Exploring guided and independent learning practices to promote learner autonomy and self-regulation

This session provides examples of instructional interventions that aim at promoting learner autonomy and self-regulated language learning. Participants will learn about initiatives that enhance and/or provide opportunities for oral practice and skill development in and outside of class, and in formal and informal contexts. Discussants will share strategies for promoting independent learning and self-regulated language learning. Furthermore, they will address two guiding questions:

• How can I foster student engagement and autonomy?
• What does learner autonomy mean in a language learning environment?

Brian Barnett, Ph.D., Director of Language Instruction for French, Department of French and Italian; Emily Groepper, German instructor, Department of German, Nordic, Slavic & Dutch; Katrien Vanpee, Ph.D., Director of Language Instruction for Arabic, Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Minnesota