CALL, LEARNER AUTONOMY & TEACHERS' ROLE IN LEARNING ENGLISH

[Mustafizur rRhman]

This topic aims at identifying the relationship between Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) and EFL (English as a foreign language) learners’ autonomy, focusing on the role of the teachers in making the technology an effective learning tool.

Computer-Assisted Language Learning is a technique for using technology in the field of language learning.  So CALL is defined as an approach to language teaching and learning in which computer technology is used as an aid to the presentation, reinforcement, and assessment of material to be learned including a substantial interactive element.

On the other hand, Learner autonomy is the concept of taking responsibility for one’s own learning.


In recent years CALL has created new opportunities for both English teachers and learners in Bangladesh.  They get access to the enormous variety of authentic materials relating to all spheres of life at almost no cost. So in non-English speaking countries, such as in Bangladesh the computer is the invaluable source of information for teachers to guide the learners to become autonomous and explore the whole world just by clicking the mouse.

So the role of the teachers as supporting scaffolding and creating room for the development of autonomy is very demanding and very important. So undoubtedly CALL can open up immense possibility for learners, properly guided by teachers, to become autonomous as well as skilled in English as a foreign language at tertiary level in Bangladesh.

[shamsi]

Thanks for introducing this topic here in forum.This is one of the popular topics in the era of ELT.I hope we will come across constructive discussions through this endeavor.


Regards

Shamsi Ara Huda
Senior Lecturer,Department of English

[Mustafizur rRhman]

Why our learners should be Autonomous?
Autonomous Learning enables the learner to make the language learning process meaningful and relevant to his or her needs and to continue to develop in the target language.  Learners’ Autonomy means empowering the students learning; therefore one of the main points of language-skill development is to encourage the autonomy in learning process (Toyoda, 2001). An autonomous learner develops the capacity to take at least some control over their learning; and the learning environment provides opportunities for the learner to take control of their learning. Developing capacity requires a set of personal qualities: confidence, motivation, taking and accepting responsibility, and ability to take initiative. It also involves a set of skills: academic, intellectual, personal and interpersonal.

[Mustafizur rRhman]

Who is an Autonomous Learner?

The autonomous learner is a self-activated maker of meaning, an active agent in his own learning process. He is not one to whom things merely happen; he is the one who, by his own decision, causes things to happen (Alvares-Torres, 2001). A number of the abilities associated with learner autonomy are likely to be promoted when the learners are expected to become more self-reliant such as making decisions about learning, taking responsibility for learning, planning and goal setting, and self-assessment.

[Mustafizur rRhman]

CALL in Bangladesh

CALL has created new opportunities for both English teachers and learners in Bangladesh.  They get access to the enormous variety of authentic materials relating to all spheres of life at almost no cost. So in non-English speaking countries, such as in Bangladesh the computer is the invaluable source of information for teachers to guide the learners to become autonomous and explore the whole world just by clicking the mouse. So the role of the teachers as supporting scaffolding and creating room for the development of autonomy is very demanding and very important. So undoubtedly CALL can open up immense possibility for learners, properly guided by teachers, to become autonomous as well as skilled in English as a foreign language at tertiary level in Bangladesh.

[Mustafizur rRhman]

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

   This topic intends to show how Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) can promote individual learner's autonomy with a proper guideline by a teacher without compromising the learner's independence. There is no doubt that in recent times the use of CALL is integrated with supportive approaches to language learning but the question is how CALL affects learners’ autonomy and how the teachers can play their roles in this regard.
   There seems little doubt that CALL is presently the most innovative area in the practice of foreign language teaching and learning in the outside world but in the context of Bangladesh it is still to be identified. Again, other research reports tend to give no or little attention to the role of the teacher in guiding learner autonomy. They focus, not unreasonably, on learners, who, individually or together, are supposed to get on with the work themselves. That is why we need to answer the question of what the teachers can do to make a CALL task successful in promoting learners’ autonomy in the context of Bangladesh taking the tertiary level under its consideration.

[Mustafizur rRhman]

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

Despite the fact that the possibilities are endless in Bangladesh, the use of CALL in promoting learners’ autonomy at the tertiary level is very nominal and not to the expected level and our students are not benefited to the maximum level as it should be. So the roles of teachers need to be identified to maximize the use of CALL to make our students more skilled in English. This discussion intends to unravel the problems and limitations offering a complete guideline for ensuring the maximum benefit from it.

The discussion will attempt to demonstrate how, with the help of teachers CALL can foster learners’ autonomy making learning more interesting, appealing, motivating and authentic. A common justification for the use of computers in language teaching and learning is that it is said to promote learner autonomy, which researchers and practitioners alike now set as a very important goal. So let us discuss the relationship between computer-assisted language learning and autonomy, focusing on the role of the teacher in making the technology an effective learning opportunity.

The writer demands a response to this question and affirms that in CALL the teacher has a role to play in developing students' sense of autonomy.

[Mustafizur rRhman]

CALL is clearly a good tool to facilitate the development of learner autonomy which may be due to a number of factors.  The most important factor is that learners are in control of their role in the CALL discussions which automatically implies that they are in control of decision-making, planning and self-regulation.  With CALL, individual learners are given the opportunity to “move out of their individual comfort zones in order to participate productively and effectively in the learning process” (Hoven, 1999, p.157).  In a word, CALL has a positive effect on learner autonomy if the students perceive the tool to be a useful one. Therefore, I argue that the teacher's role in CALL needs to be more potent than has been acknowledged so far.

[shamsi]

I think,teachers should help students to develop a sense of self-efficacy so that they can take up challenges and expect success implementing their prior knowledge.In this way,teachers can contribute in upholding 'Learners' Autonomy'.

Regards

Shamsi

[shipra]

Dear Sir,thank you for introducing this important topic.It's a very important aspect of Linguistics with which the students should be familiar.How can we be autonomous learner,we should know that.Because,self-learning is the best way of learning.So,thank you.

[Mustafizur rRhman]

Can we have some suggestions from you to guide our students to become autonomous learners?

[Mustafizur rRhman]

CALL can have a positive impact on learner autonomy when teachers play an active role in it. The findings indicate that learners' perceptions vary largely according to the level of their computer literacy although the students' perceptions may be modified through positive or negative relationships with other students and the teacher. The study concludes with three conditions necessary for successful autonomous learning: 1) accessible and reliable technology, 2) sufficient computer literacy in students, and 3) good communication with and support from peers.

[Mustafizur rRhman]

Published researches in recent years show that learners are genuinely raising their level of proficiency in the target language being autonomous and with the help of CALL. The study also reports an increase in motivation levels when students are using computers for educational tasks. Because this is a technological society, students are more likely to be motivated by learning which involves computers. This is an encouraging instance of learner autonomy, which modern teaching methodology regards as a highly desirable outcome which CALL claims to promote. The study finds that CALL generates opportunities for learners to become self-reliant and learners think harder and generate deeper thoughts with the use of CALL.

[shipra]

The students can become autonomous learner by trying themselves.They should try on their own.They should think,They should brainstorm themselves.

[Mustafizur rRhman]

A number of the abilities associated with learner autonomy are likely to be promoted when the learners are expected to become more self-reliant such as making decisions about learning, taking responsibility for learning, planning and goal setting, and self-assessment. Foreign language learning, by its nature, requires motivation, cultural knowledge, social context and the higher order thinking skills of synthesis and analysis and CALL fulfills all these requirements. The work also affirms that in CALL the teacher has a great role to play in developing students' sense of autonomy as well as to suggest the right materials for them.