I also thought that the reading from the textbook was interesting. I never really studied how language works and how our brains deal with it. It has always been such a natural thing to me, that I never thought twice about it. When I studied Spanish in high school, it came so easily to me, even though it obviously isn't my first language, so I enjoyed learning a little bit more on how it all works. I didn't realize that language was such a complex thing neurologically. And I didn't know that different parts of the brain played different roles in speaking and understanding language.
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The article is much different from our reading in the book. It's discussion on learner autonomy related to what it is, and how all the ways in which I need to think and approach Hebrew in order to succeed. The most interesting part of the article to me was the part about teachers. Teachers apparently have a tough time weening themselves off of forcing the language on the student and helping them out too much. The purpose of the teacher for me will have to be some sort of language assistant. There is no reason that the fostering of my learning autonomy will be hindered by questions I actively bring to somebody who understands Hebrew. I simply need to pull my self away from the language assistant and now allow them to become a crutch in my language learning. My favorite part of the article is when the author mapped out what type of atmosphere learning autonomy works best. This included "collaboration rather than competition." I would love nothing more that to take my motivation (I am purely learning Hebrew on an interest basis, not because of traveling to Israel or needing it for a job, etc) and use it in a friendly and harboring atmosphere. I believe this kind of approach will be more effective for my motivation.
I didn’t find much in the reading that I disagreed with or found surprising. It seemed to mostly say that learners can be more successfulif they take an active role in the process, which requires more motivation andindependence. These days, there’s much more of an emphasis on self-directedlearning, especially through the internet. And this view doesn’t bother me atall because that’s how I prefer to learn. I’ve always liked finals week becausethere’s no classes and I can schedule everything myself in order to learn whatI think is important. Actually, in my fourth year at university, I’ve come tothe conclusion that college isn’t about teaching students things; it’s aboutteaching students how to teach themselves. Anyway, it’s what I naturallygravitate towards doing, if I have a block of free time and a laptop withinternet, so I’m pretty excited about the prospect of self-directed Turkishlearning. :D
There are so many resources available, whether online courses, or internet-streaming radio, or books in the InternationalCenter, that I really am not worried about being able to get enoughinformation. The one worry, especially in regards to things posted on theinternet, is reliability. Ease of access means that plenty of information onthe internet isn’t credible, so that’s where my language partner could help meout, by verifying whether a site’s content is actually helpful and accurate. Thataside, I’ve found some good sites so far, bookmarked on the Diigo, includinglinks to the alphabet with pronunciations, foreign-language TV and radio, music& talk radio, grammar layouts, dictionaries, news sites in Turkish, and onlinelessons. I also plan to have a Turkish dictionary, and I should have RosettaStone at my disposal as well, so my next order of business is to check outexactly what is available in the International Center’s book resources.
While reading from “How Language Works” and the article “What is Learner Autonomy and How Can it be Fostered?” I was surprised and a little intimidated by learning how much thought and effort goes into becoming an autonomous language learner. The learner must be highly motivated to take the initiative to move forward in the language and continually evaluate his or her progress. HLW analyzes how words, or lexemes, possess meaning, and the article states that “the autonomous learner is a self-activated maker of meaning” (Thanasoulas 2). In short, the autonomous learner is finding his own way of understanding the meaning of words, from the context of his life and previous language learning experiences. This is a great undertaking, but also a very freeing one. The learner is able to direct his language study in the ways best suited to who he is and how he learns, but he is also responsible for evaluating himself, and learning to understand when he is going wrong in his study and how he can improve.
One of the most intimidating parts of self-directed language learning for me is knowing where to start. HLW covers the idea of “selective focusing”, in areas such as vocabulary, grammar, or phonology, “selective focusing of this kind . . . is an essential part of the business of discovering how language works, and is also a helpful way of simplifying the task of description” (HLW 181). Having categories in which different parts of language are separated helps one navigate the sea of options, providing direction and order. Although the language learner is still responsible for choosing where to begin and where to focus, having ideas of how language can be divided is very helpful.
One characteristic of autonomous learners mentioned by the article is that they are “willing to take risks, i.e.,
to communicate in the target language at all costs.” (Thanasoulas 2). This is one area I know I need practice in, because for one reason or another I struggle with confidence in expressing myself in a foreign language, especially orally. Learning to take risks, and not being afraid of failure, is an essential part of being an autonomous language learner.
I also liked how the article addresses issues such as attitude and motivation. The topics discussed in the article can apply to all aspects of one's life, not just autonomous learning. The success of any activity, not just language learning, is contingent on a person's motivation and sense of self- a desire to improve all aspects of the world around you. Yes, it seems a little far fetched, but I think a lot of people either lack motivation or their motivation is driven by monetary incentives.
I thought that the Crystal reading was interesting, apart from the chapter on how the brain handles language. It might just be because I am an accounting major, but all of the scientific terms gave me a slight headache. :) I did however, like how Crystal explained that slips of the tongue are not involuntary.
Reflecting on the reading as a whole, the structure of this class appears to foster an environment that is the most conducive to autonomous learning. Now I just have to remember to take the necessary risks.
I found both the book chapters and the article to be very helpful in explaining the different tools and processes that can be used to better develop my skills as an autonomous learner. However, between the two, I thought the article presented information that was much more applicable. Since a young age, I have always considered myself an independent and self-sufficient learner. However, after reading over the article entitled ”What is Learner Autonomy and How Can it be Fostered” by Dimitrios Thanasoulas, I realized that this is the first class I have ever taken throughout my 22 years of education in which I will be completely teaching myself; an intimidating thought if you ask me.
The most useful aspect of the article was the skills and tactics it mentioned to promote learner autonomy. Throughout this whole process, I know there are going to be times when I am going to become frustrated and want to give up; after all, learning an entirely new language is never easy. However, the article mentioned that both diaries and evaluation sheets can be very useful, and I could not agree more. A diary will allow me to plan and actually monitor my progress with learning Hebrew. It will be a constructive way for me to see changes I need to make or problems that I may be having. It will also be great to be able to look at my diary at the end of the year and see how much I have improved, from starting out not knowing any Hebrew to hopefully being able to learn enough to actually be able to converse with others!
