What
are the significant changes you have seen in the perception of IL in the
last 10 years? Is there a growing appreciation of it? What are the most
encouraging changes and developments?
There
have been a number of welcome developments in recent years which reflect
a growing appreciation by educationalists and the language teaching profession
around the world of the need for lifelong learning and, thus, the importance
of helping learners develop the knowledge and skills to learn more effectively
and independently. We have seen a growth in interest in independent learning
in many sectors of education around the world, although often couched in
different terms, and implemented to different degrees. One important development
that has arisen from this is an increasing acknowledgement of the different
IL needs of different contexts and cultures; of thinking globally but acting
locally (See, for example, Ho & Crookall, 1995, Littlewood, 1999, Palfreyman
(2000), Sinclair, 1997).
Another important development which has had an enormous influence on the
wider interest in learner independence is, of course, the recent advancement
in technology such as the worldwide web and internet-based learning. Educational
institutions are investing more in technological resources to support their
learners and this has influenced greatly what can be pursued and learnt
independently by the learner. Paradoxically, perhaps, this recent investment
in technology, often within self-access or independent learning centres,
has led to the realisation that having access to the latest technology or
resources alone will not necessarily help learners to develop the capacity
for independent learning, and that other kinds of support are needed. Thus,
we have seen much interest recently in the establishment of learning counsellors
or consultants or tutors (different contexts use different terms for this
role) whose role is to advise, guide, counsel and encourage the learner
to become more aware of and articulate his/her learning experiences, strengths,
needs and plans, i.e., to provide, individually or in groups, what is often
called 'learner training' (Kelly,1996, Ravindran, 1998, Gardner & Miller,
1999, Karlsson et al, 1997). In other words, it has become clear that simply
putting learners in a situation where they have the opportunity to learn
on their own, with or without hi-tech resources, is not enough to help them
develop their capacity for autonomy.
Another welcome development is the current revival of interest in the work
of Vygotsky (e.g., 1978) and the resulting acknowledgement of the importance
of social learning. Learner independence is no longer seen as something
that can be engaged in only by the individual. We are now seeing areas set
aside in self-access and independent learning centres where learners can
work collaboratively, and even make some noise!
Finally, perhaps the most welcome change, particularly for those of us with
a research interest in learner autonomy, is the growing awareness of the
rich, multi-disciplinary philosophical and theoretical underpinnings of
learner autonomy. In the field of language learning, writers, such as Benson
(1996, 1997), Little, (1991, 1995), Little & Dam (1999), Pennycook (1997),
Riley (1988, 1996), have recently encouraged us to think much more deeply
about
what we are doing and why. Learner autonomy/ independence has now passed
through the stage of being an 'EFL gimmick' and has claimed its rightful
place as a fundamentally important goal of language education.
There
is still much to be done, of course. There needs to be more research into,
and a greater understanding of, cultural and contextual differences in the
interpretation and implementation of learner independence. In addition,
many teachers are still unfamiliar with, or anxious about, helping their
learners develop greater autonomy. More programmes of teacher education
are needed in order to help them cope with the expanded role of supporting
independent learning.
Do you think current coursebooks do anything/ enough
to foster IL? What changes in approach could/should be made?
It has been a while since I undertook a review of the ways in which
coursebooks fostered learner autonomy. Ten years ago, it was clear that
many publishers had hooked into 'learning to learn' and many coursebook
cover 'blurbs' talked about encouraging learners to work more independently.
However, it was clear that most of these coursebooks, constrained as they
were by publishers (no. of pages and page size), and the need to be sold
on a global market and to appeal to all teachers, did this very inconsistently
and rather too briefly. A series of coursebooks designed specifically to
bring systematic learner training for independence to short courses for
adult learners ('Activate Your English', CUP) has met with limited success.
Teachers who are more familiar with the concepts of independence and a focus
on the learning process use the course successfully, whereas teachers who
are not, or are more used to the 'traditional' focus on learning product,
are not prepared to explore this approach, despite the detailed support
in the teacher`s books. My conclusion is that clever publishers and coursebook
authors produce their materials with the teachers, rather than the learners,
in mind. If a teacher feels he or she cannot work with a book - that the
ideas or methodology contained within it are unfamiliar or seem to require
deeper understanding - the book is unlikely to be adopted. Thus, we find
many coursebooks on the market which may claim to prepare learners for independence,
but which rarely take the risk of doing so in any systematic way. In other
words, in my view, whether a coursebook is successful in helping learners
be more independent has much more to do with the teachers using it than
the book itself.
A coursebook specially designed to develop a degree of learner independence
may also fail to meet the needs of the specific group of learners because
such needs differ from context to context, as do the interpretation of,
and constraints imposed upon, learner independence. Again, it is the teacher,
or other learning support person, who is the key to the successful implementation
of learner independence.
We've all read about attitudes towards IL changing
from culture to culture. How do you perceive the Gulf Arab attitude in light
of this?
From my own research, it has become clear that learner autonomy is interpreted
and understood in many different ways, from context to context. There are
many different and overlapping terms which can cause confusion.
First a disclaimer! I have been to the Gulf (UAE) only once, where I gave
ten talks in ten days (while suffering from a heavy dose of flu) in a range
of different locations on various aspects concerning learner autonomy. Flying
in to do 'hit and run' sessions, as I call them, is always a dangerous activity,
but even more so when the context is unfamiliar. All one can do is offer
one`s own insights and experiences and leave the audiences to extract whatever
useful learning points they feel are relevant. Nevertheless, despite a head
stuffed full of virus, I felt I learnt something about your context as I
travelled around. I was impressed by what seemed to me to be a great commitment
to independent learning in post-school education in UAE, the effort to understand
the learners' specific learning needs and a genuine desire to incorporate
IL throughout the learning experience. Clearly, such an emphasis on IL will
have an effect on the learners, both male and female, and their society.
It will be interesting to see how this will affect attitudes towards independent
learning in the future.
What can be done to take IL more out of the classroom
and into other areas of life?
This does not happen automatically or quickly. Learning to learn
independently takes a good deal of time, effort and metacognitive knowledge
on the part
of the learners. Teachers will need to get learners used to making informed
choices within the classroom first of all, and then move them to choices
in their homework, projects, and other out of class activities. An IL centre
would also help, of course. Some institutions organise camps and trips,
etc. that learners have to plan for, participate in and work on, but that
may not be appropriate in all contexts and with all learners.
All of the above is pretty obvious to those of us engaged in trying to develop
independence in our learners. There is another factor which is, sadly, often
neglected: independence needs to be a whole institution policy, not something
that is undertaken or supported by one or two 'heroic' teachers only, or
where the 'independent learning centre' is seen merely as an adjunct to
the institution. For the best chances of success, the institution needs
to build a pervasive culture of independence based on a consensual policy.
The management needs to be behind the policy, all public documents need
to reiterate this and reflect this, and learners need to be valued for independent
learning activities they have carried out through, for example, awards and
by 'publishing' or displaying their work. All teachers need to have a good
understanding of the theory and practice of how to promote independent learning
and broadly agree on the procedures and materials for doing so with their
learners. The assessment procedures need to relate to these. Parents need
to be on board, too, and should have the institution`s policy and activities
clearly explained to them.
What techniques, strategies and approach would you
recommend to primary teachers to help them to set their pupils on the path
to IL?
The most important things primary teachers can do are to develop
in their learners positive attitudes towards learning and help their learners
develop metacognitive knowledge and strategies. The simplest way of doing
this is to organise learning activities according to the 'Plan - Do - Review'
cycle. This means asking even very small children to say what they are going
to do and how they plan to do it, and afterwards, asking them to talk about
how it went. This is not difficult and can very quickly encourage them to
a) articulate and understand their learning experiences, b) become aware
of different strategies for learning, c) learn more about themselves as
learners. These are all pre-requisites for developing independent learning
skills. Teachers need to ask their young learners more questions beginning
with 'why?' and 'how?' to encourage them to talk about their learning. Ellis'
work (e.g,; Ellis, 1998, and Brewster & Ellis, 1993) is particularly
useful for primary teachers wishing to start their pupils on the path towards
learner independence.