Teaching and Researching: Autonomy in Language Learning

Phil Benson is a Professor in the Department of English at the Hong Kong Institute of Education.He has published widely on autonomy and narrative research and is now pursuing interests in second language identities and popular culture and education.

"This book deserves close reading by anyone who is interested in helping language learners develop themselves." - The ELT Journal

• General Editors’ PrefaceAuthor’s AcknowledgementsIntroductionSection I: What is autonomy1 The history of autonomy in language learning1.1 Origins of the concept1.2 Autonomy and self-access1.3 Autonomy and learner training1.4 Autonomy and individualisation1.5 Autonomy and interdependence1.6 Why autonomy? Why now?1.7 The two faces of autonomy2 Autonomy beyond the field of language education2.1 Educational reform2.2 Adult education2.3 The psychology of learning2.4 The philosophy of personal autonomy2.5 Autonomy in language learning and its sources 3 Defining and describing autonomy3.1 Dimensions of autonomy3.2 Versions of autonomy3.3 Measuring autonomy3.4 Autonomy and culture 4 Control as a natural attribute of learning4.1 Self-management in learning4.2 Learner agendas in the classroom4.3 Control of psychological factors influencing learning4.4 The seeds of autonomy5 Dimensions of control5.1 Control over learning management5.2 Control over cognitive processing5.3 Control over learning content5.4 Describing the autonomous learner6 ConclusionSection II: Autonomy in practice7 Fostering autonomy8 Resource-based approaches8.1 Self-access8.2 Tandem learning8.3 Distance learning8.4 Self-instruction8.5 Out-of-class learning8.6 The effectiveness of resource-based learning9 Technology-based approaches9.1 Computer-assisted language learning9.2 The Internet9.3 The effectiveness of technology-based approaches10 Learner-based approaches10.1 Learner development and language learning10.2 Learner development and autonomy10.3 The effectiveness of learner-based approaches11 Classroom-based approaches11.1 Planning classroom learning11.2 Evaluating classroom learning11.3 The nature of control in the classroom11.4 The effectiveness of classroom-based approaches12 Curriculum-based approaches12.1 The process syllabus12.2 Examples of curriculum-based approaches12.3 The effectiveness of curriculum-based approaches13 Teacher-based approaches13.1 Teacher roles13.2 Teacher autonomy13.3 Language advising13.4 Teacher education13.5 The effectiveness of teacher-based approaches14 ConclusionSection III: Researching Autonomy15 Research methods and key areas of research15.1 Teachers’ research15.2 Key areas of research16 Case studies16.1 Case study 1. Out-of-class learning16.2 Case study 2. Self-organised language learning16.3 Case study 3. The discourse of language advising16.4 Case study 4. Self-directed learning in the classroom16.5 Case study 5. Language acquisition in autonomous classrooms16.6 Case study 6. What do good independent learners do?17 ConclusionSection IV: Resources18 Resources for research and practice18.1 Books, journals and newsletters18.2 Conferences and workshops18.3 Professional associations18.4 E-mail lists18.5 Web sites18.6 Bibliographies18.7 Self-access centresReferencesIndex