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13 Freedom to learn and compulsion to interact: promoting learner autonomy through the use of information systems and information technologies David Little Introduction This chapter is divided into two parts. In the first part I explore the nature and processe s o f learne r autonomy , an d i n th e secon d I consider ho w information system s and informatio n technologie s ca n contribute to th e development o f autonom y i n secon d an d foreig n languag e learning . Essentially, I shall argue 1. tha t learne r autonom y i s a specia l instanc e o f a socio-psyetiologica l phenomenon that is central to human experience in some domains and to human potential in all domains; 2. tha t autonom y (a s freedom t o learn) combine s with dependenc e (a s biological imperative to interact) to generate communicative processes that are fundamental t o a definition of what it is to be human; and 3. tha t informatio n system s an d informatio n technologie s ca n promot e the developmen t o f learne r autonom y t o th e exten t tha t the y ca n stimulate, mediate and exten d th e range and scop e of the social an d psychological interaction on which all learning depends. Perspectives on learner autonomy A working definition The essence of learner autonomy is acceptance of responsibility for one' s 204 Davi d Little own learning (see, e.g., Holec 1981, Little 1991). This entails establishing a personal agend a fo r learning , taking a t least some of the initiatives tha t shape the learning process, and developing a capacity to evaluate the extent and success of one's learning. According to this definition, learner autonomy has both affective/motivationa l an d metacognitiv e dimensions . I t pre supposes a positive attitude to the purpose, content and process of learning on the one hand and well-developed metacognitive skills on the other. Understood i n this sense, autonomy is a defining characteristi c of all sustained learning that attains long-term success. It is the means by which the learner transcends the limitations of the learning situation and applies what he or she has learned t o the day-to-day business o f living. Clearly, this is a consideration that has particular urgency in the case of second or foreign languag e learning : t o th e exten t tha t th e purpos e o f languag e learning is to develop communicative proficiency i n the target language, autonomy is the learner characteristic that facilitates targe t language us e in the larger world that lies beyond the immediate learning environment. It i s als o th e characteristi c tha t allow s th e learne r t o tak e maximu m advantage of the language-learning opportunities that continually arise in language use . According t o this definition , learne r autonom y i s not th e product of one particular pedagogical style, neither is it tied to one particular organizational model . It is to be found i n classroom s a s well a s in self access learnin g schemes , amon g childre n o f primar y schoo l ag e an d adolescents as well as among university students and adults. Terms like 'personal agenda', 'initiative', and 'self-evaluation' inevitably emphasize th e individuality o f each learner a s regards needs, purposes, capacities, and ultimat e achievement. Yet in formal educationa l context s as elsewhere learning can proceed only via interaction, so that the freedoms by which we recognize learner autonom y ar e always constrained by th e learner's dependenc e o n th e suppor t an d cooperatio n o f others . Thi s paradox is fundamental to human nature and human experience. Reviewing the design constraints on a unified theor y of cognition, Newell (1990: 20) makes the point thus: Humans must live autonomously within a social community. [...] On e aspect of autonomy is greater capability to be free of dependencies on the environment. [... ] But , conversely, much tha t we have learned fro m ethology and social theory speaks to the dependence of individuals upon the communities in which they are raised and reside. [...] If you take us outof our communities, we become inept and dysfunctional in many ways. The paradox...

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