2. The plan
• Autonomous learner
• Why and how to promote independent study skills ?
• The reasons to learn a language
• Characteristics of motivated learners
• Motivation and its types
3. What is learner autonomy
• Learner autonomy is when students take control and
responsibility for their own learning, both in terms of what they
learn and how they learn it. It takes as its starting point the idea
that students are capable of self-direction and are able to
develop an independent, proactive approach to their studies.
4. Why independent learning?
• Improved academic performance
• Increased motivation and confidence
• Increased chances to be creative and intellectually creative
• Fostered social inclusion and countered alienation from peers
• Increased opportunities for completing differentiated tasks, set by the
teacher
5. How to facilitate independent learning ?
• Provide students with opportunities to self-monitor
• Use questioning as scaffolding to independent learning
• Offer models of behaviour
• Provide written and/or oral feedback on classwork and homework
• Give pupils choices and encourage your students to set their own learning goals
• Encourage collaboration&cooperation
• Encourage your pupils to be reflective
• Help with resources for learning
6. Discuss the following questions
• How important do you think motivation is for success in language learning,
compared to , for example, language aptitude ?
• How important is people`s past success in language learning for their
motivation to learn in the present and future
• What characteristics do you associate with the image of motivated learner?
• Do you think the different age groups are motivated in different ways?
7. Why may people want to learn a language?
• Academic requirement
• Occupational purposes
• Interest in culture
• Family relationships
• Travelling / migration
• Unconditioned desire and love to the language
8. Characteristics of motivated learners
(Naiman et al)
• Positive task orientation
• Ego-involvement
• Need for achievement
• High aspirations
• Goal orientation
• Perseverance
• Tolerance of ambiguity
