Developing Learner Autonomy

This week we discussed different topics: learner autonomy, one coputer classroom and mobile devices. In this post I want to share how I encouraged students to work on their own, make decisions, take responsibility for their actions and reflect.

I used to work in a primary bilingual school. I was in charge of a literacy programme aimed at promoting learner's autonomy and reading habits in 9-12 year-old students.

Three authentic children's novels were selected for each form and the different literary genres explored. Students selected which novel they wanted to read first.

I designed tasks around those novels which were adapted according to students' age and command of the foreign language. In other words, tasks were graded and novels were authentic.

Students visited the school's library and read during 30 minutes in silence while completing a task every 3 chapters. Some tasks were written and some were oral. For that reason, these tasks included different instructional practices which supported a variety of reading strategies.

I monitored students' work and helped them whenever it was necessary.

This program supplemented their language and literature classes. Students developed different reading strategies and learnt to ask questions and worked on their own.

Altough this Prezi is in Spanish you can take a look at the novels they read and how they worked.