On The Autonomous Learning Model In Higher Vocational College Out-class English Teaching

The paper mainly explores the autonomous learning model in higher vocational college English teaching according to the learning features of the higher vocational college students. Through such effective ways as the training of students' metacognitive strategies and carrying out the formative assessment, teachers help students improve their autonomous learning ability increasingly and reach the requirements of the English course syllabus of higher vocational college, aiming at improving students' communicative skills. The ultimate purpose of autonomous learning in English teaching is to realize life-long education in the future.The research of autonomous learning has achieved fruitfully in 1980's and reached the peak by the end of 1990's. Autonomous learning bases on the theory of cognitive psychology and humanism psychology, emphasizing the learner-center in language teaching. Some inner factors such as learners' beliefs and attitudes are very important to their learning. Their influence on approaches to learning a new language may encourage learners to experience new methods of learning, or conversely constrain and restrict learners' desire for a new learning experience. Under the preparation and training, they can be more positive. So, the teacher's role also needs to be changed. They should train the learners' learning strategies as well as the language knowledge itself.All of these theories provide the foundation for the English teaching reform in higher vocational college. It's a very hard work to teach students so much knowledge in so limited time. Therefore both teachers and students should change their traditional ideas in teaching and learning and accept the new concept of autonomous learning. They should transfer from teachers-centered to students-centered in autonomous learning models and teach students learning strategies as well as language knowledge and skills.During the procedures of carrying out the autonomous learning model, we combine three learning methods: task-basked learning, co-operating learning and exploring learning. With the ways of formative assessment such as questionnaires, journals and interviews, etc. we try to foster students' co-operating spirits. After experimental research, it comes to such conclusion that through carrying out autonomous learning models, students have shown evident achievement in general and some underachievers have become more rapid improvers;the students in higher vocational college have certain metacognitive knowledge. They can use some effective cognitive strategies and have some learning feelings and experience during their learning process. But some high-level students have marked difference in practicing metacognitive strategies than some underachievers.After interviewing, questionnaire and checking some students' journals, I foundthere are still some problems restricting students' abilities of autonomous learning. In order to solve these problems, I give several suggestions to foster students to realize more learning autonomy in future. To students, we should train their metacognitive ability to foster the development of students' autonomous learning ability and strengthen the collaborative learning method to enhance the students to study and monitor each other and to develop their team spirits. To teachers, they should be trained to adjust to the changes of teachers' roles and learn to put the formative assessment into practice and fulfilling the encouraging evaluation system. The most important thing is to set up autonomous learning centers to supply good environment for autonomous learners. Its fulfillment requires the attention of the whole society.