Hello and welcome to this video class in the MOOC;
“How to succeed in the English B1 level exam.”
We will talk about autonomous English learning,
how to learn autonomously this language.
This is the table of contents that we are going to follow:
What is autonomous learning?;
The characteristics of an autonomous language learner;
Steps into autonomous learning, how we become autonomous basically;
learning style preferences and learning strategies;
then we will look more in detail at those learning strategies
and we will distinguish between cognitive strategies
and metacognitive strategies;
and at the end of the presentation you will have some references
in case you want to learn more about this topic.
So, let’s get started.
What is autonomous learning?
Well, I have a definition there.
It’s said that autonomous learning takes place when students
take control and responsibility for their own learning,
both in terms of what they learn and how they learn it.
So it involves having various learning strategies
and how those can be applied in different contexts.
For example, a very useful learning strategy
is how to use a dictionary when we are reading a text,
how we find, out of all those meanings
that are listed in the dictionary,
the one that precisely applies to our context.
So, what characteristics do autonomous language learners have?
Well, they have insights into their learning styles and their strategies;
they know how they learn better.
They are active, they take an active approach to the learning task.
They are not scared of taking risks.
They are good at guessing: meanings, structures, etcetera.
They attend to form as well as to content.
That means they place importance on accuracy and appropriacy.
They are willing to revise and to reject hypotheses
and the rules that do not apply.
And they have a tolerant and outgoing approach
to the target language.
Now, how do we become autonomous then?
I have put there on a slide that you can see on my right
different steps to become an autonomous learner.
First of all, we sort of forget about the teacher,
the teacher becomes less of an instructor and more of a facilitator;
the teacher should guide you into your learning.
And that’s related to the next step.
So the teacher decreases that importance
as the main source of knowledge, we take control as learners
and we know that there are more sources of knowledge,
not just the teacher.
Next step, that capacity to learn for yourself
is encouraged and then you have to make decisions about
what you want to learn.
And that’s especially important
for example in English for Specific Purposes,
maybe I want to learn more about Academic English,
or about Technical English, etcetera.
Now, it’s time to reflect on your learning styles
and be aware of how you learn better, how you prefer learning.
And the last step would be to develop all those learning strategies.
So let’s have a look at those learning strategies
and how they connect to the way we learn.
There are many classifications of how we learn.
Probably one of the most widespread
ones is that one that divides into visual,
auditory and kinaesthetic learning.
And I put there some examples, you can see in the chart
that those that prefer learning by seeing they will enjoy it
if they draw diagrams or charts or they use flashcards when revising.
Or also when you have a piece of text, you highlight,
you use what is called colour coding;
for example if you have nouns you highlight them in one colour,
or if you have adjectives in another colour, etcetera.
It’s also useful when you draw boxes or circles around key words.
Now, if you are auditory, you learn when you hear,
when you listen to things,
then you will find yourself repeating information for example,
or you will see that you enjoy studying with a partner
and probably you like studying listening to music in the background.
Now, it’s advisable to avoid music with lyrics,
because that way we concentrate better.
Another learning strategy that is useful if you are an auditory learner
is talking to yourself or also taping or recording yourself
and then listening to what you have recorded.
The last type would be kinaesthetic learners, those that learn by doing.
Very useful if that is your case that you personalize information,
that you make it your own, that you apply it to your own world.
Also when you have to face for example a long text to read,
well, try to break it into smaller chunks;
break reading tasks into those smaller chunks
or smaller pieces and then stop after each chunk.
Also, use your fingers to trace where you’re reading,
or also a piece of paper.
That will also help you concentrate.
And, as I’ve done just now,
use your fingers explaining concepts to yourself;
that will help you memorize stuff.
Now, we’ve been talking about learning strategies,
let’s provide a definition for that.
It’s said that they are mental steps or operations that learners
use to learn a new language and to regulate their efforts to do so.
Now, again, different authors make different classifications.
I particularly like the one that I have put here,
because it’s quite simple.
We just talk about cognitive strategies
and metacognitive strategies.
Now, cognitive strategies,
they operate on the information that we get.
And metacognitive strategies are more about how we learn.
They are used for planning, monitoring and evaluating
the learning activity that we are taking.
Let’s look at those cognitive strategies.
For example, very useful when we are learning pronunciation,
to repeat, to imitate others’ speech.
Also what’s called resourcing,
using dictionaries or other materials as reference;
translating into our own language; or taking notes, making deductions,
putting whatever we learn in context, especially vocabulary,
it will help us memorize it and understand it better.
Another strategy that worked is what is called transfer,
so that means applying our knowledge in our own first language,
in our native language to the target language,
to the second language that we are learning,
maybe because the structures are similar,
or just because they are completely the opposite.
And also a very useful strategy when learning is asking for clarification,
asking when we haven’t understood something.
Now, let’s look at the metacognitive strategies, how we learn.
It’s very important to decide in advance to concentrate,
for example, on general aspects of a task.
That’s called ‘directed attention’, OK, what do I have to do here?
Or maybe, very common when we are doing a listening activity,
using selective attention.
If they ask us to fill in the gaps while listening to a recording, well,
then we will have to pay attention to specific aspects or specific parts.
Also, what is called ‘self-monitoring’, checking,
for instance when we are speaking, if we are saying it correctly.
In our own mind, we are checking, OK, yes, what I’ve said is fine.
Linked to that is self-evaluation,
appraising our performance in relation to our standards.
We know how much we know,
so we can be critical with ourselves and think, well,
I could have done better, or, no, I’ve actually done pretty well.
And related to that finally what is called 'self-reinforcement'.
Well, if I’ve done it well, “Well done”,
give yourself a tap on the shoulder.
And finally these are some of the references
you’ve seen in this video class,
that there were names of authors that I just haven’t mentioned
but the full references are here and in the following page.
I hope you have enjoyed this video class and see you next time.
Thank you!