Page 145 - Beyond Methods

Promoting learner autonomy 133
them a narrow view and a broad view of learner autonomy. In a nut- shell, the narrow view maintains that the chief goal of learner au- tonomy is to learn to learn while the broad view maintains that the goal should be to learn to liberate.
Narrow View of Learner Autonomy: Learning to Learn
The narrow view of learner autonomy involves, simply, enabling learners to learn how to learn. This enabling process includes equipping them with the tools necessary to learn on their own, and training them to use appropriate strategies for realizing their learn- ing objectives. The primary focus then is on the learner’s academic achievement through strategic engagement. In an oft-quoted and widely used definition, Henri Holec (1981, p. 3) calls learner au- tonomy “the ability to take charge of one’s own learning.” He goes on to explain that taking charge actually means to have and to hold the responsibility for determining learning objectives, defining con- tents and progressions, selecting methods and techniques to be used, monitoring the procedure of acquisition, and, finally, evaluating what has been acquired.
Following the learning-to-learn approach, scholars such as Dick- inson (1987), Ellis and Sinclair (1989), Little (1990), Wenden (1991), Broady and Kenning (1996) have enriched our understanding of the concept of learner autonomy. We learn from these and other scholars that promoting learner autonomy is a matter of helping learners to
• develop a capacity for critical thinking, decision making, and in- dependent action;
• discover their learning potential, in addition to merely gathering knowledge about the learning process;
• take responsibility for learning and for using appropriate strate- gies to achieve their general and specific objectives;
• face heavy psychological demands that require learners to con- front their weaknesses and failures;
• develop self-control and self-discipline, which lead to self-esteem and self-confidence;
• give up total dependence on the teacher and the educational sys- tem, and move beyond a mere response to instruction; and
• understand that autonomy is a complex process of interacting with one’s self, the teacher, the task, and the educational environ- ment.