Promoting learner autonomy

1. Promoting Learner
autonomy
Start now!

2. Educast
Maria 32
Reading
About me
Workaholic

3. Mohammad
Nabil
About me
• - ESL Educator with 8+ years.
• - Former ESL instructor at PUA.
• - Cambridge CELTA & TKT certified teacher.
• - Arizona State University TESOL certified
teacher and teacher trainer.
• - National Geographic certified Educator.
• - Podcaster (Educast EG)

4. Some issues and some
advice
What can teachers do? What can teachers say?
What is learner
autonomy?

5. “Education is really aimed at helping
students get to the point where they can
learn on their own.”
—Naom Chomsky
Quote

6. Lead-in
Think about a prior learning experience that didn’t involve language and discuss the following
questions:
- How much learning did you do in the learning context (classroom, lecture, theatre, etc.?
- How much learning did you do in your own time?

7. Some issues and some advice
Lead-in
Read the statements below about different experiences that teachers have had. Choose the
statement that most closely reflects an experience that you have had as a teacher (or as a learner).
I feel that I’m doing most things right in the classroom,
but my learners just don’t seem to make much
progress.
A lot of my learners have been through an education
system where they don’t seem to have been taught
how to think for themselves. They want me to provide
them with everything.
I’m not sure if my learners know why they’re learning
English. They’re all adults, so I suppose they have
made a choice to study, but I’m not sure whether they
know they’ve made that choice.
Some groups seem to want me to give them homework,
while others resist it. I tell them what they can do if they
want, but ultimately, it’s up to them.
I sometimes feel that learners want me to do everything
for them and constantly get feedback from me. The point
is that I can’t be there to ‘control’ their language one
hundred per cent of the time.

8. Tell each other which statement you chose and why.
Give some background to the actual experience you had
In groups
Some issues and some advice

9. How could a teacher best deal with the previous issues?
Some issues and some advice
Match the ideas below to the experiences
a) by developing awareness of learning processes inside the classroom.
b) by developing awareness of how best to study outside the classroom.
c) by developing one-to-one tutorial sessions.

10. What is learner autonomy?
Complete the following definition individually, placing one word in each
space.
What is learner autonomy?
Learner autonomy involves helping learners understand the ……………….
of learning both inside and outside the classroom. It means that they
begin to ………………. That they have a large role to play in their own
learning. It also allows learners to understand what their …………….. Are
and to set ………………… for themselves . Part of the process involves
finding out about specific ………………………. that can help them to learn.
As a result, they can, to some extent, decide ……………….. They should
learn and …………............ They should learn it.
What - goals -
acknowledge - process -
how - needs - strategies
Process
acknowledge
needs
goals
strategies
what
how

11. In groups
What can teachers do?
Think of ideas of how you can help learners to
develop awareness of learning processes inside the
classroom.
Group 1
Historia
Think of ideas of how you can provide learners with
ideas for study outside the classroom.
Group 2
Group 3
Think of ideas of what you can say to learners in
one-to-one tutorials.
(3-4 minutes)

12. What can teachers do?
a Suggest to your learners that they try to vary their task choice. For example, learners who are usually drawn
to more fluency-based tasks because they reflect their learning style can be told to try a more accuracy-
focused task.
b Do lessons that give your learners an orientation to resources that can be used outside class time such as
school library or learning Centre.
c Give learners feedback on the progress they have or haven’t made in relation to their short- and long-term
learning goals.
d Get learners to talk about the methodology that you use and begin to provide them with rationales for your
approach. For example, you can let them know that you set a time limit for some reading tasks so as to ensure
that they practice scan reading skills.
What can teachers do?
Here are some ideas on what teachers can do. Are they similar to the ideas you
thought about? Can you sort them out according to the three groups

13. What can teachers do?
e Familiarize learners with reference sections in the coursebook they are using.
f Set aside some classroom time for self-study so that learners get used to working independently.
g Point out specific resources (books, computer programs, websites) that an individual learner can use and
show how the resource can be used to meet the learner’s needs.
h Write up a brief tutorial summary for your learner and outline some key action points.
i Use guided discovery techniques so that learners get used to working out the answers for themselves.
j Offer learners options when setting homework.
What can teachers do?
Here are some ideas on what teachers can do. Are they similar to the ideas you
thought about? Can you sort them out according to the three groups

14. What can teachers do?
k Suggest they implement some kind of learning system that works for them, e.g., ways of recording what they
have learnt ways of tracking what they have practiced.
l Let learners know about any opportunities for exposure to authentic English in the town or city they live in.
m Develop learner autonomy for having them read instructions silently to themselves rather than always giving
instructions verbally.
What can teachers do?
Here are some ideas on what teachers can do. Are they similar to the ideas you
thought about? Can you sort them out according to the three groups

15. What can teachers do?
Think of ideas of how you can help
learners to develop awareness of
learning processes inside the
classroom.
Group 1
Historia
Think of ideas of how you
can provide learners with
ideas for study outside the
classroom.
Group 2 Group 3
Think of ideas of what you
can say to learners in one-to-
one tutorials.
d i m b e f
j l
a c g
h k

16. In groups
Historia
Read the learner problems a-e.
These are typical comments from
learner tutorials. Choose the most
constructive of the two pieces of
advice offered by the teacher.
What can teachers say?

17. What can teachers say?
What can teachers say?
“I want to learn English very quickly because I need a high IELTS score.”
1- Study as hard as you possibly can and try not to get discouraged.
2- Try to set learning goals that you feel you can achieve. Don’t try and learn everything at once.
“I hate Friday tests because I always do badly.”
1- Well, I suppose they are only revision tests and are not worth getting too worried about.
2- We do the tests to help you revise what you have learnt. But maybe you need to do a bit more of
your own revision at home.
“There’s too much to learn – I’ll never know English.”
1- Don’t just think about what you have to learn in the future. Also think about what you have
managed to learn so far.
2- In the end, you will end up knowing the English you need to know, and you don’t need to worry
about anything else.
“Learning vocabulary is so difficult for me – all these lists and lists of words.”
1- Just make sure you learn all the words that you need to learn and read your lists every day.
2- Perhaps try organizing words in your vocabulary notebook into subject headings. It’s sometimes
easier to remember words when they are associated with a topic.
“Teachers are always telling me to read. I don’t like reading much.”
1- You don’t need to read all the time, but occasionally it helps to do things that are a little bit
challenging for you.
2- Well, in the end, I can’t force you to read if you don’t like it that much..

18. Group work (2 groups) Have you ever taught learners with a similar kind of profile?

19. Group work (2 mixed groups) Describe your learner and discuss what advice you could give to him or her.

20. Group work (2 mixed groups) Compare your ideas with the ones below

21. Reflection
What autonomous learning did you do in your initial study/training to become an English-language teacher?
Reflection task
What autonomous learning have you done since you began working as an English-language teacher in order
to develop professionally?

22. Thanks!