WORKING WITH STUDENTS TO PROMOTE AUTONOMUOS LEARNING:

EMPOWERING EFL LEARNERS TO SELF-REGULATE WRITING

SusiloMulawarman University

Autonomy in language learning and related areas of practice

Resource-based approach

Curriculum-basedapproach

Classroom-basedapproach

Technology-basedapproach

Learner-based approach

Teacher-basedapproach

Autonomy

DEFINITIONS OF TERMS

• Autonomy: “the capacity to take control over one’s own learning” (Benson, 2001). It is “a capacity belonging to the learner”.

• Autonomous Learning: “learning in which the learner’s capacity for autonomy is exercised and displayed” (Benson, 2001).

• Self-regulation: “the self-directive process through which learners transform their mental abilities into academic skills” (Zimmerman, 1998)

The Knowledge Domains

• Bloom’s Taxonomy New Taxonomy

EvaluationSynthesisAnalysisApplicationComprehensionknowledge

Self-system Metacognitive systemCognitive system

knowledge

Self-system Thinking

• A network of interrelated beliefs and goals that are used to make judgments about advisability of engaging in a new task.

Belief strategies effective

processing

Self-system Thinking

Metacognitive System

Cognitive System

Autonomy in the context of new Knowledge domains

• Self-system thinking highlights 1) examining important, 2) examining efficacy, 3) giving emotion response, 3) examining overall motivation.

• Those four aspects are in line with the concept of taking control over one’s learning.

• It is a self-directive process –psychological change within an individual to take control over his/her own learning.

performance

Appraisal

Preparation

EMPOWERING LEARNERS TO SELF-REGULATE WRITING

• They have to observe and recognize success in other writers’ performance

(learners are given some models of good writing manuscripts to observe. They are asked to find out by themselves writing manuscripts from the internet or textbooks. They have to consult what they found to the teacher, and the teacher decides which materials they should read. The teacher should explain why certain manuscripts are good while the others are not. For this purpose, the teacher has to tell the learners criteria for a good or successful manuscript) ---PREPARATION.

• They have to emulate and adopt the models’ patterns.

(By observing the models of successful manuscripts learners begin to admire them great deal before they emulate and adopt the patterns. In other words, they are learning how a good composition is written -- e.g. punctuation, diction, grammatical style, organization, etc -- before they start learning to write by themselves. In this phase, learners begin to think of using the available resources, looking at the setting, getting involved with peers or finding out help from others, and in turn, they appropriately accept responsibilities for their own learning) -- PREPARATION.

• They have to self-monitor while learning new strategies until they are automatic.(the learners are employing the process of pre-writing, drafting, revising, and editing. This process is enhanced by self-recording and monitoring goal approximation. They are given a writing strategies checklist --using writing strategies checklist--before they start producing their own manuscripts. They will use self-regulatory strategies to begin writing their drafts) -- PERFORMANCE.

• Finally, they have to self-regulate in adapting to changed tasks and audiences (the learners to review their writing experiences, evaluating them for success and difficulties, which can be achieved by sharing rubrics that are used to evaluate writing with other students. Self-appraisal of previous writing skills -- using guideline for self-appraisal of previous writing skills -- is very helpful for the learners in revisiting the strategies they have employed during the performance phase. In this case, they determine whether or not those strategies have been effective)--APPRAISAL.