Abstract
With the research on fostering and cultivating learner autonomy in foreign/second language teaching and learning, teacher autonomy has gained momentum in the research of foreign language teacher education. There have been many theoretical research and discussions about the definitions of learner autonomy. Many researchers acknowledge that language teachers play important roles in developing learner autonomy. However, the relationship between teacher autonomy and learner autonomy needs to be explored. The focal point of the present paper is a tentative discussion on the relationship between teacher autonomy and learner autonomy in foreign language education and teacher education. This paper sheds light to foreign language education and teacher education in that language teachers should change their traditional roles to ones catering and facilitating the development of learner autonomy, and teacher education and training programs should include and design courses, practicum to enhance and promote teacher-learner autonomy.
Highlights
In the traditional foreign language teaching, foreign language teachers are the centre and dominant of the teaching and learning process
One of the achievements of the project was the founding of the Centre de Recherches et d’Applications en Langues (CRAPEL) at the University of Nancy, France (Holec, 1981), which soon became a focal point for research and practice in the field
Though learner autonomy and teacher autonomy are closely related to each other, how to bridge the gap between them? This can be in part achieved through foreign language teacher education
Summary
In the traditional foreign language teaching, foreign language teachers are the centre and dominant of the teaching and learning process. Language learners depend much on the teachers and lack of autonomy and agency in learning. Just as a Chinese saying goes, “If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day; if you teach a man to fish you feed him for a lifetime” This educational philosophy is often quoted and referenced to emphasize the significance of “autonomous learning” (Hedge, 2002). Originated from the research and concern on learner autonomy, the term “teacher autonomy” was introduced into the field of foreign language education (Benson, 2006; Smith, 2003). Little (1995) published a journal article–Learning as dialogue: The dependence of learner autonomy on teacher autonomy, which marked the beginning of “teacher autonomy” in second (foreign) language education research. In the present paper, based on explicating the different definitions put forward by researchers from different perspectives, the focus is upon a theoretical exploration how teacher education facilitates language teacher-learner autonomy, which influences the teaching practice of cultivating and developing learner autonomy
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