An autonomous learner is someone who takes responsibility for their own learning by setting goals, choosing learning strategies, monitoring progress, and evaluating their learning. There are four types of autonomy: technical, psychological, social, and political. For optimal learning, an autonomous learner requires input like reference models and exposure to the target language, an overall goal with specific performance targets, and feedback pointing out problems and indicating aids for pronunciation and discourse. It is important to understand autonomy as it implies a change in educational practices, with teachers and learners taking on new roles and continuously reflecting on learning needs.

1. Why I feel I can be an
autonomous learner.
By Ana Georgina Jimenez C.

2. What is an autonomous
learner?
An autonomous learner is the
subject that:
Takes responsibility for his/her
own learning.
Sets goals
Chooses languages learning
strategies.
Monitors progress.
Evaluates (to a greater or less
degree) his /her successful
acquisition.

3. Versions of Autonomy
Technical: the act of learning a language outside the
framework of an educational institution and without the
intervention of a teacher.
Psychological: the capacity which allows learners to take
more responsibility for their own learning.
Social : the capacity to interact and collaborate with others.
Political: the conditions that allow learners to control the
process and content of learning as well as the institutional
context within which learning takes place.

5. Learning EnvironmentINPUT: more reference
models,enough exposure,an overall
goal, specific targets for
performance.
OUTPUT: building skills in stages (
starting with exercises that can
establish patterns of the target
language, e.g., listening,repetition
and role play). Linking
pronunciation to other goal. (e.g.,
listening)
FEEDBACK : pointing out specific
individual problems, indicating
automated aids to timing and
chunking of spoken discourse
,cumulative analysis for self-
correction.

6. Conclusion
It is important to know and understand the
principles of learner autonomy before attacking or
defending it. It is part of a wider panorama: new
teacher's and learner's roles are emerging and
teaching has to be adapted to them. In addition, it
is only a matter of training, selecting objectives or
having a "special place"; it must imply a deeper
change in educational practices and teachers and
learners need to produce new development
plans,based on continuous learning and reflection
on our learning needs, objectives and goals.

7. References
Benson, P. (1995) A Critical View of Learner
Training.
Davies, P. Pearse, E. (2000) Success in English
Teaching.
Healey, D. (2007) Theory and Research:
autonomy and language learning.
Holec,H. (1981) Autonomy in Foreign Language
Learning.