Cooperative Learning Under Autonomous Learning Ideology

Since 1980s, the constructivism theory has become the main stream, which advocates students'study on their own initiative and emphasizes the active learning and the quality of learning outcomes. Autonomous learning is based on the constructivism, a teaching theory. Following this, the student-centered concept of education finds its market. In the former studies on autonomous learning, Chinese scholars have explored such methods and approaches to how to promote learners'autonomy from different angles as:the improvement of learning environment, the cultivation of learning awareness, the change of teaching modes;the promotion of learners'autonomy through learners'training (Gao Jili,2005).Since the early 1990s, group activities have been introduced into Chinese classrooms, which promote the studies on the cooperative learning. Many researchers take the cooperative learning as an effective teaching mode, and prove that it is significant to stimulate students'interests, encourage students to participate in leaning activities, improve the classroom atmosphere, improve students'academic achievements, and promote the development of students'social adaptability.However, the cooperative learning has its disadvantages that it may weaken students'independent thinking ability. Especially for those whose abilities are slightly poor, they may over-depend on teachers and others and can not take their responsibilities.Although autonomous learning ability is the key for learners to obtain more knowledge and realize self-development, autonomous learning has certain disadvantages. Different learners have different learning objective, reflect the different degree of the acceptance of learning contents, especially for those who are less able to control themselves.Without others'supervision, they can not develop the ability of autonomous learning. As a result, it is necessary to guide them in order to solve the problem, so that they can realize they are the subjects and managers of their learning. For English learning, there is another disadvantage of autonomous learning that learners are lack of the environment to communicate with others and use the language. Therefore, in order to promote learners'autonomous learning ability, it is essential to supply them with such environments, which can remove the misunderstanding that autonomous learning equals to "absolutely isolate learning".This thesis discusses how to improve learners'autonomous learning ability through cooperative learning, with the combination of the autonomous ideology with cooperative learning. There exist complementation and promotion relationship between the autonomous learning and cooperative learning. On the basis of teaching syllabus, the researcher combined classroom instruction with group work closely through preview before class, discussion in class, and activities after class.Learners'autonomous learning ability is stressed in every cooperative stage to ensure the successful development of cooperative learning activities.Through a semester of such cooperative learning mode, students'autonomy learning ability, cooperative learning ability and English learning achievements have been improved. It turns out that merging the cooperative learning method the autonomous learning ideology with the autonomous learning ideology and methods can overcome problems that in the cooperative learning they depend too much on others and that they are lack of communication environments.Therefore, it is effective and feasible to combine the autonomous learning ideology with the cooperative learning methods so as to promote learners'autonomous learning ability through cooperative learning.