Fostering Students’ Autonomous English（二）

时间：2008-06-27 00:00:00  来源：征文比赛  作者：郭丽丽

简述：《“平和英语杯”我的英语学习之路》应征文,作者：郭丽丽，来自浙江省临海市托阳小学

Fostering Students’ Autonomous English（二）

------Learning Ability in Senior High School

郭丽丽

08-06-27

3.2 Students’ roles and learning styles

3.2.1 Students’ roles

Teachers and students’ roles are not independent in autonomous learning. Students’ roles need to become a self-learner, a knowledge manager and a collaborator, because students’ roles result from teachers’ less-directing roles. It raises the level of students’ responsibility in English learning.

3.2.1.1 The student as a self-learner

In autonomous English learning, students need to select their own real-world materials and information, and find possible solutions to problems. In addition, students determine the content of their learning under the help of their teachers. Students must also organize their projects and manage process after classes, not only in class periods. Instead of depending on teachers, students are expected to learn by themselves, and help other students to learn. It is indispensable for students to be self-learners in autonomous English learning.

3.2.1.2 The student as a knowledge manager

With the coming of new information age, students can acquire information and knowledge in various ways. At the same time, they have to extend their strategies for their learning. In English language learning, students can be in the environment in which the language is spoken, as a result of available video and computer-based materials. However, there are so many materials that students should learn how to select them, how to recognize unsuitable materials, and how to obtain the best information. Thus for the purpose of handling the materials properly, firstly students need to master the skills of exploiting and rejecting materials.

3.2.1.3 The student as a collaborator

In autonomous English learning, students are always divided into groups to have a discussion or make a project with other members. Therefore, it is important for students to act as collaborators in autonomous English learning. To advance the project successfully, every member in the group needs to be involved in the project actively. On the contrary, if they do not cooperate with each other, they will not succeed. In process of becoming an autonomous learner, it is also important for the student to be a collaborator.

3.2.2 Students learning styles

Students’ learning styles may be revised because of training or changes in learning experiences. Unconscious styles can become conscious learning strategies through a moderate training in an intentional way with guidance from their teachers. Students’ learning styles have changed as a result of the change of teachers’ roles.

3.2.2.1 Raising a sense of learning autonomy

The sense of learning autonomy is the essential mind for autonomous learning. Without the sense of learning autonomy, autonomous learning will be just like water without source. Establishing a sense of learning autonomy means that students should realize very clearly that it is they themselves not teachers who should take the responsibility for their learning.

First of all, students must eliminate the psychological dependence. In language learning, most students have been used to depending on their teachers, their parents and some other outer conditions. Students organize their projects and decide, or manage process to be made on them. They are expected to rely on themselves instead of others. If students do not eliminate the psychological dependence, and still depend on others in learning, then they will never establish the sense of learning autonomy actually.

Secondly, students must make learning their psychological needs. Only if students achieve this goal can they raise their responsibility for learning. On the contrary, if students consider learning as a requirement and responsibility of teachers and parents, and the purpose of learning is to repay their parents, then they cannot really raise a sense of learning autonomy.

Thirdly, students should have confidence in learning autonomy. Confidence plays an important role in raising a sense of learning. Many students depend on their teachers and classmates too much in English learning. Therefore, in order to raise a sense of learning   autonomy, students must have full confidence for learning.

3.2.2.2 Strengthening learning willingness

Learning ability is the reflection of learning autonomy. Those students who have learning willingness always have clear goals in English learning, and study actively and autonomously, but never blindly. Learning willingness can help to raise learning efficiency. In order to foster learning willingness, students need to do things as follows.

The first thing for them to do is to realize the importance of English learning to the society and their own development. Only students really have done this can they probably raise learning willingness. That is to say, if they treat English learning as something unimportant, then they cannot really raise learning willingness.

The second one is to clarify the purpose of English learning. Those students who have learning willingness always have clear purpose in every period of learning and classroom activities. What’s more, those students carry out learning activities focusing on the purpose of learning, which can make sure the students’ learning efficiency. On the contrary, those students who lack learning willingness learn without a purpose. That’s the reason why such students’ learning efficiency will decrease. As a result, setting a clear goal in learning seems very important.

Thirdly, students need to cultivate their ability of self- organization. Generally speaking, students with high learning willingness can organize learning properly, as well as having a clear purpose in learning. It means that those students make a plan before learning, and learn according to the plan strictly in learning, which greatly strengthens the learning effect.

3.2.2.3 Strengthening the ability of independence

Firstly, students need to take part in social activities actively. Only through learning practice can students learn to behave independently. If they encounter some problems, they should try their best to solve them. In the classes, students should participate in the discussions and communications actively. Besides, students are required to learn from failures, and regulate and improve their learning methods to be finally independent in learning.

Secondly, students should overcome the psychological barriers, such as anxiety, fear, shyness, and escape. Those psychological barriers will directly hinder the formation and performance of students’ learning independence, and even have bad effect on the whole learning activity. It is not difficult to find that some students dare not to consult their teachers or feel ashamed to turn to their classmates for help when they encounter kinds of problems in English language learning. At the same time, they are lack of confidence to show their opinions. In the classes, they seldom make a statement voluntarily because of their psychological barriers. As a result, for the purpose of behaving autonomously in English learning, it seems necessary for students to overcome those psychological barriers.

To sum up, with the help of their teachers, students must raise a sense of learning autonomy and self-confidence, develop their learning willingness, autonomy and creativity, and continuously strengthen their ability of overcoming any kind of problems and barriers, so that they can finally pave the way to life-long learning.

3.3 Materials and a good environment

In the autonomous classroom, English learning materials can be published textbooks, reference books, or other materials provided by both teachers and students. Schools, teachers and even parents can all provide learning materials for students’ autonomous English learning.

Some schools abroad have set up specific self- access centers for students consulting so as to satisfy their autonomous English learning. If students can all enjoy high technology, its great effect will be visible. In fact, many schools do not possess those materials, and students can only enjoy some traditional teaching facilities. Therefore, to foster students’ autonomous English learning ability, schools need to equip themselves with more modern teaching facilities. A good language environment can help to strengthen students’ confidence in learning. What’s more important, this kind of real language interaction can increase students’ learning interests. To fulfill the purpose of fostering students’ autonomous English learning, schools have the responsibility to equip themselves with advanced teaching facilities, and provide a good learning environment.

On students’ part, they should make good use of the available materials and learning environment to raise their own learning efficiency and autonomous learning ability.

4. Advantages and disadvantages of autonomous learning

4.1 Advantages of autonomous learning

4.1.1 More opportunities of independent learning

Students have more opportunities of independent learning. Not like passive learning, autonomous learning requires that students should select learning resources, methods and time by themselves. They should have responsibility for their learning without the control of their teachers. Students have more opportunities to learn and think independently in autonomous learning than in any other learning model.

More opportunities for autonomous learning and taking part in classroom activities can develop students’ passion for language learning, and help them to perform actively in the classes, which ultimately will increase the efficiency of learning. What’s more, it is impossible for students to master all that teachers mention in the classes. Therefore, they need a process of practising and learning to entirely master the input in classroom teaching. Besides, it is not enough for students to master a foreign language indeed just depending on language input and practice in the classes. Students should seek for more opportunities to use language and receive more language input.

Every teacher has his own teaching methods and styles, while students whom he faces are different in cognitive styles, learning styles and passion features. As a result, it is difficult for teachers to pay attention to every aspect in the classroom teaching to satisfy every student’s needs and hobbies. What they can do is just to tell students some general principles. Take memorizing English vocabularies for example, teachers will only tell students that they had better memorize English vocabularies in the period that their memory efficiency is the highest. However, all students are not the same. For some students, it is in the morning that they memorize English vocabularies effectively. While for other students, the prime time is the evening. Through autonomous learning, students can find learning methods that are suitable for them.  

All in all, students have more opportunities for independent learning, which will do a great favor to them. 

4.1.2 Reflecting the theory of student-centered education

It reflects the theory of student-centered education. In the past, in the teaching-learning process, teachers were the center. In classroom teaching, teachers dominated most of the time, while students nearly had no opportunities to perform. So most of students did not learn actively and independently but depended on teachers, which was opposite to the aim of education. Consequently, the ability of students and the quality of English education could not meet the requirements of the English Curricular Standard for Senior High School. The whole process of autonomous learning focuses on students’ needs and development, which reflects the theory of student-centered education.

4.1.3 Developing a harmonious relationship

It helps to develop an equal and harmonious relationship between teachers and students. In autonomous learning, teachers and students are partners. Teachers act as the helpers and advisers providing psychological and technical supports. Teachers respect their students, and communicate with them equally. Teachers give up control of decision-making, because students are able to take on responsibility for their own learning. And this kind of relationship between teachers and students can increase students’ responsibility.

4.1.4 Developing students’ non-intellectual factors

It can develop students’ non-intellectual factors. In autonomous learning, teachers pay great attention to cultivating a certain psychological environment to supply students with some psychological help, as well as care about students’ feelings expression, which helps to develop the students’ non-intellectual factors.

As a teacher, he should not only have academic knowledge, but also master teaching methods and teaching skills. Teachers should know how to teach students knowledge, know students’ psychological process, and know in which condition the students will be more willing to learn hard.

In the past, with the traditional teaching method, teachers were apt to put language knowledge in the first place. However, the practical experiences tell us that this kind of teaching method, only paying attention to delivering knowledge, and ignoring students’ psychological development, will lead to a bad result. If teachers cannot realize the problems of their students and do not supply immediate psychological help, it may directly affect students’ learning passion, and even strike their confidence heavily.

Therefore, it is really a special advantage of autonomous learning that helps to develop students’ non- intellectual factors.

4.2 Disadvantages of autonomous learning

4.2.1 Increasing teachers’ burden

It will increase teachers’ burden. Teachers should not only pay attention to students’ general learning conditions, but also communicate with them separately from time to time. Teachers should know their students deeply and wholly so that they can teach better according to students’ real conditions. For example, in autonomous learning, teachers should prepare for the activities carefully so as to meet students’ interests, or students will not be active in the classes. What’s more, in order to draw students’ attention, teachers should prepare different topics for discussion according not only to textbooks, but also to students’ real conditions. Therefore, all of those will probably increase teachers’ burden. The more students are in a class, the heavier burden the teacher will have. Therefore, autonomous learning is not suitable for a big class.

4.2.2 Needing prepared conditions

There should be a series of prepared conditions for autonomous learning. In real practice of autonomous learning, it needs a lot of relative prepared conditions, such as the teachers’ careful planning, some material factors and so on.

Teachers should plan how to teach and supply relative learning materials according to the students’ needs and interests. Teachers should cultivate a harmonious environment. If not, on the one hand, students will not dare to take part in autonomous learning because they are afraid of their teachers. On the other hand, students will not be willing to learn independently because they have been used to following their teachers and become very lazy and pessimistic to activities.

In autonomous learning, students need to have certain ability of autonomous learning and cooperation. There are no two leaves that are the same in world. It is obviously unsuitable to teach them with the same knowledge and teaching methods. And it also may make some students lose confidence, feel ashamed, become uninterested in learning. Besides, learning resources are also important for autonomous learning.

Autonomous learning without learning resources is like water without source.

To sum up, without a series of prepared conditions, autonomous learning cannot be carried out practically.

4.2.3 Affecting teachers’ position

The position of the teacher as the leader in the classes is difficult to be ensured. Autonomous learning is characterized with students’ independent and autonomous learning. In autonomous learning, when to lead, how to lead and in which way to lead, whether teachers have dealt with those problems properly or not may change teachers’ effect.

5. Conclusion

English is regarded as one of the basic subjects in China’s senior high school. Fostering students’ autonomous learning ability and life-long learning ability becomes an important and urgent task for teachers in English language teaching in senior high school. However, it has been discovered that most senior high school students haven’t got into the habit of learning independently. They play a passive role in English language learning, and depend too much on their teachers. Teachers’ teaching can make students understand, but cannot help them to cultivate the ability of applying the knowledge to dealing with problems smoothly. However, English teachers need to foster students’ ability of solving problems through mastering knowledge. Therefore, to fulfill the purpose of English teaching, the traditional English teaching methods should be reformed. In English learning, students should learn and practise with purposes, plans and requirements under the teachers’ guidance. As a result, the more they learn, the more they love learning. Students’ intellectual ability, especially learning ability and practical ability will rise obviously. Cultivating students’ autonomous English learning ability and making the students learn how to study should become teachers’ responsibility.

In this paper, the author has stated the definitions, characteristics, advantages and disadvantages of autonomous learning. Besides, according to the theories and findings on autonomous learning, as well as China’s present English teaching and learning situation, the author also puts forward some suggestions to foster students’ autonomous learning ability in senior high school.

In the classroom activities of autonomous learning model, students instead of teachers are the center of teaching and learning. Teachers need to raise an awareness of autonomous learning firstly, and then they can deliver this mind to their students in English teaching. If not, there cannot be teaching and learning environment to foster students’ autonomous English learning ability. In classroom teaching, teachers can also take out some time to foster students’ autonomous English learning ability through some classroom activities. Teachers should establish a harmonious relationship between them and students, create a good learning environment, and develop some teaching skills for autonomous English learning. At the same time, students should be active learners rather than passive receivers, know what to do under the guidance of their teachers, and show themselves and give a full performance of their abilities. And they should realize that it is they themselves not their teachers who should be responsible for their English learning.

Last but not the least, materials and a good learning environment need to be well prepared for autonomous English learning.

Though the author has tried her best to write this paper, it leaves a lot to be desired because of the limitation of her knowledge and experience. Due to the time limit, it’s a pity that the author didn’t carry out an experiment. Besides, some feasible measures for fostering students’ autonomous English learning ability were overlooked in this paper.

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