the process is ongoing. However, the purpose of this article is not to suggest that I have all the answers regarding the teacher’s own relationship to autonomy and fostering LA but rather to provide a brief introduction to the concepts of learner autonomy and to share with peers my LA experiences and the actions I took in my school to encourage other teachers to consider the many benefits to be gained from fostering LA in their schools.

 

Autonomous learning is not synonymous with ‘teacherless’ learning. On the contrary “teachers have crucial roles to play in demonstrating the value of autonomy to their learners and in lending them a regular helping hand to stay afloat” (Harmer, 2016, p.11).

Teachers who help students develop their capacity for autonomous learning are giving them a wonderful gift as they enable them to become independent thinkers who could set their own objectives and become actively involved in the process of their own learning, both inside and outside the classroom. In order to fulfill their roles in fostering autonomy, teachers must take responsibility for their own autonomy.

 

LA in the classroom 

Benson (2011a) makes two assumptions with regard to any attempt to foster LA. First, that teachers themselves display a degree of autonomy in their approaches to teaching and learning. Second, that students are given the opportunity “to make decisions about their learning within collaborative and supportive environments” (Benson, 2011a, p.163). Benson believes using the following strategies: peer teaching, differentiation, collaborative group work, self- assessment / reflection and tests, to help foster LA in a classroom. Nunan (2003), in his Nine Steps to Learner Autonomy, advocates following a traditional language classroom curriculum save for one crucial difference: the lesson planning, implementation and evaluation should be a collaborative effort between teachers and students. In his article, the nine steps are:

 

1) “Make instructions and goals clear to learners”. And involve students in the process of clarifying the goals.

2) “Allow learners to create their own goals”.
3) “Encourage learners to use their L2 outside the classroom”.

4) ” Raise awareness of the learning process”. Help students to spend some time focusing on how they learn

5) “Help students identify their own preferred styles and strategies”. Offer students a choice from a range of options.

6) “Encourage learner choice “.

7) ” Allow learners to generate their own tasks”. Begin by offering students opportunities to modify and adapt classroom tasks.

8) ” Encourage learners to become teachers”. Give students opportunities to assume the role of teachers to their peers.

9) ” Encourage learners to become researchers “. Educate learners to become language researchers. (Nunan, D. 2003, pp.196-202).

Cotterall, 2000, ( pp.109-117) adds a further dimension by emphasizing a focus on real-life tasks and reflection. In her five design principles for the LA classroom she states that the course should reflect its “learners’ goals, tasks and strategies”. Tasks should be “explicitly linked to a simplified model of the language learning process” and “either replicate real-world communicative tasks or provide rehearsal for such tasks”. Furthermore, the course should “incorporate discussion and practice with strategies known to facilitate task performance” and “promote reflection on learning”. Dewey  (1938) in his research as an educationalist emphasized the need for reflection thinking to be directed by the teacher for the purpose of growth and development and to derive learning from their classroom experiences.

 

LA in our school  

For some years now I have been reflecting on the way teachers foster LA in their classrooms and the difficulties they encounter. Wanting to help our students take ownership of their learning was a concern of mine before I was explicitly aware of the term ‘learner autonomy’. In January1997 I recorded in my diary what I had told my proficiency colleagues: “A great range of demands remain for our Cambridge proficiency students. A huge amount of material has to be delivered by us, the teachers, and learnt by our students and a lot of supplementary work has to be provided. I wonder to what extent they are enjoying their English studies. Why should we make all the decisions for them?” Reflecting on this extract, I understand that we were seeking to find ways to give responsibility to the students for their own learning, though it is clear we were struggling.

Today at our school, students still follow an exam oriented syllabus, but at the same time they are engaged in several events aimed at empowering them as individuals and developing their creative and critical thinking skills. For example, students of all classes, including proficiency, are involved in peer teaching and peer correction, in debates and group discussions and in research on topics of their choice that culminate in presentations. They also have a plethora of opportunities provided by digital and interactive media at school. And of course, they are exposed to English outside the school in variety of ways. We have compiled a list of 17 “outside of the classroom activities”(such as: watching TEDTalks, joining an on-line chat room, speaking with family members in English etc) to encourage them to become independent learners.

Difficulties engaging with the concept of LA.

During 2015-16 I sensed our teachers were experiencing some difficulty in promoting LA in the classroom while engaging in a project entitled “Fostering LA in our school”. Though participation in the project was generally enthusiastic, I came to realize that some teachers were struggling to find ways to promote LA in their classrooms. Entries from my research diary reveal the concerns I had. For example, I suspected one teacher felt time constraints and the needs of her weaker students were hindering her engagement with LA. Another teacher seemed reluctant to speak about LA when I asked her how the work on her project was progressing. Fortunately most of the teachers expressed a willingness to be engaged in the LA project and approached me for help when they felt they needed it. So the question which guided our further research project was: How do teachers in our school perceive LA and what impact do their beliefs have on their classroom practice? We decided to begin with some research beginning with classroom observations.

Classroom research: The LA Observation Checklist

Classroom observations are considered a principle qualitative research tool and an effective way to assess complex interactions as they occur in natural social settings. Hopkins (2002) describes observations as a pivotal activity with a crucial role to play in classroom research and teacher’s personal-professional growth. Borg (2006) believes that teachers must be observed teaching in order to study teacher cognition. More specifically, with regards to my approach, Burns describes video-recorded lessons as “invaluable in assisting teacher researchers to reflect on the implicit beliefs, classroom scripts or mental schemata which are brought to classroom processes” (2005, p.94). I suggested that each of the teachers should have one lesson video recorded. Along with a checklist we devised together, I watched the videotaped lesson and I asked each teacher to do the same. The checklist is based on the various LA themes we might hope to see in practice. I have included a checklist which closely follows the one we used. I believe it covers the important aspects of LA quite thoroughly though each school may want to adjust it to meet their own needs and expectations.

 

 

LA Observation Checklist

 

	Not observed	Some Emphasis shown	Shown very well	Evidence/ Comments
1) Teacher provides scaffolding during activities: a)  By encouraging and prompting b)  By modeling and clarifying c)  By enabling Ss to notice language d)  By using L1 for further explanation and guidance e)  Other	1a)   1b)   1c)   1d)     1e)	1a)   1b)   1c)   1d)     1e)	1a)   1b)   1c)   1d)     1e)
2) Teacher provides scaffolding during error correction by using: a)  Peer correction b)  Self-correction c)  Teacher correction d)  Other	2a) 2b) 2c) 2d)	2a) 2b) 2c) 2d)	2a) 2b) 2c) 2d)
3) Teacher is encouraging co-operative learning: a)  Through group work b)  Through pair work c)  Involves whole class d)  Other	3a) 3b) 3c) 3d)	3a) 3b) 3c) 3d)	3a) 3b) 3c) 3d)
4) Teacher is providing Ss’ with strategies for: a)  Reading b)  Writing/grammar c)  Listening d)  Speaking skills e)  other	4a) 4b) 4c) 4d) 4e)	4a) 4b) 4c) 4d) 4e)	4a) 4b) 4c) 4d) 4e))
5)Teacher is using LA tools in class a)  Electronic resources b)  Self-evaluation Assessment Forms c)  Other	5a) 5b)   5c)	5a) 5b)   5c)	5a) 5b)   5c)
6) Teacher is negotiating with students over: a)  Weekly lesson plan and amount of work b)  Other	6a)   6b)	6a)   6b)	6a)   6b)
7) Teacher is encouraging Ss to engage in outside of classroom activities for learning English
8) Teacher seems to be a facilitator/mediator

 

When choosing the 8 themes we felt it was important to look for evidence that can help the teachers and myself understand some of the issues hindering us from developing a deeper ability to foster LA in our school. Here is a brief rationale of the eight themes:

 

Theme 1 relates to Vygotsky (1978) zone of proximal development (ZPD) and seeks to highlight how the teacher provides scaffolding for their students by encouraging, prompting, modelling and clarifying.
Theme 2 aims to explore how the teacher treats students’ errors. How often are students encouraged to autonomously notice and correct their own errors? Are peers encouraged to help, or do teachers simply correct their students?
Theme 3 explores whether group work or pair-work are encouraged by the teacher.
Theme 4 deals with the strategies that the teachers provide their students. It is evident that gaining effective learning strategies enhances the students’ autonomy. As Griffiths, claims, “If students are taught the strategies to work out the answers for themselves, they are empowered to manage their own learning” (2004, p.1).
Theme 5 asks if the teacher is using LA tools in class. Specifically, are the teacher’s making use of learning aid other than assigned textbooks?
Theme 6: asks if the teacher is negotiating with students. This theme seeks to establish if there is any evidence in the lesson of the teachers empowering their students by negotiating the lesson plan or topics or activities or any other aspect of the lesson. In her article, Cotterall discusses “the crucial role played by teacher/ learner dialogue about learning in the classroom, and considers the implications for materials, task design, and time management” (1995, p.219).
Theme 7 asks if the teacher is encouraging students to engage in outside of classroom activities for learning English. I agree with Richards that there are “two dimensions to successful second language learning: what goes on inside the classroom and what goes outside the classroom (2004, p.1). He also draws attention to the idea that “new roles emerge for teachers as learners become more actively involved in managing aspects of their own learning”.
Theme 8 asks if the teacher seems to be Facilitator, Advisor and/or Motivator.  In the role of a facilitator, one of the teacher’s main responsibilities is to establish situations likely to promote communication (Larsen-Freeman,and Aderson , 2016, p.122) and to “help the students discover their own ways of learning and how to work independently”. And as a motivator the teacher “seeks to improve the students’ confidence and interest in learning and to build a classroom climate that will motivate students” (Richards&Lockhart,1996, p.106).

Evidence from the checklist and follow-up interview:

Following our independent analysis of the videotaped lesson, I met with each of the teachers individually for a semi-structured interview. There were no significant discrepancies between our observation checklists. In our interviews the teachers had the chance to comment on the evidence of LA in the lesson and on what hinders them from fostering LA in their classrooms. Later we also discussed the process all together as a team. Let me share with you some points of our interviews.  I began by asking each of them: “What does LA mean to you?” The teachers stressed many aspects of LA that they felt should be promoted in the classroom. Many points they made related to the students’ responsibilities to be autonomous learners. To my question, “Where do you find your own role in all this?” I received answers like: “I am a learner of learner autonomy myself” or “I really need to be trained in this so that my perception of the ability to help the children learn for themselves will change”. These replies meant a lot to me in my role as their teacher trainer and teacher researcher of the school. To my question “who will teach the students to love learning for its own sake” one teacher replied “I think we will all learn together”. Other teachers claimed that we do need to connect with our students more personally and explore student identity more. And to the question “if you were to teach the videotaped lesson again are there any things you would do differently?” most of the teachers agreed that they would have students more involved in peer correction, peer teaching, they would give students more initiative to work on projects in pairs and they would negotiate the strategies students would like to use. They also expressed a renewed enthusiasm and commitment for using reflective tools such as classroom diary writing, talking to colleagues, peer and self-observations and student questionnaires.

 

Benefits for teachers and the school in general

 

The whole enterprise of creating a checklist, videotaping the lessons, filling out the checklist and discussing our findings in interviews and as a team was very productive for our school. It shed a lot of light on classroom practice and enthused all involved to move forward with the promotion of LA. Hence it was that in the 2016-2017 academic year we ran a project throughout the school entitled “English is Ubiquitous” with over 70 classes taking part. The project rationale was to empower students to take charge of their own learning and  responsibility for decisions concerning all aspects of their learning inside and outside the classroom and how they could regularly share this in class with their peers. Students did research on a wide range of topics of their choices which they presented through posters or power point presentations under their teachers’ guidance and support. The project also invited students to reflect, exchange ideas with peers and discuss how they perceive the notion of LA and answer the question: What does learner autonomy mean to you? In May 2017 these classes shared their own definitions of LA. The resulting 70 definitions have become part of our teacher training sessions and workshops and our students know they have a voice as their perceptions and suggestions are taken on board. But this is another story.

I hope this article offers classroom teacher-researchers some opportunities to extend and deepen their own understanding of LA. Classroom research is important to shed light on teachers’ beliefs and willingness to focus on the promotion of LA in the SLA classroom. The LA Observation Checklist included in this article is a good example for a research tool to begin an investigation into the issue. In our case, the checklist helped both of us to discuss our perceptions, misconceptions and aspirations for promoting LA. I hope the time will come when, in Little’s words, “the development of learner autonomy and the growth of target language proficiency are not only mutually supporting but fully integrated with each other” (2007b, p.195).

REFERENCES

• Al-Busaidi, S. and Al-Maamari, F.S.(2014). Exploring university teachers’ understanding of learner autonomy.Theory and Practice in Language Studies,
• Benson, P. (2011a) Teaching and Researching Autonomy (2^nd). Longman-Pearson.
• Benson,P.(2011b). What’s new in autonomy? Journal Of The Language Teacher 35.4
• Burns,A. (2005). Action  research: an evolving paradigm? State of the Art Article. Lang. Teach.38, pp 57-74. DOI:10.1017/S0261444805002661.CUP.
• Cotterall, S. (1995). Developing a course strategy for learner autonomy. ELT Journal Volume 49/3 July 1995 O.U.P 1995
• Cotteral,  (2000). Promoting learner autonomy through the curriculum: principles for designing language courses. ELT Journal, 54 (2), 109-117.
• .Dewey, J. (1938) Experience and Education, New York: Collier Books
• Griffiths, C. (2004) Language Learning Strategies: Theory and Research. School of Foundations studies AIS St Helens, Auckland, New Zealand.
• Harmer J. (2016) “ Can students learn by themselves? ”. Talk 37^th Annual Convention  TESOL GREECE ATHENS. ELT NEWS
• Hopkins, D. (2002). A teacher’s Guide to Classroom Research (3^rd ed.). Buckingham and Philadelphia: O.U.P.
• Larsen-Freeman, D. and Aderson, M. (2016). Techniques and principles in Language Teaching (3^rd ed.).O.U.P.
• Nunan, D.(2003). Nine Steps to learner autonomy. Symposium 2003.
• Richards, J. C. and Lockhard, C. (1996). Reflective Teaching in Second Language Classrooms. C.U.P.
• Richards, J.C. (2014). The Changing Face of Language Learning: Learning Beyond the Classroom.  doi:0.1177/0033688214561621 rel.sagepub.comSAGE.
• Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
• Williams,M. and Burden, R. (1997). Psychology for language teachers: A social constructivist approach. Cambridge, UK: C.U.P

 

 

 

 

 

 

    Bio  

Dr.Agnes Katsianos has a Master’s Degree in TESOL from Aston University, Birmingham, UK and a PhD in Applied Linguistics from Hellenic American University, Nashua , New Hampshire, USA. She is the founder of Agnes Katsianos school of foreign languages based in Athens and has been a teacher and teacher trainer for four decades. Her main areas of research interest are continuous teacher development and classroom research.