Week 7 - Autonomy, Freedom, Independence, Dreams :)

This week is seemingly more relaxed - we  have less to read and less to discuss, possibly with a view to the coming project deadline. However, the issue at the core of our discussion is Learner Autonomy - can it be fostered? Is it a bird in the hand, or a bird in the sky above?And what can we do about it? I found some support here

Effective learning can take place and independence fostered when there is "... warm-hearted interaction between teachers and learners, as well as among learners themselves." Learners become independent in an atmosphere:

1. ... which encourages people to be active;
2. ... that facilitates the individual's discovery of the personal meaning of ideas;
3. ... that emphasises the uniquely personal and subjective nature of learning;
4. ... in which difference is good and desirable;
5. ... that consistently recognises the right to make mistakes;
6. ... that tolerates ambiguity;
7. ... in which evaluation is a co-operative process with emphasis on self-evaluation;
8. ... which encourages openness of self rather than concealment of self;
9. ... in which people are encouraged to trust in themselves as well as in external sources;
10. ... in which people feel they are respected;
11. ... in which people feel they are accepted;
12. ... which permits confrontation.
13. ... in which the teacher creates conditions by which he loses the teaching function.
14. ... in which instruction is carefully personalised in an attempt to meet the individual needs, interests, and abilities of students.

 

The treatise was possibly written before the advent of technologies in the classroom otherwise it would have mentioned that  in  implementing the ideas especially under items 13 and 14 a teacher has a new set of tools, i.e. the computer and specifically Internet. 

We had a very fruitful discussions on autonomy, and the use of one computer in the classroom. It is amazing to see how teachers from all parts of the world share the same concerns, students enjoy the same pranks and

suffer from the same lack of organization and willingness to  "walk the extra mile".

We are likely to be busy with our projects a lot during the following weeks. There is some agitation among the students. Not as much as I expected, but it is again a week off school and besides they have a lot of final tests to do. It is slavish work, inevitable but necessary. Compared to it, the webquests might be seen as a breath of freshness. Hopefully!!!

Extrinsic Motivation