Transcript English Teaching and Autonomous Learning Conference
English Teaching and Autonomous Learning Conference
Conclusion
Purposes
1.
2.
The end product of education is an independent learner…(Mcdevitt 1997, p. 30).
Autonomous learner active learner success in distance learning • 3.
A Self-Learning Center survey (done in June, 2008) – 826 respondents (SLC users, esp. the students whose teachers encouraged self-
http://ce.etweb.fju.edu.tw/slw/questionnaire.asp
What do you think is the strongest motivating force for English self-learning?
請問你 一般學生 要持續自修英文，最重要的動力（會）是什麼？ 老師算分 興趣 18% 老師鼓勵 語測激勵 出國或就業 學習護照加 點 興趣 增廣見聞 其他 學習護照加 增廣見聞 4% 其他 1% 老師算分 ; 點 0% counted into final grades 44% 出國或就業 For career and studying abroad 23% 語測激勵 8% 老師鼓勵 2% 355 17 64 190 2 146 36 5
What do you think is the strongest motivating force for English self-learning?
請問你 一般學生 要持續自修英文，最重要的動力（會）是什麼？ Liberal Arts 老師算分 老師鼓勵 語測激勵 出國或就業 學習護照加 點 興趣 增廣見聞 其他 0 42 9 2 144 30 9 9 43 Foreign Languages 老師算分 老師鼓勵 語測激勵 出國或就業 學習護照加點 興趣 增廣見聞 其他 19 9 0 47 3 13 1 2 0 Management 老師算分 老師鼓勵 語測激勵 出國或就業 學習護照加點 興趣 增廣見聞 其他 31 4 0 105 11 2 19 38 0 老師算分 老師鼓勵 語測激勵 出國或就業 學習護照加 點 興趣 TOTAL 增廣見聞 其他 355 17 64 190 2 146 36 5
Did you get encouraged by your teachers to do self learning?
請問你 在本學期（年） • 有沒有受到老師或系所學院鼓勵自修英語？
(
可複選） 沒有；我是自動 未參加自修活動 自發的 3% 4% 有；交報告 5% 有；口頭鼓勵 14% 有；算成績
25%
有；加分
49%
If your English self-learning is not effective, what can be the reasons? 如果你覺得本學期進行英語自修的效果不佳，為什麼？ • 學習資源不 夠 2% 外在動力 不 夠 24% 方法不對 6% 太忙 53% 太忙 興趣不夠 外在動力不夠 學習資源不夠 方法不對 536 興趣不 夠 15% 154 240 20 66
Tentative Conclusion
• Teachers’ encouragement and guidance are indispensible. •
Questions :
• How do English teachers foster S’s autonomy in learning and/or encourage students to do self-learning ?
Possible but Still Difficult Answers
1) 2) 3) Methods: offer Ss transferrable language learning strategies and skills (e.g. cognitive skills in reading and writing, visualization skills, socialization strategies, syntactic awareness, etc.) in various courses; Methods: adopt teaching strategies in support of autonomous learning (e.g. in determining the locus of control, assessment criteria, or giving comments, scaffolding; adding self-reflexive elements ) Motivating/Maintaining, and/or Monitoring? guide/encourage Ss to – – – – use existing learning resources; set proper goals, and acquire a sense of achievement; build learning communities; develop reflection and metacognitive strategies.
Difficult because
• Ideas need to be concretized differently in different contexts; teachers need to be cognitively flexible to recognize student temperament interests and needs; • Decisions need to be made between evaluating performativity and allowing freedom. (e.g. errors in LiveABC) • It takes time to provide road maps, too.
More Questions …
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Visualization with computer software – Inspiration, MS. Visual, concept map tools — can it be limiting? How do we do scaffolding in teaching English majors, and non-English majors, without testing? If moving from multiple choice Q’s to cognitive skill training is a method taken by GE teachers, how about teachers of Eng. Majors?
More Questions … from teaching, to learning, to self-learning
• • • What role(s) does a teacher play today, a knowledge provider, a judge, a mentor, or a learning facilitator who offers them multiple choices in learning, and show them more in this world?
• Teacher: as a star, an unmoved mover ( 師父引進門，修 行在個人 ), a coach or a shepherd? How about a self-learning center ? • • SLC’s doing fish-netting 一網打盡 SLC”s angling 姜太公釣魚願者上鉤 Can the two work together as shepherds using an open garden? (Self-learning ecology--the relationships between the air, land, water, animals, plants, etc., usually of a particular area)
Thank you!
Especially all the staff members. . .