Fostering StudentsAbility of Autonomous Learning in English Class.docx

1、Fostering StudentsAbility of Autonomous Learning in English ClassFostering students ability of autonomous learning in English class Abstract： Autonomous learning has become a hot issue in over past twenty years. Autonomous learning is of great significance in the students lifelong development. But a

2、s a mater of fact, most of our English classroom teaching are still transmission teaching which emphasizes on teaching English language points rather than developing the students ability to learn. This traditional teaching model can no longer adapt to the development and requirement of quality educa

3、tion in new situations. Autonomous learning is not only the way of effective learning but also the goal of teaching. So more and more attentionis. laid on fostering autonomous learning ability in the new curriculum standard and practice. Autonomous learning can be regarded as the important factor of

4、 promoting Chinese foreign teaching reform and is irreplacable in present foreign teaching . Key Words： autonomous learning，cooperative learning ,English teaching and learning;I. Introduction In recent years, with the globalization of the economical culture development , language learning has become

5、 more and more important to the people in the world. However, most Chinese students are accustomed to teacher-centered passive education. From primary school to college, bound to the teacher-centered, exam-oriented education, they are always encouraged to obey teachers instructions, but discouraged

6、to argue with teachers about what is being taught, let alone to form their own original ideas. The passive educational pattern has caused many problems and produced a lot of side effects. First, as students tend to follow the beaten track and dare not challenge what is conventional, they gradually f

7、orm the passive way of thinking. To make things worse, as they are so dependent on others, most of them lack the ability to solve practical problems. Worst of all, such practice puts out any sparks of inspiration in their minds and renders them to have no creativity at all. Admittedly, it will do gr

8、eat harm in their future.In China , there is a similar proverb, If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. If you teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime. To meet the challenges of the information age and keep up with the development of society, learners at school should be equipped

9、with an ability to take charge of their own learning, and furnished with an ability to do things, individually and independently so that when they enter the society they can take active control of their own professional and personal development. Therefore, more and more teachers have realized that i

10、t is an urgent task in the field of education to foster the autonomous learning ability.II.Definitions and necessities of fostering students ability of autonomous learning2.1.The definitions of autonomy There are various descriptions of the definition of autonomous learning. One of the earliest and

11、most frequently cited definitions of autonomy is given by Holec (1981：3) in the foundation document for the Council of Europe. It can be seen as the ability to take charge of ones own learning (Holec),a situation in which the learner is solely resposible for all decisions(Dickinson).But Benson&Volle

12、rthought ,Teachers have a crucial role to play in launching learners into autonomous learning and in lending them a regular helping hand to stay afloat. One of the definitions of autonomy in Collins and development Cobuild English The ability to make your own decisions about what to do influenced by

13、 someone else told what to do. Thus the learner can becomea producer of his society by becoming part of and contributing to the society that is formed by users of the Internet. Sheerin(1997： 56) describes a general belief among educators (e.g. Nunan： 1997,Littlewood： 1981, Ur： 1988)that learning is

14、more effective when learners are active in the learning process, assuming responsibility for their learning and participating in the decisions.2.2 Necessities of fostering ability of autonomous learning A number of strands seem to be converging at the current time to promote the value of independent

15、 language learning. They can be summarised as follows：1) Current language learning theories focus on the social aspect of learning and place teachers in a facilitating role;2) Learner-centered pedagogics see knowledge acquisition as a process (not just as an end in it self) and stress the importance

16、 of key learning skills and strategies;3) It is one solution to large classes and reduced teacher contact time;4) The flexibility of independent learning methodologies coincides with a political agenda to promote lifelong learning and widen access to non-traditional learners;5) Technological advance

17、ments一the multimedia computer, high-speed net works and interactive digital TV一provide a rich learning and teaching environment;6) Financial constraints have led to the management viewpoint that technological and self- access solutions are f in ancially advantageous.III. The methods of fostering abi

18、lity of autonomous learning In a language classroom that focuses on meaningful interaction, there is certainly room for dealing with autonomy. Ehrman (1998：102) states that it has become increasingly evident that the purpose of classroom learning is not only to convey content information. In this te

19、aching a concern for deeper aims for reaching certain also educate learners language goals purpose of classroom learning is not only context, he speaks of bringing to language，for pursuing new life goals not just. As teachers teach the language, they can to live more satisfying lives and of society.

20、 Attention to autonomy can improve language teaching and learning ,but the classroom can, in turn, contribute in a very significant way to educating learners affectively. (王亚丽,2005)Fostering learner autonomy from the classroom can produce positive results in the development of both autonomy and lang

21、uage learning.3.1 The methods of cooperative learning in class Little wood defines cooperative learning as a group-oriented form of reactive autonomy. The definition of cooperative learning clearly indicates that it is centered on students working together and is based on group work. It promotes lea

22、rner interdependence by encouraging students to learn from each other, not just from the teacher. This section shall deal with the application of the cooperative learning into classroom-based teaching. Based on the researchers and educators suggestions and the practice, specific ways and activities

23、will be illustrated in order to show how to develop learner autonomy through cooperative learning. The advantages of cooperative learning over the learning in traditional classroom, we may list the following benefits of the cooperative learning：a. Academic achievement can increase.b. Students can en

24、hance their social skillsc. There can be more individuation of instruction.d. Student participation can increase.e. Anxiety can decrease.f. Motivation and positive atitude toward class can increase.g. Self-esteem and self-direction can increase.3.1.1 Preparing students for cooperative learning Since

25、 most of the students in China are accustomed to traditional classroom with teacher responsible for most part of the teaching procedure, they would become anxious if they do not understand the rationale for cooperative learning, a new kind of classroom experience. Therefore, if a teacher wants the s

26、tudents to react positively to their first experiences in cooperative learning, he/she must explain clearly why they are doing this kind of things different from what they did in their past learning. With the knowledge that cooperative learning, the new learning method to them, has so many advantage

27、s and has been proven effective by many researchers in this field, students confidence in cooperative learning will boost. Few people in the field of second/foreign language teaching will deny that cooperative learning provides the opportunity for students to maximize their own and each others learn

28、ing .Helping students to see the benefit of cooperative learning can serve as the mental preparation for accepting this new learning and teaching method positively.3.1.2 Group Organization Group work is the basic application of cooperative learning in the classroom teaching. Three factors should be

29、considered when forming the groups. They are the size, personal characteristics of the group members, and the time the group lasts. As for the size of the group, almost all the experienced teacher know that the smaller the group, the more each member talks and the less chance there is that someone w

30、ill be left out. Also, smaller groups require fewer group management skills and can usually come to decisions faster. Through experts suggestions, I find that in classes of under 40 students, a group of 4 is very suitable, while in classes of over 40, a group of 6 students is advisable because stude

31、nts can either work in pairs, or two/ three sets of these pairs interact as a foursome/six some When the groups are formed, each student in the group has his/her own fixed number from 1 to 4/6. In getting the students to present their group work, the teacher can call a number from one to four/ six,

32、and the person with that number presents the work for the group. In this way, the teacher can avoid the problem that some students with lower proficiency tend to keep quiet when they are doing the group work. When forming the groups, an other factor that should be considered is personal characteristics of the group members, including language proficiency, gender, and diligence of the members. Cohen(2000) points out that teachers must create groups that are equitable so that all students participate fully and use multiple-ability strategies if cooperative learning is to work. I