Learners’ autonomy:

Language teaching should aim only at enabling learners to master the target language to communicate with it. It has also to foster their autonomy. Dependent learners cannot excel neither in learning nor in their living. Autonomy should be taught from cradle. If we keep feeding the baby with a spoon and never give him/her a chance to do, he/she will never learn it. Autonomy is a process of trials, failure, trails again and success.

Learning autonomy is defined by Holec (1981: 3, cited in Benson & Voller, 1997) as 'the ability to take charge of one's learning'. Benson & Voller ( 1997:2) see it as:

· The ability of “learners study entirely on their own.

· The skills which can be learned and applied in self-directed learning

· An inborn capacity which is suppressed by institutional education

· The exercise of learners' responsibility for their own learning

· The right of learners to determine the direction of their own learning”.

Thanasoulas (2000) states that the learners are not passive agents; a kind of piles that could be filled of knowledge, but they are rather active learners in the learning process. Little (1991:4) that learning involves the “capacity for detachment, critical reflection, decision making and independent action”. Learning autonomy is, then, seen as a constructive process which is based on the active involvement of the learner to explore meanings.

To foster learning autonomy, Thanasoulas suggests that learners should be aware of their learning strategies or styles. Identifying their needs and goals can help teachers promote autonomy through a variety of practical activities. It is also the responsibility of language teachers to produce autonomous learners. Effective language teaching should enhance independence in and outside the classroom. Developing learning autonomy does not only take place in class, but also outside the class through assigning tasks that engages learners in real experiences they have to go through successfully with the minimum interference of the teacher.

I have always been aware of the issue because most of the students in my context luck that sense of autonomy. Sometimes they rely on their peers, parents, teachers or relatives to do tasks. Other times they rely on the internet or other sources to copy answers to questions or do projects. I understand this as absence of responsibility and autonomy in them. But after all, it is our responsibility as parents, educators and the whole society. I see that the types of the learners we have are the product of the society and the educational system. I always get confused to answer the question: why do the majority of our students, excellent and poor ones, take extra courses in almost all the school subjects sometimes with the same teacher they have at school? Have the teachers more to say in evening classes rather? Whose responsibility is it? The teachers’, the parents’ or the system? I also know how dependent some students are when I find them copying homework answers from their peers in front of the classroom. Some others don’t bring their books because they know their partners would bring theirs. These are just some example that might exist somewhere else, but they show how dependent our students are.

To minimize the problem, I sometimes sensitize my students to the importance of paying attention in class and giving themselves the opportunity to practise in and outside the class. I want them to see that the more they practise the more they learn. Other times I give them different homework or mini-projects in small groups and I emphasize on the participation of all the members. I also make use of different types of tests for one class. A student should not have the same test as his/her partner has in order to reduce cheating…

I’ve learned other techniques this week that could be implemented to promote learners’ autonomy. Teachers should opt for activities that target language learning and learning autonomy at the same time. For instance, Self-report enables the students to reflect on their own ways of learning. Diaries is another example that makes people keep records of their ways of learning styles and helps learners reflect on their ways of learning. Other examples that could be used problem-solving, researches, group work, students giving presentations in class…