Teaching and Researching: Autonomy in Language Learning: (Applied Linguistics in Action)

Autonomy has become a key concept in language education. This comprehensive account of autonomy in language learning, clearly details the history and sources of the concept, discusses current areas of debate and looks at practical applications in the classroom.

Table of Contents:
General Editors’ Preface   Author’s Acknowledgements   Introduction Section I: What is autonomy    1   The history of autonomy in language learning    1.1   Origins of the concept    1.2   Autonomy and self-access    1.3   Autonomy and learner training    1.4   Autonomy and individualisation    1.5   Autonomy and interdependence    1.6   Why autonomy? Why now?    1.7   The two faces of autonomy    2   Autonomy beyond the field of language education    2.1   Educational reform    2.2   Adult education    2.3   The psychology of learning    2.4   The philosophy of personal autonomy    2.5   Autonomy in language learning and its sources         3   Defining and describing autonomy    3.1   Dimensions of autonomy    3.2   Versions of autonomy    3.3   Measuring autonomy    3.4   Autonomy and culture        4   Control as a natural attribute of learning    4.1   Self-management in learning    4.2   Learner agendas in the classroom    4.3   Control of psychological factors influencing learning    4.4   The seeds of autonomy    5   Dimensions of control    5.1   Control over learning management    5.2   Control over cognitive processing    5.3   Control over learning content  5.4 Describing the autonomous learner    6   Conclusion Section II: Autonomy in practice    7   Fostering autonomy    8   Resource-based approaches    8.1   Self-access    8.2   Tandem learning    8.3   Distance learning    8.4   Self-instruction    8.5   Out-of-class learning    8.6   The effectiveness of resource-based learning    9   Technology-based approaches    9.1   Computer-assisted language learning    9.2   The Internet    9.3   The effectiveness of technology-based approaches 10   Learner-based approaches 10.1   Learner development and language learning 10.2   Learner development and autonomy 10.3   The effectiveness of learner-based approaches 11   Classroom-based approaches 11.1   Planning classroom learning 11.2   Evaluating classroom learning 11.3   The nature of control in the classroom 11.4   The effectiveness of classroom-based approaches 12   Curriculum-based approaches 12.1   The process syllabus 12.2   Examples of curriculum-based approaches 12.3   The effectiveness of curriculum-based approaches 13   Teacher-based approaches 13.1   Teacher roles 13.2   Teacher autonomy 13.3   Language advising 13.4 Teacher education 13.5 The effectiveness of teacher-based approaches 14   Conclusion Section III: Researching Autonomy 15   Research methods and key areas of research 15.1   Teachers’ research 15.2   Key areas of research 16   Case studies 16.1   Case study 1. Out-of-class learning 16.2   Case study 2. Self-organised language learning 16.3   Case study 3. The discourse of language advising 16.4   Case study 4. Self-directed learning in the classroom 16.5   Case study 5. Language acquisition in autonomous classrooms 16.6   Case study 6. What do good independent learners do? 17   Conclusion Section IV: Resources 18   Resources for research and practice 18.1   Books, journals and newsletters 18.2   Conferences and workshops 18.3   Professional associations 18.4   E-mail lists 18.5   Web sites 18.6   Bibliographies 18.7   Self-access centres   References   Index

About the Author :
Phil Benson is a Professor in the Department of English at the Hong Kong Institute of Education.He has published widely on autonomy and narrative research and is now pursuing interests in second language identities and popular culture and education.

Review :
"This book deserves close reading by anyone who is interested in helping language learners develop themselves." - The ELT Journal