If I may, I would like to ask the members of the JASAL discussion community for recommendations of good texts related to the topic of learner autonomy. The Pedagogy Department of the university where I teach is beginning to take an interest in the subject and has asked me to supply a list of books. I'm primarily interested in texts of a general nature or ones that relate specifically to the Asian context. Your suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
-Elton

Adventures in Self-Access

Allow me to make a brief introduction to help contextualize the contents of this post... My name is Elton LaClare, and I've been working in the TESL/TEFL field for much of the past ten years - first in Japan and most recently in South Korea. My initial interest in self-access learning/ learner autonomy came about from the simple observation that year upon year the most accomplished of my students shared one thing in common: they'd all been proactive in setting the agenda for their own language development. The priorities they set were sometimes in line with the curriculum and sometimes shaped by their own personal goals and objectives. There was little commonality among the methods they employed to achieve their results. There was - of course - the temptation to attribute their success to my own influence, but the fact remained that in most cases they'd arrived in my classroom already possessing formidable language skills. As a teacher, I saw it as my responsibility to learn more about what it was that separated the high-achievers from the rest. That quest is what eventually led me to self-access learning/ learner autonomy. To summarize, I see learner autonomy as the key factor in the success of the aforementioned students. My view of self-access learning centres is that they represent the most likely means of guiding the wider community of students to similar results.

My enthusiasm for learner autonomy eventually led me to attempt to create a very modest self-access learning centre at a girl's orphanage where I'd been teaching on a voluntary basis. Resources were scarce (human resources most of all). The idea of a creating a 'drop-in' study environment was born as much of necessity as design. Zoning regulations precluded a separate facility, but the orphanage generously agree to shuffle things around to accommodate us on-site. An unexpected surge of donations left us with enough money to create a nice learning environment including computer resources. Things seemed to be going well, but sadly our centre foundered for reasons I least expected. Because of their age (most of the girls are elementary and middle school students) we didn't involve them in the planning of the centre in any meaningful way. It was only after we'd failed that I realized the basic principles behind successful development initiatives in the third world apply equally to creating a flourishing self-access learning environment. Myself as well the others involved in the project had ignored everything we'd learned during years of social welfare and development experience. We'd imposed our own vision of what the centre should be instead taking into account the needs of the users. This oversight extended all the way from the layout and furnishings to the educational materials and human resources. The experience raised a number of issues that I think would pertain to anyone active in the planning of a self-access learning environment or seeking to increase participation in an existing centre.

We are currently gearing up for a second attempt at starting a 'drop-in' centre for the orphan girls. I hope that through this forum I might be able to pick the brains of those with those with similar experiences.

SAC Development Questionnaire

SAC Development Questionnaire

From Renee Sawazaki, Faculty of Contemporary Cultures

Surugadai University

sawazaki@surugadai.ac.jp

Happy New Year!

First of all, I would like to thank all of you who have already contributed so much to my efforts to research SACs and develop one at Surugadai University. To summarize, our SAC opened in April 2009 as a ‘work in progress’. As of January 2010, we now have a large stock of learning materials for 7 languages, study groups for 5 languages, modern (and modest) facilities and a growing interest. What we don’t have is dedicated secretarial or educational staff (We’re ‘borrowing’ talent and energy from the very proficient International Exchange Office staff, which I suggested share facilities with the Language Education Center – so far, so good.). Nor do we have much support from the majority of the language teaching faculty, or, oddly enough, the head of the language center (“Although he doesn’t oppose our efforts…”). At the beginning of summer, I managed to create a Working Group which is composed of the 5 faculty members who are interested in the SAC. But, with all of us having so little time to dedicate to the SAC, progress is slow, but steady. And, we will hopefully have a formal committee from next April.

One colleague, Prof. Yayoi Tanaka and I, are currently working on applying for a Gendai GP grant which would help deter the cost of hiring dedicated staff. In the event that we do not get it, we have to continue our appeal to our university for funding. We also plan to co-author a paper for Surugadai’s journal in Japanese to help educate our faculty on the benefits of a SAC and what is necessary to run one properly. Many of you have given me the advice that this step is crucial. Unfortunately, all of my appeals thus far have been in English. No faculty member up till now would help with the translation. In the paper, I will summarize information I gathered from my visits to Kanda Gaidai and Gaigo Gakuin, Soka Univ., and Tsuda Juku College, as well as a presentation I attended on Bunkyo Univ.’s Language Garden. In addition, I would like to include responses to the following questionnaire. If you could kindly respond to any of the questions you can by January 10 (If you plan to respond, but need more time, just let me know), we would greatly appreciate it. We will be happy to share the bilingual version with you when it is finished. I’m rather busy getting myself and family prepared to leave for the US in March for a one-year sabbatical, so I do not have much time to spend on it, but want to at least get something done so that the efforts for our SAC do not stagnate in my absence.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation!

Q1: Please describe your SAC (The name, when and how it was founded, what kind of facilities, materials, services, programs, staffing, etc.)

Q2: What were the challenges faced in creating your SAC? How were they overcome?

In addition, please address any of the following challenges:

Q2.1 Creating understanding within the administration.

Q2.2 Creating understanding amongst faculty and receiving help

Q2.3 Language barriers (if non-Japanese were/are involved in the process and are not capable of reading and writing in Japanese)

Q2.4 Getting funding (from university, grants, other)

Q2.5 Getting staff and help (secretarial, educational, committee, volunteers, etc.)

Q3: What are your SACs greatest strengths?

Q4: What are your SACs greatest weaknesses?

Q5: What would you like to see done in the future to improve your SAC?

Q6: If you were writing a paper for or appeal to your institution with the aim of creating understanding for SACs and receiving support, what information, resources, etc. would you definitely include?

Q7: Are you able to follow up this questionnaire with a phone interview? If so, please let me know your preferred method of contact, and possible dates and times.

Thank you and cheers to the implementation and improvement of SACs!!

The Validation of Self-Access Centres

Hi everyone

David Gardner, from the University of Hong Kong and of 'Establishing Self-Access' fame, has set up a discussion forum to encourage contributions to a project he is involved in regarding the validation of self-access centres. Below I'm pasting a message (in blue font) that David has sent out on various email discussion lists related to autonomy - apologies if anyone has received this through these means already. Why not take a minute to check out his forum, and even register and contribute your comments? I think this is a very exciting project that could result in a worthwhile system for all of us.

This is to let you know about a new forum that has been established as part of a project looking at the validation of self-access/independent learning centres. The purpose of the forum is to initiate a participatory approach to defining a set of standards and an evaluative system that is meaningful to all. Please take this opportunity to participate in the development of a system for validating SACs by joining us at:

http://cad.cele.unam.mx/sac/

For a slightly more detailed explanation of the background and goals to this project see below.

Looking forward to discussing with you online.

David Gardner (HKU) and Marina Chavez (UNAM)

Some More Background

In our paper at the ILAC conference in Hong Kong (June 2009) we discussed the benefits of a system for the validation of self-access centres. We proposed a system which evaluates self-access centres with reference to their own goals and contexts but also with reference to an agreed set of standards. Ultimately, the system could become the basis for a process of certification. We suggested such a system would be of benefit to self-access practitioners for purposes of self-development and to provide evidence of performance to host institutions and funding bodies.

In our paper we suggested that the only viable way forward is to develop a set of standards which define aspects of an effective SAC through a global participatory process. The goal of this process is to develop a system which is meaningful for all participants.

We have now established a discussion forum to start the participatory process. We envisage this forum will serve as a place for discussing ideas and also as a place to participate in formulating the standards that we hope will eventually emerge from the process.

At the moment the forum is very young so we need your participation to make it work. If you are interested in developing a system for validating self-access centres please sign up to the forum at:

http://cad.cele.unam.mx/sac/

Setting up a SALC at Surugadai University

Title: Setting up a SALC at Surugadai University

Hello everyone,

My name's Renee and I work at Surugadai University in Hanno, Saitama. We will be setting up a language center to open in April 2009 and I am in charge of creating a layout plan and proposal for materials. I would like to ask for your advice and support as I enter this challenging path.

First of all, I'm the only language teaching specialist at Surugadai and I just succeeded in convincing the administrators to invest in a SALC in addition to restructuring the foreign language program at an administration level (that is what they envision when they say 'Language Center'!) And, I am working on getting the support of colleagues who teach foreign languages. So far, so good.

I received permission to visit other SALCs in the area and am setting up appointments at Soka University, Kanda University of International Studies and Tsuda College. I would like to go to Akita and Kansai, but that’s not possible. I would like to conduct the visits in May and have a proposal ready by the beginning of June. Tight time line!

The main areas I need to research now are:

1. What kind of layout is conducive to high usage?
1. Group space vs. individual and pair/small group booths
2. Student, staff and language teacher usage space

2. What kind of materials are desirable?
1. Balance of high tech and paper-based?
2. Student and teacher resources
3. Specific ‘must’ items (Thanks, Lucy, for the software advice!)

3. What kind of support to offer students, staff and faculty members?

4. What are important questions to ask / things to look for when I visit other centers?

I’ve enjoyed reading contributions that you have placed on the web regarding your centers, papers, etc. I would really appreciate any detailed advice you could give.

I look forward to exchanging ideas and keeping you posted on the progress here at Surugadai. I hope to be able to one day to have a good model and help others to create similar ones.

Yours,

Renee Sawazaki

Language Center planning committee member

Surugadai University

In our time: what is a good self-access facility?

Hi everyone

In the UK, the University of Nottingham's Centre for English Language Teaching is setting up a new self-access centre, and I know that a team headed by Caleb Foale from Kanda University of International Studies is currently setting up a new SALC too, at Hiroshima Bunkyo Women's University, and that Garold has a new ILC up at Akita International University. This has made me think: what, these days, makes a good self-access facility? For example, is it having good levels of staffing (both advisors and administrators) in the centre? A good range of materials? A technology-rich environment? Authentic, interactivity-rich materials? A friendly ambience?

Do you think, in light of the previous entry about Clarity's newsletter and the slow death of self-access, that there are any traditional facets of self-access facilities which are no longer relevant to language learners?

Lucy

Clarity Newsletter - are self-access centres really dying a slow death?

Hi everyone!

It's really great to see that we have some new people joining this discussion, and although it's currently vacation time for a lot of you, I thought it was time to get a bit controversial!

If you click on this link you can download the latest newsletter from "Clarity". Clarity is a Hong Kong based software designer and provider which produces some great language learning software for use in self-access centres. If you don't already have their software in your centres, then you might want to take a look at their main website.

In this month's newsletter, there is an article called "The slow death of the self access centre?" Two people are giving their views on whether or not self-access centres are becoming defunct. The argument centres around two points: technological advances which allow learners to access both authentic and learner-specific materials in their own homes, and the importance of the learning advisor/educator in self-access centres.

What do you think about this? Is there still a place for providing resources (including human ones) in a dedicated physical space, or should we be letting our centres die?

Looking forward to your comments!

Lucy