Language Learner Autonomy Theory, Practice and Research

by Little, David; Dam, Leni; Legenhausen, Lienhard

• ISBN13: 9781783098583
• ISBN10: 1783098589
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2017-09-30
• Publisher: Multilingual Matters

Summary

This is the first book on language learner autonomy to combine comprehensive accounts of classroom practice with empirical and case-study research and a wide-ranging engagement with applied linguistic and pedagogical theory. It provides a detailed description of an autonomy classroom in action, focusing on Danish mixed-ability learners of English at lower secondary level, and reports the findings of a longitudinal research project that explored the learning achievement over four years of one class in the same Danish school. It also presents two learner case studies to show that the autonomy classroom responds to the challenges of differentiation and inclusion, and two institutional case studies that illustrate the power of autonomous learning to support the social inclusion of adult refugees and the educational inclusion of immigrant children. The concluding chapter offers some reflections on teacher education for language learner autonomy. Each chapter ends with discussion points and suggestions for further reading.

Author Biography

David Little is Associate Professor Emeritus and Fellow Emeritus at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland. He has been a regular contributor to the Council of Europe's language education projects since the 1980s. In 2010, the National University of Ireland awarded him an honorary doctorate in recognition of his contribution to language education in Ireland and further afield.

Leni Dam works as a freelance pedagogical advisor for pre- and in-service language teachers. She is a committee member of the Learner Autonomy Special Interest Group within IATEFL. In 2004, she received an honorary doctorate in pedagogy from Karlstad University, Sweden in recognition of her innovative work in language teaching.

Lienhard Legenhausen is Professor Emeritus, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Germany and Visiting Professor, National Bohdan Chmelnytzkyj University of Cherkasy, Ukraine. He is a committee member of IATEFL's Learner Autonomy Special Interest Group.

Table of Contents

Preface

Introduction

Part I: The Autonomy Classroom In Practice: An Example From Lower Secondary Education

1. Using the Target Language: Spontaneity, Identity, Authenticity

2. Interaction and Collaboration: The Dialogic Construction of Knowledge

3. Letting Go and Taking Hold: Giving Control to the Learners

4. Evaluation: The Hinge on Which Learner Autonomy Turns

Part II: Language Learner Autonomy: Evidence Of Success

5. Exploring Learning Outcomes: Some Research Findings

6. Language Learner Autonomy and Inclusion: Two Case Studies

Part III: Language Learner Autonomy: Meeting Future Challenges

7. The Linguistic, Social and Educational Inclusion of Immigrants: A New Challenge for Language Learner Autonomy

8. Teacher Education for Language Learner Autonomy: Some Reflections and Proposals

Conclusion

References