IATEFL LASIG PCE PROGRAMME FOR Manchester, 10th of APRIL, 2015
Language Learner Autonomy - Getting Started
10:00
Welcome, outline of structure for the day, brief announcements
1st PLENARY TALK
10:1010:45
Annamaria Pinter (Warwick University, UK)
From passive objects of research to active co-researchers: children developing autonomous
skills
Working with children as co-researchers/co-investigators in our language classrooms can be a way
to introduce aspects of learner autonomy. Reflections about collaborating as partners in classroom
investigations will be shared. Both the benefits and the challenges will be considered from learners',
insider teacher-researchers' and outsider researchers' point of view.
10:4511:00
PRESENTATION OF POSTER SESSIONS (see details below)
11:00
Coffee break / Possibility for looking at posters
SECTION 1: PRACTICE
11:3011:50
11:5012:10
12:1012:30
12:30
Gail Ellis /Nayr Ibrahim (British Council, Paris)
Reviewing activities for the primary classroom
Reviewing is often a neglected part of lessons and it is often thought that children are too
young to assess their performance. This session will demonstrate a variety of reviewing
activities that can be applied in the primary English classroom and contribute to a positive
learning experience.
Cem Balçikanli (Gazi University, Turkey)
Pedagogy of autonomy for difficult circumstances in Turkey: Language teachers’ voices
This study reports a narrative inquiry into language teachers’ stories about the development of learner
autonomy in their own schools. It reveals the use of creative ways to foster autonomy. The audience
will leave the session with some practical ideas to foster learner autonomy in difficult circumstances.
Elke Ruelens (University of Antwerp, Belgium)
Towards a ‘VitaL’ online learning environment: Engaging students in assessing autonomous
learning
In the academic year 2014-2015, English majors were actively engaged in enhancing their general
language proficiency in an online language learning environment. This study reports on the process of
involving the students in developing a questionnaire to evaluate their autonomous language learning.
Lunch break / More time for looking at posters
SECTION 2: REFLECTION /AWARENESS RAISING
13:3014:15
14:1514:35
14:3514:55
Hugh Nicoll (Miyazaki Municipal University, Japan)
Constructing democratic classrooms for autonomous learning (workshop )
This workshop will explore connections between philosophies of learning and reflective practice
which will enable us to construct more democratic, autonomous classrooms for and with our
learners. The participants’ engagement will be facilitated with John Dewey’s principles of openmindedness, responsibility, and whole-heartedness in becoming a more reflective teacher.
Ruwaida Abu Rass (Beit Berl College, Israel)
Developing autonomy among EFL learners at the college level
Fostering learner autonomy involves developing students’ reflective skills. This talk will discuss what
reflective thinking means for student teachers in relation to their professional development. It
involves analysing their beliefs and reflecting on their teaching experiences, which will then open up
alternatives for future lessons.
Michelle Tamala (Latrobe Melbourne, Australia)
The why and the how: establishing a culture of learner autonomy
This talk provides both personal reflections and practical suggestions on how the “why” of LA can be
promoted to students, managers, administrators and fellow teachers and how it can be established in
a language learning institution. The importance of teacher education and support and resourcing will
be discussed, as will possible problems and practical solutions.
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IATEFL LASIG PCE PROGRAMME FOR Manchester, 10th of APRIL, 2015
Language Learner Autonomy - Getting Started
15:00
15:3016:00
Coffee break / Possibility for looking at posters
SECTION 3: POSTER SESSIONS: Meeting the poster presenters
Cem Balçıkanlı (Gazi University, Turkey)
Effectiveness of a Self-Access Center: Learners’ attitudes, behaviours, and experiences
This poster reports on a study which investigates the effectiveness of a SAC in terms of learners’ attitudes,
behaviours, and experiences. Interviews with over 200 EFL learners show that the SAC provides opportunities
for learning, offers possibilities for learners to think about their own learning and encourages learners to
develop their autonomy.
Fumiko Murase (Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Japan)
Getting started with an autonomous learning programme for science-major university students
The presenter introduced an autonomous learning programme to a one-semester English reading course for
science-major students at a university in Japan. This poster will show what the students learned, how they
learned, what difficulties they faced, and how they dealt with the difficulties.
Stacey Vye (Saitama University- Center for English Education and Development, Japan)
Visual representations of learner and teacher autonomy in a tertiary course
Undergraduate learners in an autonomy language learning course created autonomy-forwarding expressions
through art to conceptualize their own understanding of the subject. This was achieved through readings, notetaking, learner led discussions, which developed into a visual brainstorm activity and mini-posters with digital
displays that can be viewed at this session.
Pramod Kumar Sah (Tribhuvan University, Nepal)
Data-driven learning (DDL) for developing learners’ autonomy
Data Driven Learning (DDL) – based e.g. on concordance data - helps learners develop their autonomy through
learners’ discovery of patterns. The study to be reported on investigated the relative effectiveness of DDL when
combined with either PPP (Present-Practice-Produce) or ‘Illustration-Interaction-Induction’ when teaching written
discourse markers to EAP students in the UK.
SECTION 4: TEACHER DEVELOPMENT
16:0016:35
Leni Dam & Lienhard Legenhausen (University College Copenhagen / Münster University)
Preparing teachers for implementing language learner autonomy - examples from inand pre-service teacher training (2nd plenary talk)
Apart from presenting and discussing models for in-service teacher training which aim at
changing classroom practice from teacher dependence to learner autonomy, this talk will
also show how student teachers can experience autonomy in their university studies.
SECTION 5: REFLECTION
16:3517:15
17:15
Discussion in groups
Reflections on topics of the day and ideas for steps ahead
Participants – in groups – will discuss one of the topics of the day according to their individual interests. Moderators
will be allocated to groups and present ideas for next steps in a plenary.
SECTION 6: EVALUATION/NEXT STEPS
17:30
End of Day
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