Perspectives of 21st century English language learners
How is the 21st century English language learner different
from the one of the past? And how can the teacher cater for this in the
classroom? These questions were asked by Dr. Terry Lamb in his plenary talk
during the TESOL MTh 21st Annual International Convention.
In times where ‘Globalization’ is an everyday word and classrooms are
more diverse than ever, what skills and attributes are needed for today’s learner?
A few which were mentioned were collaboration across networks, agility and
adaptability, critical thinking resilience and empathy. In short, learning needs have become so
diverse that learner autonomy has become more essential than ever. As a result,
it is important for learners to take control of their own learning, and in
order to do this to know what their individual strengths are. The teacher’s
role is then to help them make decisions so as to continue life-long learning.
As Dr. Lamb explained, the learner becomes a collaborator in his own
learning, setting his own goals and taking some control over assessment.
However, this does not mean that learners are prepared to take this
responsibility or are even aware of how to do this, especially where
traditional learning environments have prevailed. The teacher needs to become a
guide by sharing what was previously considered their sole responsibility as
mentor or tutor. By gradually and systematically involving the learner in the
process of learning -how to plan, evaluate and monitor themselves - by explaining
the reasons for a task as well as the learning outcomes of a specific task, and
by doing so, being able to create their own tasks, the teacher will be able to
lead the learner to take control over their own learning and hence, reaching
the goal of becoming autonomous language learners.
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