Learner Autonomy: Defining a New Pedagogical Relationship (by M.J.Gremmo)

What is learner autonomy and what should it be?

The definition for learner autonomy is “the capacity of the learner to learn without being taught”.

Teaching systems are based on the assumption that teaching produces learning. Teachers are experts in two areas. Firstly, they are experts of the subject they teach. Secondly, they are also experts in knowledge transfer. The problematic aspect is the contradiction between the “homogeneity” and “heterogeneous”.

• homogeneity is the principle on which teaching is based
• heterogeneous means nature of the learning process (no two individuals have the same learning style)

Beliefs about what learning are very much influenced by the way learners have been to make to learn, and these beliefs then

influence the way they should learn.

SDLS- self-directed learning schemes are taking learner autonomy as a starting point. Learner autonomy is seen a capacity which must be developed in a dynamic process. Such learners must accept that the development of their linguistic competence is linked to the development of their learning competence.

M.J. Gremmo introduces the new pedagogical role, which is counsellor (helper, tutor and advisor). The role of the counsellor is to help learners to develop an adequate set of values, ideas and techniques in the fields of language and language learning. They help learners to learn better. Contrary to what is expected of teachers, counsellors are not necessarily experts in the subject. On the other side, counsellors help to develop their learning competence during counselling sessions.

Disadvantages of “new technologies”

• Materials that are available are pre-adapted, taking into account the specific characteristics of the group in question, their objectives or their difficulties.
• The most multimedia learning materials offer in place of “autonomous work”, work detached from the actual presence of a human teacher.
• Even though the new technological media create new authentic resources which represent communicative use of language, it does not provoke better learning.

Good sentences

Learners learn better if they know what they are doing and why they are doing it.

New technology is new for the older generations, but it is not new for younger learners.