Autonomous learning for the millennial students

1. Autonomous learning for the millennial students Hazel Chiu echazelc@polyu.edu.hk

2. Introduction • Language teachers can’t avoid being involved in self-access/independent/autonomous learning in one way or another • Other similar terms: self-directed learning, self-regulated learning • Have students become more autonomous learners now?

3. Definition of autonomy Chan (2003) cites Holec’s (1981, p.3) definition of ‘the ability to take charge of one's learning’. To take charge of one own learning, is to have, and to hold, the responsibility for all the decisions concerning all aspects of this learning: • determining the objectives; • defining the contents and progressions; • selecting methods and techniques to be used; • monitoring the procedures of acquisition • evaluating what has been acquired (Holec, 1981, as cited in Chan, 2003).

4. Example from research: Past • Cooley (1993) reports her experience of guiding first-year college students at Hong Kong University to do self-access work. (HKU) • Asking student to create their own study guides met with varying degrees of success. • Only two groups of students were able to develop a study guide. • It was found that some students were not yet ready for self-access learning.

5. Example from research: Present • Lu’s (2010) study investigates some university students’ use of SALL. It reports their responses to the integration of SALL into an ESL course. (HK BapU) • On course completion, they were asked to submit an individual portfolio about their SALL activities. • Afterwards, a separate anonymous questionnaire was used to solicit their feedback on the effectiveness of SALL. • Results from the two channels were surprisingly opposite: the former was positive while the latter was negative. • A further analysis reveals that the subjects did not gain much from the project, and their positive comments were made as a part of their assignment. Comparatively, the negative comments mirrored their true feelings.

6. Elements of autonomy Taking charge of one’s own learning involves: • Attitude & motivation • Knowledge & ability • Learning context/environment: education system, educational management, stake-holders in education, curriculum, resources

7. Current concepts in education • Smith & Ushioda (2010, as cited in Morrison, 2011) highlight a significant shift towards ‘a more socially situated, relational view of leaner autonomy’. • Learner-centred, individualised learning/instruction • Other educational values: critical thinking skills, creativity and lifelong learning

8. The questions Have students become more autonomous learners? Is it easier for students to develop into autonomous learners in the present educational context?

9. Learning style of millennial students Howe & Strauss (2007) identify the seven core traits of the Millennial Generation: • Special • Sheltered • Confident • Team-oriented • Conventional • Pressured • Achieving

10. Learning style of millennial students • Generation Y has grown up in an era of technology and they demand immediacy, especially because of advancements in real-time media. (Practical English for University Students, Unit 1)

11. Anecdotes from classroom teaching • Hard work • Interaction • Attention & focus

12. Examples from support services in CILL Some response pattern of learners • Refuse-to-answer pattern • Multiple-choice pattern Sample sentence: The third part is asking about practical recommendations to facilitate future tourism planning in Hong Kong. • Examples of students with more autonomous learning styles

13. Conclusion • Overloaded curriculum • Space & choices • Technology & pedagogy

14. References • Chan, V. (2003). Autonomous language learning: The teachers' perspectives. Teaching in Higher Education, 8(1), 33-54. • Cooley, L. (1993). Using study guides: An approach to self-access. Hong Kong Papers in Linguistics and Language, 16, 93-101. • English Language Centre. (2011). Practical English for University Students (draft course materials for the new 2012 curriculum ). • Holec, H. (1981). Autonomy and foreign language learning. Oxford: Pergamon. • Howe, N., & Strauss, W. (2007). Millennials go to college. USA: Lifecourse Associates.

15. References • Lu, D. (2010). A salutary lesson from a computer-based self-access language learning project. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 23(4), 343-359. • Morrison, B. (Ed.). (2011). Independent language learning: Building on experience, seeking new perspectives. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press. • Smith, R., & Ushioda, E. (2010). Autonomy: Under whose control? In S. Pemberton & S. Toogood & A. Barfield (Eds.) (pp. 241-53). Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press.