Adjusting Teachers' Role And Fostering Learner Autonomy In College English Teaching

With the change from teacher-centeredness to learner-centeredness in education, self-access learning has become a hot topic in the research of foreign language education. Most researchers and educators consider that it is one of the most important goals to foster learner autonomy. It is true in China. With great advocacy of quality-oriented education, gradual rise in learner-centered language teaching and life-long education, more stress has been put on learners' central role in learning process and more attention has been given to developing learners' autonomous learning ability. Education should also be aimed at cultivating learner autonomy for the benefit of learning for life.However, there are some misunderstandings about "self-access learning". Some people regard it as "learning independently outside class", or "learning without the teacher". Actually in the second language teaching classroom, the success of learning activities is dependent on strong and vital interactions between learners and teachers, as well as among learners themselves. That is to say, teachers' role should not be diminished in self-access learning; instead, teachers play an important role in fostering learner autonomy, which has a direct effect on developing learner autonomy as well as comprehensive quality among learners. The key problem is how teachers adjust their traditional roles in order to better foster learner autonomy.According to the analysis of teachers' activities and relative questionnaires, we get to know learners' beliefs in teachers' role and their willingness and ability of self-access learning: most learners are willing to be responsible for their own learning, even though they have a poor comprehension of autonomous learning. However, their practical skills in doing so are, to some extent, deficient. As for teachers' role in developing learner autonomy, learners' perceptions are in conformity with those of experts and teachers'. From learners' perspectives, in developing learner autonomy, teachers are considered to have versatile roles: organizer, instructor, participant, assessor, etc. Therefore, teachers should help learners develop awareness of autonomous learning; carry out strategy training so that learners can take charge of their own learning more easily; guide learners to make practical learning plans and objectives; communicate with students to monitor students' learning process, etc. There is also another problem that needs our attention: some of teachers' actual behavior doesn't match students' expectations. The study finally presents some implications for language teaching: what is needed is an adjustment of teachers' role. What is lacked is learners' ability of self-access learning.