Why is autonomy in foreign language teaching still relevant after more than four decades?

For one thing successful foreign language learning doesn’t only happen in the classroom. It is assumed that learners actively work on the target language outside their classroom lessons and that they use every opportunity offered to acquire language input and use appropriate strategies to process it. (vgl. u.a. Krings, 2016*).

At the same time the myriad opportunities offered by digital communication require us to critically evaluate this input and find those things that are qualitatively appropriate and useful for different learning projects.

In addition, in order to be fair to the increasingly diverse learner biographies, foreign language teaching must be learner centered, inclusive and differentiated. In the process it is important that in addition to the language, the language learning process needs to also be addressed and reflected upon, in order to build a bridge connecting classroom lessons and learning outside the classroom.

A critical and deliberate attitude towards the learning and teaching process applies to learners as well as teachers.

We would like to offer the participants in this work group the following possibilities:

• Address the basic concepts of autonomy
• Learn more about the different ways autonomy is implemented
• autonomy in classroom teaching, peer on learning, tandem learning and self-directed learning
• Discuss approaches for evaluating the autonomous language learning processes
• Reflect on our role as teachers
• Discuss the role of language learning advising and coaching as measures that promote autonomy.
• Possible contributions: Presentations with discussion and Workshops

*Krings, H.-P. (2016). Fremdsprachenlernen mit System. Hamburg: Buske