Tag Archives: autonomous learning

Oct 19 2012
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Author: Chelsea, Teaching

Caution: Autonomous Learning in Process

A few weeks ago I completed my Autonomous Learning lectures in UPE English classes, and then met with over 15 students individually to discuss their personal goals and strategies when it comes to improving their English. The lectures and workshops were extremely rewarding, and I even met with a few students who had never come to my classes before. The whole experienced reinforced the concept that the most effective goals in language learning are short-term, specific, and evaluable. This way, they are all that much easier to achieve!

Here is my powerpoint from the lecture:

And here is the Personal Goal Setting handout I asked my students to fill out before meeting with me.

But the process is never over! For those who met with me, I’ll be setting up meetings in another few weeks to help them evaluate where they are in their goal process. For those who haven’t yet made goals and would like to talk more about how to do it, I’m here–get in contact!

Thanks to Christina Lorimer, ETA in São José do Rio Preto, for her consultation about autonomous learning and goal-setting. Another great web resource from an avid autonomous learner is Innovation in Teaching.

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Sep 24 2012
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Author: Chelsea, Events, Teaching

Coming Up: Autonomous Learning at UPE

One of the things I’m emphasizing this semester at UPE is that language learning requires independent initiative. You’ll learn a language best not only by going to class, but by setting goals for yourself, learning the way you learn, and practicing effectively on your own.

However, it can be hard to know how to start this independent work. To this end, when Cara and I come back from our English Camp (for which we are inexpressibly excited) next week, I’m kicking off a two-week series on Autonomous Learning at UPE. In Week 1, I’ll give a half-hour lecture to each of the four periods (freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors in American terms) during scheduled class time. At the lecture you’ll discover what Autonomous Learning is all about and receive a questionnaire to begin your “journey.” In Week 2, I’ll teach a workshop to follow up on the lecture, where we’ll talk personally about your questionnaire, set some goals, and design strategies for moving forward.

Week 1 begins on Tuesday, October 2. UPE English students will get the lecture in their classes; students from other courses or outside the school should contact me to get a schedule. Week 2 will have two identical workshop slots, so choose which one works best for you. They will be October 9 and 10th, Tuesday and Wednesday, from 5:30-7pm.

Stay tuned for a post-Camp post (hah) in the beginning of next month!

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