Week 8 Reflections “Autonomous Learner Manages How to Study“

There is success and failure in the way we teach even though we teach the same class and there are ups and downs in students’ motivation. What changes students to become autonomous learners? There are many variables in life to change a person’s way of thinking. Dimitrios Thanasoulas in “What is Learner Autonomy and How Can It Be Fostered?” says that autonomous learning is achieved when certain conditions obtain: cognitive and metacognitive strategies on the part of the learner, motivation, attitudes, and knowledge about language learning, i.e., a kind of metalanguage. However, education gives a big influence in students’ life. A teacher is the one to show the way to become autonomous learner. What a virtuous job we have!

This week the issue we had to face was how to encourage learner autonomy with the use of technology. After reading all the definitions about the autonomous learners in the article, I think it is more likely that those who
have learned to be responsible and attained self-discipline are the ones that
will become autonomous learners outside the classroom. Actually students and teachers are not given much freedom to be able to take charge of their learning in class. To me autonomous learners are not totally in charge of every aspect of their learning. In my definition autonomous learners are those who have the control of their time to study alone without being forced, are able to assess their skills and know what to do to enhance their skills to achieve their goals.

As for encouraging autonomy in students, for example, I take small steps
to bring my students to be independent thinkers. I have students make
their own notebooks and use them to keep track of their extra work. The way to use them is up to them. Some use them for doing optional assignments and some for writing lyrics of their favorite music or for preparing for the term-tests. Only a few students submitted their notebooks at first but more students started to hand in theirs because the individual study outside the class gained extra points. This is still a controlled study, yet as autonomous as our system allows.

Another independent study for students is that each student carries a vocabulary book and studies on their own and takes a vocabulary test whenever he/she wants to take it. The tests are made and printed out by the teacher.

Autonomous activity after school is an English Club, an extra-curriculum activity. Students get together once a week and read or watch English plays or movies, or make and play skits. They plan among themselves what they like to do in the time in the allotted time. English teachers are overseers for them.

I visited Hassina’s blog and learned again that we teachers have such an important job to guide our students to find what autonomous learners are. Autonomous life holds a lot of freedom and responsibility.