36
www.britishcouncil.org 1 Redirecting Multiple Intelligences theory: Moving towards learner autonomy - in young learners.

Www.britishcouncil.org1 Redirecting Multiple Intelligences theory: Moving towards learner autonomy - in young learners

Embed Size (px)

Citation preview

Page 1: Www.britishcouncil.org1 Redirecting Multiple Intelligences theory: Moving towards learner autonomy - in young learners

www.britishcouncil.org 1

Redirecting Multiple Intelligences theory: Moving towards learner autonomy- in young learners.

Page 2: Www.britishcouncil.org1 Redirecting Multiple Intelligences theory: Moving towards learner autonomy - in young learners

www.britishcouncil.org 2

Overview○ Learner Autonomy (LA) – definition and a very brief history

○ Agency within ELT and its relationship to LA

○ Intelligence in general and how it pertains to the individual

○ Multiple Intelligence theory applied to promote LA / agency

Page 3: Www.britishcouncil.org1 Redirecting Multiple Intelligences theory: Moving towards learner autonomy - in young learners

www.britishcouncil.org 3

Learner AutonomyWhat does Learner Autonomy mean to you?

What do Learners need to become Autonomous?

Page 4: Www.britishcouncil.org1 Redirecting Multiple Intelligences theory: Moving towards learner autonomy - in young learners

www.britishcouncil.org 4

A brief history of Autonomy

First begins to appear in language learning literature in the 1970’s

www.britishcouncil.org 4

Has origins in “distance learning” and a series of texts about traditional education

Seminal texts “Autonomy and Foreign Language Learning” - Holec 1979

“Learner Autonomy: Definitions, Issues and Problems”- Little 1991

Pedagogy of the Oppressed – Freire, 1970Teaching as a Subversive Activity – Postman, Weingartner, 1971

Deschooling Society – Illich, 1973From Communication to Curriculum – Barnes, 1975

Page 5: Www.britishcouncil.org1 Redirecting Multiple Intelligences theory: Moving towards learner autonomy - in young learners

www.britishcouncil.org 5www.britishcouncil.org 5

A brief history of Autonomy

It is a key concept within the Council of Europe’s CEFR(Common European Framework of Reference for Languages )

The Language learning for European citizenship project produced the drafts for the CEFR and the European Language Portfolio

Page 6: Www.britishcouncil.org1 Redirecting Multiple Intelligences theory: Moving towards learner autonomy - in young learners

www.britishcouncil.org 6

Learner Autonomy1. Autonomy is self-instruction i.e. no need for a teacher.

2. Autonomy is the ability to take charge of one’s learning.

3. Autonomy is destroyed by teacher control.

4. Learner Autonomy is a methodology we can plan into our classes.

5. Autonomy is a capacity for critical reflection and independent action.

6. Autonomy is easy to define and quantify

7. Once Autonomy is obtained in language learning, it can easily be applied to any other area.

2 and 5 are our working definitions coming from Holec and Little

1,3,4,6 and 7 are common misconceptions as described by Little

Page 7: Www.britishcouncil.org1 Redirecting Multiple Intelligences theory: Moving towards learner autonomy - in young learners

www.britishcouncil.org 7

Prerequisites for Learner Autonomy

Agency

From the first slide our second question was:

What do our leaners require to become more autonomous?

Motivation - interest / commitment

“Know-how” - guidance / ability

Page 8: Www.britishcouncil.org1 Redirecting Multiple Intelligences theory: Moving towards learner autonomy - in young learners

www.britishcouncil.org 8

Agency?

NOT THAT TYPE.

Page 9: Www.britishcouncil.org1 Redirecting Multiple Intelligences theory: Moving towards learner autonomy - in young learners

www.britishcouncil.org 9

Agency

Agency  refers to the capacity of individuals to act independently and to make their own free choices within a social setting.

agency n….refers to the capacity for human beings to make meaningful choices and take responsibility for their decisions and actions…

Page 10: Www.britishcouncil.org1 Redirecting Multiple Intelligences theory: Moving towards learner autonomy - in young learners

www.britishcouncil.org 10

Agency in language learning

– What does it require?

social setting

Individuals choice and responsibility

...agency is always a social event that does not take place in a void or in an empty wilderness.

Agency in the classroomvan Lier, L. 2008

Page 11: Www.britishcouncil.org1 Redirecting Multiple Intelligences theory: Moving towards learner autonomy - in young learners

www.britishcouncil.org 11

Agency

Agency cannot exist in a vacuum.

We as teachers must provided our students with a space which promotes their budding agency within the field of language learning.

This is the first step on the long road to learner autonomy.

Page 12: Www.britishcouncil.org1 Redirecting Multiple Intelligences theory: Moving towards learner autonomy - in young learners

www.britishcouncil.org 12

A community of equal individuals in our

classrooms.

Page 13: Www.britishcouncil.org1 Redirecting Multiple Intelligences theory: Moving towards learner autonomy - in young learners

www.britishcouncil.org 13

NOT automatons!

Page 14: Www.britishcouncil.org1 Redirecting Multiple Intelligences theory: Moving towards learner autonomy - in young learners

www.britishcouncil.org 14

Agency and autonomyAnother question

1. How would you now explain the relationship between agency and autonomy?

Page 15: Www.britishcouncil.org1 Redirecting Multiple Intelligences theory: Moving towards learner autonomy - in young learners

www.britishcouncil.org 15

The agency autonomy dynamic

Page 16: Www.britishcouncil.org1 Redirecting Multiple Intelligences theory: Moving towards learner autonomy - in young learners

www.britishcouncil.org 16

Agency and Autonomy

Page 17: Www.britishcouncil.org1 Redirecting Multiple Intelligences theory: Moving towards learner autonomy - in young learners

www.britishcouncil.org 17

 

Moving along – a brief word on intelligence

before moving on to Multiple Intelligences

Page 18: Www.britishcouncil.org1 Redirecting Multiple Intelligences theory: Moving towards learner autonomy - in young learners

www.britishcouncil.org 18

So says Sir Ken RobinsonWe know three things about intelligence:

One it's diverse. …we think visually,

we think in sound, we think kinaesthetically,

we think in abstract terms….

Secondly intelligence is dynamic.

… Intelligence is wonderfully interactive, the brain isn't divided into compartments.

And the third thing about intelligence is it's distinct.

(Robinson K. 2006 TED talk)

Page 19: Www.britishcouncil.org1 Redirecting Multiple Intelligences theory: Moving towards learner autonomy - in young learners

www.britishcouncil.org 19

Our learners are snowflakes.

Page 20: Www.britishcouncil.org1 Redirecting Multiple Intelligences theory: Moving towards learner autonomy - in young learners

www.britishcouncil.org 20

There´s no one word for intelligence in Irish

Page 21: Www.britishcouncil.org1 Redirecting Multiple Intelligences theory: Moving towards learner autonomy - in young learners

www.britishcouncil.org 21

Enter Multiple Intelligences theory (MI)“An intelligence is the ability to solve problems, or to create products, that are valued within one or more cultural settings.”

Gardner H. introduction to Frames of Mind: Theory of multiple intelligences. Basic Press, 1993.

Page 22: Www.britishcouncil.org1 Redirecting Multiple Intelligences theory: Moving towards learner autonomy - in young learners

www.britishcouncil.org 22

Social settings you say?

Page 23: Www.britishcouncil.org1 Redirecting Multiple Intelligences theory: Moving towards learner autonomy - in young learners

www.britishcouncil.org 23

Learning style, thinking style and MI

Page 24: Www.britishcouncil.org1 Redirecting Multiple Intelligences theory: Moving towards learner autonomy - in young learners

www.britishcouncil.org 24

Mix and match

Page 25: Www.britishcouncil.org1 Redirecting Multiple Intelligences theory: Moving towards learner autonomy - in young learners

www.britishcouncil.org 25

The answers

Page 26: Www.britishcouncil.org1 Redirecting Multiple Intelligences theory: Moving towards learner autonomy - in young learners

www.britishcouncil.org 26

MI and LADo you think MI fits the bill to promote LA?

If so, how?

If not, what else would you use to promote LA?

Page 27: Www.britishcouncil.org1 Redirecting Multiple Intelligences theory: Moving towards learner autonomy - in young learners

www.britishcouncil.org 27

MI and individuals“…Getting students to explore the concept of different intelligences can be a real eye opener for them.”

Making Students aware of Different Intelligences: Herbert Puchta (Teaching Tip #6)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiJPUTMVZ_w

Page 28: Www.britishcouncil.org1 Redirecting Multiple Intelligences theory: Moving towards learner autonomy - in young learners

www.britishcouncil.org 28

Not just opening their eyes, putting it in their hands!

Page 29: Www.britishcouncil.org1 Redirecting Multiple Intelligences theory: Moving towards learner autonomy - in young learners

www.britishcouncil.org 29

Learners and their unique MI profile

Page 30: Www.britishcouncil.org1 Redirecting Multiple Intelligences theory: Moving towards learner autonomy - in young learners

www.britishcouncil.org 30

MI as the learners Prerogative

Page 31: Www.britishcouncil.org1 Redirecting Multiple Intelligences theory: Moving towards learner autonomy - in young learners

www.britishcouncil.org 31

Page 32: Www.britishcouncil.org1 Redirecting Multiple Intelligences theory: Moving towards learner autonomy - in young learners

www.britishcouncil.org 32

Put MI in their hands!

You won’t regret it!

Page 33: Www.britishcouncil.org1 Redirecting Multiple Intelligences theory: Moving towards learner autonomy - in young learners

www.britishcouncil.org 33

AU language lab

aulanguagelab.wordpress.com

[email protected]

Page 34: Www.britishcouncil.org1 Redirecting Multiple Intelligences theory: Moving towards learner autonomy - in young learners

www.britishcouncil.org 34

RecapAutonomy – what it is and what it isn´t

Agency – again a definition and why it´s important in ELT

Page 35: Www.britishcouncil.org1 Redirecting Multiple Intelligences theory: Moving towards learner autonomy - in young learners

www.britishcouncil.org 35

Recap Intelligence and the individual

MI as traditionally understood briefly explained

MI as a means to engender agency and autonomy in Young Learners

Page 36: Www.britishcouncil.org1 Redirecting Multiple Intelligences theory: Moving towards learner autonomy - in young learners

www.britishcouncil.org 36

A final questionWhy work towards learner autonomy, what´s the end-game?

“L2 learners are no longer viewed as individuals working on their own to construct the target language but very much as social agents collaborating with other people and using the tools and resources available to them in their surrounding environment”

Kalaja et al 2011 p.47

Kalaja, P., R. Alanen, Å. Palviainen & H. Dufva 2011. From milk cartons to English roommates: Context and agency in L2 learning beyond the classroom. In P. Benson & H. Reinders (eds.), Beyond the language classroom. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 47–58.