自主学习.doc

Learner autonomy in the classroom
I. What is autonomy?
In a definition that has stood the test of time, Holec (1981, p. 3) defined autonomy as "the ability to take charge of one's own learning." More recently, Phil Benson has defined it as "the capacity to control one's own learning" (Benson, 2001, p. 47). Although these definitions do not differ substantially, autonomy is perhaps best described as a capacity, as Holec has often described it, because various kinds of abilities can be involved in control over learning. Researchers generally agree that the most important abilities are those that allow learners to plan their own learning activities, monitor their progress and evaluate their es. According to Phil Benson, he has also suggested that different kinds of abilities may be needed for control over the day-to-day management of learning, control over the mental processes involved in second language learning and control of the content of learning (Benson, 2001, p. 50). But these ways of talking about autonomy only describe the areas of learning over which autonomous learners need to exercise control.
No matter how we divide up the language learning task, the abilities that allow learners to control each area are clearly many and varied. It is also difficult to specify exactly what they are. Little (1991), for example, tells us that autonomy is a capacity for "detachment, c