Week 7. Part 2: Learner Autonomy and the One-computer Classroom

Seven, the lucky number!

Number seven is a mystic number for some religions and is considered a lucky number in many places around the world. Seven means “being together” or “to arise” in the Chinese culture. Many things are seven like the seven musical notes or the seven days of the week.  This week seven made me put together all the small content pieces of this course to understand its essence. Everything is about achieving “Learner Autonomy”. Each issue designed for this course spins around developing our students’ learner autonomy. This week was not an exception. It was directly related to promoting learner autonomy particularly in the one-computer classroom. 

Learner autonomy, as I read in Thanasoulas’s article "What is LearnerAutonomy and How Can It Be Fostered" citing Little (1991), is described as the acquired capacity that students have to be independent, objective, critical thinkers and decision-makers in different learning situation. 

After reading the suggested material, I learned that in order to promote learner autonomy in the language classroom, I should raise my students’ awareness on learner autonomy and its influence in the contemporary educational world. Learners should be more conscious and responsible of their own learning process. In order to achieve it, they should participate actively in learning autonomous tasks. They should be able to plan, monitor and evaluate, identify problems and suggest alternatives to them. Additionally, I learned that I should involve my students in more significant activities that raise their motivation and self-esteem looking for a change in their attitudes towards learning. As long as we engage students with project-based learning tasks, webquests, rubrics and PowerPoint interactive presentations, among others, we could stimulate them to self-study and cooperative work making them feel more independent and secure when learning the target language. 

In the same order of ideas, learner autonomy was related to the one-computer classroom this week. It implies using a single computer to enhance learner autonomy in the formal language context.

Ashmus’ article "But I Don't Have a Computer Lab! Using One Computer in the Classroom”  enumerates different computer uses in the one-computer classroom. For instance, he highlights using the computer as an administrative or publishing tool, as a communication or information station, and as a learning or simulation station. On the other hand, Linda Burkhart in her article “Strategies and Applications for the One Computer Classroom” adds some other uses like using the computer as a multi-media chalk board or flip chart and using the computer for individual input and for cooperative learning tool. Based on this article, my classmates and I designed a one-computer activity to promote learner autonomy.

Besides, an additional new fascinating tool, at least for me, was introduced to the course members. It is called “Wallwisher”. On this, we posted different documents of learner autonomy. In my case, it is going to be quite good for my classes and very useful for keeping notes; making lists and notice boards; brainstorming; sharing videos, hand-outs; and so on.

Finally, I need to remark the positive outcome in the implementation of the first technology change in my class. It consisted on a webquest for teaching reading comprehension to my graduate students. They had to deliver this first webquest today and they all showed their happiness for the accomplishment of the assignment. I checked some of them and I think that things are going through the right track. Next week, they will have another technology assignment which I will report soon.

It was a very productive week!

Best regards!

Mary