Learner Autonomy

Since learning English has become an essential component for many around the world, learners seek ways of improving and practicing their English, but they do not know how and where to start. Accordingly, many learners end up studying the same levels repeatedly and progressing very little even after years of study. In most of the English classes in my country -Iran- for example, little attention is paid to learners’ conscious efforts in mastering a foreign language and learner autonomy is neglected, but what is obvious is that many learners are keen on learning how to deal with the task of learning a foreign language. Therefore, I believe teachers should be concerned with helping their students to learn effective ways of learning English as a foreign/second language and to achieve independency and autonomy in learning.

Therefore, today I will be introducing some technologies for Learner Autonomy in ELT. I think everyone would have a favorite among these tools. But first, let's see . . .

What is Learner Autonomy?

Defining autonomy is believed to be difficult due to its complex and multidimensional nature. According to Little, Autonomy is “not a single, easily describable behavior” or a “steady state” (Little, 1991, p. 7) However, reviewing the relevant literature, I found the most well-known definition of autonomy to be "the ability to take charge of one's own learning" and "a potential capacity to act in the learning situation" (Holec, 1981, p.3). Learner autonomy is an attribute of learners who are reflectively and critically engaged in their own learning. With regard to learner ownership, autonomous learners are more independent and responsible. Thus, while involving them in making decisions about their own learning process, they have proven to be more motivated and willing to take risks during the learning process.

Lyricstraining.com

Picture from: https://lyricstraining.com/app

Who doesn't like listening to songs and singing along to her/his favorite music video? LyricsTraining is a language-learning site that engages users through embedded music videos from popular sites such as YouTube and Vevo. Users can practice recognizing words by listening to the lyrics and identifying missing words in a sentence. You begin by selecting one of four difficulty levels, which appear to be determined by song speed, vocabulary level, and how clearly the song's lyrics can be heard as well as the number of gaps. You can also choose to play in "Write Mode," where you'll type in the missing word, or they can select "Choice Mode" to choose one of four possible answers. If you get stuck, you can skip a word or replay part of the lyrics, but you'll lose points for it. Lyric transcripts can also be printed and practiced prior to playing, making it easier for you to master the lyrics. My favorite thing about this website is the karaoke mode where I can just sing along to lyrics as they scroll across the screen. It’s sooo fun! 

The following YouTube video is an excellent introduction to this website by Russel Stannard.

👍 Pros

• It’s free! But if you get annoyed by ads, then you may prefer to upgrade for the paid and ad-free version for £1.89 a month
• Very user-friendly! It only takes 10 seconds to sign up and start using the website
• It has an App version! Both for iOS and Android devices
• The site offers songs in 10 languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian, German, Dutch, Japanese, Turkish, and Catalan

👎 Cons

• Unfiltered content! advertisements and songs may be unsuitable for some younger users.
• The site’s content is mostly user-generated, so some parts of the lyrics may be wrong – simply the wrong word or spelling.

• Although most inappropriate F words have been bleeped out, there can still be some words that aren't censored.

References

Holec, H. (1981). Autonomy and Foreign Language Learning. Oxford/New York: Pergamon Press.

Little, D. (1991). Learner autonomy: Definitions, issues, and problems. Dublin: Authentik.

Little, D, Ridley, J, Ushioda, E, (2003) Learner autonomy in the foreign language classroom: teacher, learner, curriculum and assessment, Dublin: Authentik.