In this webinar, our speaker Samantha Lewis focuses on the characteristics of learner autonomy and looks at a range of practical ideas for developing autonomous habits in the classroom through collaboration, critical thinking and reflection.
Samantha has worked in ELT since 1994 and is a teacher, teacher trainer and materials writer who is based in Spain and specialises in ELT in secondary schools. She has a particular interest in teaching English to young learners and teeenagers as well as developing speaking skills.
How can we help our teenage students take responsibility for their own learning, and become more independent and autonomous both inside and outside the classroom?
In order for learners to take control of their own learning we need to identify the skills they require to do this. But what does ‘Autonomous learning’ mean?
An autonomous learner should:
- play an active role in their learning
- make decisions about their learning
- reflect and evaluate their learning.
In this modern world, we are no longer just teaching our students ‘English’, in fact we are helping them to develop a combination of skills for example: creativity, critical thinking, communication, collaboration, digital literacy and learning ‘how to learn’. To understand these different areas, the research team at Cambridge have created the Cambridge Life Competencies framework and have split these skills in to two sections:
- Thinking and Learning Skills
- Social and Emotional Skills
So, as teachers, how do we do this?
In terms of developing learner autonomy, although all these skills are fundamental – there are three that are key and combine thinking and learning with social and emotional skills, these are: learning to learn, critical thinking and collaboration.
The webinar looks in to these three life skills and breaks them down by reviewing specific activities learners can do in the classroom to achieve them.
Watch the full webinar below:
If you are interested in knowing more about this topic, you can view our selection of articles for ‘Autonomous learning‘.
In the meantime, why not try out some of the ideas above and discover more about the Learning to Learn strand of the Cambridge Life Competencies framework.