What do we mean by autonomy?

Language learning, and therefore teaching, is no longer limited to increasing language skills, knowledge and usage for communicative purposes. It also includes teaching learners ways of learning so that they become more efficient as learners. They can develop techniques which continue to support their long-term efforts after they leave school. I his includes paying attention to learner confidenceand learning competence.It means we need to consider how learners learn and not just what they learn. The process is as important as the product.

I Why is autonomy important?

Showing learners how to learn independently of the teacher increases their belief in themselves, as learners. In turn, it helps to boost learners' self-esteem and their confidenceabout their own abilities to learn languages (which was so successful when they learned their mother tongue). We can also help them become more aware of the ways they learn so they develop efficient learning strategies and become more competentlearners. This will help our learners learn better.

Ii How can we encourage autonomy?

The teacher has an important role in encouraging; a positive learning atmosphere in which learners are actively engaged and prepared to take risks with their language and to think individually. Teachers can encourage this by:

- using activeand inductiveways to encourage learners to think, guess, and predict meanings from the familiar contexts created / presented. This is in preference to just telling learners new meanings / rules, without giving them a chance to use available clues

- encouraging learners to integratetheir previous knowledge and to use their existing understandings to experimentand to work out to construct their understanding of new items. This is in preference to doing set, isolated practice exercises

- giving opportunities for learners to work autonomouslyso they experience the chance to organizethemselves independently of the teacher, reinforce their confidence in themselves and their competence as learners, both individually and collaboratively. This is in preference to relying solely on the teacher, which results in a dependency culture

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