Autonomous Learning Support

Sarah Toogood

My BackgroundLanguage Learner

School Degree Social

Teacher

Language Instructor, Language Learning Adviser,Materials Developer, Researcher, Presenter, Author, Association President, Conference Convener, Reviewer and Teacher Trainer

From Language Labs

To Self-Access Centres

Not Mainstream =

Core Team

Train & Integrate

Train & Integrate

Most quoted quote Benson (2001:170)

“It is evident […] that the more successful curriculum-based approaches to autonomy do not simply leave students to ‘sink or swim’. Invariably, their effectiveness depends on implicit or explicit scaffolding structures. Without these structures, curriculum-based approaches would do little to help students develop the capacity to take control over their learning.”

The need for Scaffolding

Control Freedom

Lots of Support

No Support

Choosing your stroke &

swimming with guidance

Swimming by numbers

Swimming reluctantly

– may sink…Sink or Swim

Create a Complement

Bamboo Scaffolding

Strength Support Flexibility

3 Bamboo Elements

A Spiral: Dialogue & Documentation

A Starting Point: General & Fundamental Skills

A Practice Model: Focused, Transfer & General (FTG)

Dialogue & Documentation Spiral

“I’m bad at English!”

Want to improve:

Problems caused by lack of knowledge in:

LISTENING VOCABULARY & PRONUNCIATION

SPEAKING VOCABULARY, PRONUNCIATION & GRAMMAR

READING VOCABULARY & GRAMMAR

WRITING VOCABULARY & GRAMMAR

Problem Plan

Problem: I understand my lecturers but can’t follow Australian classmates when they chat to each other. I feel left out.

Plan: Study slang in Australian conversations. Use FTG materials and strategies for listening to Australian conversations and Australian slang vocabulary, check my progress continually. Work with the help of a Language Adviser and friends.

FTG Practice Model Focused Practice : Teach

Transfer Practice : Check

General Practice : Expose

FTG Practice Model Focused Practice :

• Materials: Australian Conversations containing Slang. An Australian Slang Dictionary. Means of keeping notes.

• Strategies: Identify incomprehensible words/phrases from the conversations. Discover meanings and usage from the Australian Slang Dictionary and or Australians. Note them down.

Transfer Practice :• Materials: Flash Card Apps, Paper Pen, Friends/Teachers,

Conversations from Focused Practice • Strategies: Space Time Test recognition of meanings and

use from notes collected during Focused Practice.• Space Time Test comprehension of words/phrases when

listening to the same conversations from Focused Practice.General Practice :

• Materials: Australian Movies, Radio, TV, Australian friends.• Strategies: Listen as much and as often as you can. Don’t worry if you

don’t understand everything just keep listening to Australian conversations.

3 Bamboo Elements

A Spiral: Dialogue & Documentation

A Starting Point: General & Fundamental Skills

A Practice Model: Focused, Transfer & General (FTG)

A Complement to Mainstream

Portal & Storage

A Tool for Bamboo Scaffolding

Swimming Confidently “It’s systematical and fun and the memory of learning is almost permanent” (Lang 106 Student)

“I prefer this kind of learning because each person has different problem. Everyone should find out what is their problem and solve it” (Lang 306 Student)

“There are several factors which can lead to success in my learning and improvements in my language ability. The first factors is a wide range of materials in the SAC that can provide the language learners suitable and plenty ways to improve their languages. The second factor is setting up VELA plans. It is useful because the learners have some useful guidelines and instruction to learn language step by step” (Lang 106 Student)

Swimming Confidently “In this module, I have learnt to self-study more effectively by setting learning focus, choosing learning strategies, making learning plan, using varieties of resources in the SAC, evaluating learning progress, making learning decision based on needs and balancing between focus practices and transfer practices. I have also made some improvement on my listening skills on the area of recognizing linking and weak forms in daily conversations.” (PG Student)

“There is a lot of freedom and I like the SAC” (PG Student)

“I prefer an interesting learning such as the learning in the SAC but not the classroom.” (Lang 306 Student)

“The lang106 is very good in helping us learn individually.” (Lang 106 Student)

It really helps. I’ve got evidence. I’ve got student’s work showing that I have improved.” (Lang 106 Teacher)

“Once they understood FTG they love the concept and use those terms to describe their learning.” (Lang 306 Teacher)

“Helps to see the essential elements of making up a plan e.g. duration how often, how to evaluate etc.” (Adviser)

Guiding Confidently

Motivation – It’s mine…

Lang 306 Self-Access Module: Student Interviews

“I came up with that [idea of cheating] when my FYP was due but finally I didn’t do that, I DIDN’T do that! Because my motivation to join this module wasn’t that because I’m not actually doing something for you but I’m learning for me. So although I did have the idea it was my motivation in participation of this module enabled me to keep a positive attitude towards learning self-learning.”

“The other course focus on the same thing, for example business letter, they [students on the course] usually come from the same department so the business letter can be easily modified but on self-access they focus on different area I at least cannot copy from Michael.”

(Toogood & Pemberton 2002:105-106)

ReferencesBenson, P. 1997, The philosophy and politics of learner autonomy. In P. Benson and P. Voller (Eds.). Autonomy and Independence in Language Learning. London:

LongmanBenson, P. 2001. Teaching and Researching Autonomy in Language Learning. London:

Longman.Cotterall, S. 2009. Learner autonomy in a mainstream writing course: articulating learning gains, in R. Pemberton, S. Toogood & A. Barfield (eds.) Maintaining control: Autonomy and language learning Hong Kong: HKU Press pp. 87-107Dam, L., R. Eriksson, D. Little, J. Miliander and T. Trebbi. 1990. Towards a definition of autonomy. In Proceedings of Developing Autonomous Learning in the Classroom, 11-14 August 1989, Institutt for practise pedagogikk,

Universitetet I Bergen, Bergen.Dam, L. 2009.The use of logbooks: a tool for developing learner autonomy in R. Pemberton, S. Toogood & A. Barfield (eds.) Maintaining control: Autonomy and language learning Hong Kong: HKU Press pp.125-144.Holec, H. 1980. Autonomy and Foreign Language Learning. Strasbourg: Council of Europe.Little, D. 1990. Autonomy in Language Learning: some theoretical and practical considerations. In I. Gathercole (Ed.) Autonomy in Language Learning.

London: CILTGardner, D. and Miller, L. 1999. Establishing Self-Access From theory to practice. Cambridge. Cambridge University Press. .

Gremmo, M-J. and P. Riley. 1995. Autonomy, self-direction and self access in language teaching and learning: the history of an idea. System 23 (2) 151-64Sheerin, S. 1991. Self-access; State-of-the-article. Language Teaching 24 (3) 143-57

ReferencesKarlsson, L. & F. Kjisik (2007) ‘The role of autobiography in fostering learning and reflective thinking’ in A. Barfield & S.H. Brown (eds.) Reconstructing autonomy in language education: Inquiry and innovation. Basingstoke: Palgrave MacmillanMynard, J., and Carson, L. (Eds.) (2012). Advising in language learning: Dialogue, tools and context, London: Pearson.Toogood, S. & Pemberton, R. (2002) Integrating self-directed learning into the curriculum: a

case study. In P. Benson and S. Toogood (eds.), Learner Autonomy 7: Challenges to Research and Practice. Dublin: Authentik. Toogood, S. (2005). Taking control or jumping through hoops: issues with SALL in mainstream courses. In J. Jones-Parry and M. Hobbs (eds.), Proceedings of the 2nd Independent Learning Oceania Conference. Accessible at

http://www.independentlearning.org/

Toogood, S. (2006) VELA (Virtual English Language Adviser). Independence, (Newsletter of the IATEFL Learner Autonomy Special Interest Group) 38: 14-15.

Toogood, S. & Pemberton R. (2006). Scaffolding for self-Access language learning and the FTG model. In T. Lamb & H. Reinders (Eds.), Supporting independent learning: Issues and interventions. Frankfurt: Peter Lang pp.169-187.Toogood, S. & Pemberton R. (2007). Support structures for self-access learning.'. In A. Barfield & S. Brown (Eds.), Reconstructing Autonomy in Language Education: Inquiry and Innovation (180-195). Palgrave: Macmillan pp.180-195.Voller, P. (1998) One to one consultations video and guidebook. English Centre: Hong Kong

University. Accessible at http//:caes.hku.hk/1to1