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10-Teacher autonomy and learner autonomy
As KADI (2018:15-16),with the increasing interest of learner
autonomy in recent years, the term of teacher autonomy has been introduced as a
new concept in the pedagogical field. Hence, there has been a comprehensive
discussion about the interrelationship between learner autonomy and teacher
autonomy. In this regard, Little points out to this relation when he states
that:
«... The development of leaner autonomy depends
on the development of teacher autonomy. By this I mean two things (i) that it
is unreasonable to expect teachers to foster the growth of autonomy in their
learners if they themselves do not know what it is to be an autonomous learner;
and (ii) that in determining the initiatives they take in the classrooms,
teachers must be able to exploit their professional skills
autonomously.» (Little 2000:45).
That is to say, teachers need to experience autonomy as
learners first, because most of them do not know what learner autonomy is since
they have never had the opportunity to learn autonomously. Therefore, it is not
easy for them to accept this notion and adopt it as a teaching and learning
approach in their classrooms.
However, Smith explains explicitly the relationship between
learner autonomy and teacher autonomy.
«Teachers also need to constantly reflect on
their own role in the classroom, monitoring the extent to which they constrain
or scaffold students' thinking and behavior, so as to engage students in
autonomous and effective learning.» (Smith, 2001:43-4)
On this basis, many scholars focus on both the importance of
developing teacher autonomy through adopting a reflective teaching and on the
interrelationship between teacher and learner roles in enhancing learner
autonomy. However, Thavenius has a different point of view concerning the
relationship between teacher autonomy and learner autonomy. According to
him:
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«Teacher autonomy and learner autonomy happen
simultaneously and reinforce each other because in order to promote learner
autonomy, it is necessary for teachers to work autonomously with learners'
learning processes.»
(Thavenius, 1999:160)
Similarly, Benson (2001) confirms that there is a strong
connection between learner autonomy and teacher autonomy; if teachers
themselves cannot experience a sense of autonomy or their own autonomy is
restricted by several factors and boundaries, they will never be ready to
promote their learners' autonomy.
Learner autonomy and teacher autonomy are interrelated,
interactive and strongly connected. Therefore, it is of great necessity to
comprehend and respect the relation between them; both teachers and learners
have to understand their autonomy in order to help each other in fostering it
and improving the teaching/ learning process.
11-The autonomous classroom
As KADI (2018:16-17), autonomous classroom refers to a
learning centered environment in which both teachers and learners feel
comfortable and interact with each other constructively within a learning
community. According to Leni Dam (2000), there are some essential conditions
should be taken into consideration in order to build an autonomous
classroom:
-A willingness on the part of the teacher to let go, and on the
part of the learners to take hold.
-An understanding of what to do and why and how it should be
done, this applies to teachers as well as learners.
-An experience-based insight into the learning process for both
teachers and learners.
-An atmosphere of security, trust and respect. (Dam, 2000)
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