Promoting learner autonomy through the curriculum: principles for designing language courses

Abstract

This article argues that fostering learner autonomy is an important and appropriate goal in language course design, but that principles to guide the design of such courses are currently lacking. The article proposes five course design principles for language courses which seek to foster learner autonomy. Each principle is discussed in relation to the experience of designing two skills-based courses taught within an intensive English language course. The paper concludes with the claim that a language course which integrates these principles will contribute both to learners' control over their own language learning process and to their developing language proficiency.