Promoting Learner Autonomy throughELT Classroom Interaction

The present research aims to illustrate teachers' use of tasks which promote learner autonomy in ELT classroom interaction. Extracts taken from video-recorded classroom interactions have been selected for analysis and examination in an attempt to identify the strategies which give learners more responsibilities for learning. The findings show that teachers use certain strategies such as structuring classroom discourse to add support for learners' independent learning, providing an amount of choice for self-directed learning, collectively constructing the discourse, setting up collaborative tasks to be completed independently, and engaging students with problem-solving activities. The findings indicate that such strategies train learners to develop independence in their approach to learning. It is proposed that the implications for promoting learner autonomy through classroom interaction should be incorporated into teacher-training programmes.