Many
people think that when teachers promote learner autonomy they are in fact
promoting students work in a lonely environment away from the teachrers’ job.
In fact this is not so as teachers’ work is much more complicated. They have to
assign tests, rubrics for students to evaluate themselves and they have to
provide activities that generally always demand too much reading on the part of
the teacher.
But
I think that the most thing is that it prepares students for future life as it
helps them to learn about the core of democracy where everyone has to be
responsible for the decisions he/ she takes. Students learn to take charge of
their own learning and they accept the responsibility of their job. If somebody
decides not to do homework, he knows
what the result will be.
In
the same way when you vote somebody then you have to learn that if your
decision was not right next time you will have to learn better about candidates
before voting.
One
interesting activity I generally organize to develop their autonomy is to
assign homework and through this you foster responsibility on the students. But
it is not only that. It helps students to choose their own learning activities
and it involves students in activities where they can discuss a topic, analyse
it and then present it to the rest of the class for them to judge.
Moreover
students can do collaborative work in small groups and they can keep a record
of the job done. They can even engage in their own evaluation progress and be
respected by teachers in reference to their decisions.
I
believe that learner autonomy helps students to grow up and become responsible
adults.
Elena
Hi Elena,
ReplyDeleteWhat you said is true, especially when you say that "learner autonomy helps students to grow up and become responsible adults." I give my support to your point of view because when students are asked by the teacher to work with their classmates (pair work) or in groups, it's a very good way to help them become responsible people. And this can become a reality when they are appointed as the "spokesperson" of their working team for instance. In addition to that, they grow up in terms of more knowledge they can get from their peers.
Best regards,
Dagnogo
Hi Elena,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your interesting post and I really like three key issues in your article, which I would like to point out:
- to prepare students for future;
- teach and practice democracy - everyone is responsible for his/her decision;
- students grow up and become responsible adults
We all - students, teachers, parents, authorities,... - do agree with this but WHO is able to enrich learning potential most in class?
- Parents would say it is the teacher's role;
- Teachers would say it is the parents' and learners' role;
- authorities would announce it is the parents' & teachers' role;
- I say that giving autonomy to learners (by the teachers) to collaborate and mutually improve knowledge, motivate and support for learning (by the parents) and use equipment and technology (given by authorities)in a learner-centered environment helps our learners grow to responsible, democratic and motivated adults.
Although I do not teach young learners at the moment,but I do experience in my daily tuition to adults, that these key issues are essential and can only be caught up/learnt at a later time with huge effort and difficulties. I know what I am talking about, due to my experience as adult educator and mother of four children. I need to add that building confidence through autonomy in learning and project work prepares students for daily challenges in their later life.
regards
Brigitte
Hi Elena,
ReplyDeleteIt is true that this week my concern was mostly the one-computer classroom and I did not work on Learners' Autonomy, but reading your post was very rewarding professionally speaking. I particularly likes the link you have established between learner's autonomy and making a decision on which candidate to vote for during elections. Some people do not know that the teaching job is not just passing on a number of quantifiable pieces of knowledge to people but it is mostly, as in the case of young learners, preparing the students to their future and this involves so many aspects, one of them being what you have so well highlighted.
Thanks and best regards.