New publication by David Little, Leni Dam and Lienhard Legenhausen Language Learner Autonomy: Theory, Practice and Research (Multilingual Matters)
Professor David Little, Fellow Emeritus and former Head of the School of Linguistic, Speech and Communication Sciences, has co-authored a new book entitled Language Learner Autonomy: Theory, Practice and Research, along with Leni Dam and Lienhard Legenhausen. The volume is published by Multilingual Matters in its Second Language Acquisition series (2017).
This is the first book on language learner autonomy to combine comprehensive accounts of classroom practice with empirical and case-study research and a wide-ranging engagement with applied linguistic and pedagogical theory. It provides a detailed description of an autonomy classroom in action, focusing on Danish mixed-ability learners of English at lower secondary level, and reports the findings of a longitudinal research project that explored the learning achievement over four years of one class in the same Danish school. It also presents two learner case studies to show that the autonomy classroom responds to the challenges of differentiation and inclusion, and two institutional case studies that illustrate the power of autonomous learning to support the social inclusion of adult refugees and the educational inclusion of immigrant children. The concluding chapter offers some reflections on teacher education for language learner autonomy. Each chapter ends with discussion points and suggestions for further reading.
David Little is Associate Professor Emeritus and Fellow Emeritus at Trinity College Dublin. Leni Dam works as a freelance pedagogical advisor for pre- and in-service language teachers. Lienhard Legenhausen is Professor Emeritus, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Germany and Visiting Professor, National Bohdan Chmelnytzkyj University of Cherkasy, Ukraine.
This book connects theory and practice in a way that is rare in writing about language learner autonomy. Based on more than 25 years of research and practice, it is an invaluable source on strategies for autonomy in the language classroom. Chapters on autonomy and inclusion extend our understanding of strategies for teaching students with behavioural difficulties and new migrants.
Phil Benson, Macquarie University, Australia
At last, we have a book-length synthesis of a longstanding and hugely influential body of work on language learner autonomy. Firmly grounded in accounts of actual classrooms and rich in illustrative detail and empirical evidence, the book integrates theory, practice, research, and teacher education in a clear, coherent and compelling manner.
Ema Ushioda, University of Warwick, UK
A rich resource for language teachers, language teacher educators, and researchers! Detailed descriptions of successful autonomous learning techniques and materials (extremely useful for practitioners) are followed by insights into the theoretical framework and research basis of language learner autonomy. Practical examples for preparing teachers to create an autonomy classroom are especially welcome.
Anna Uhl Chamot, The George Washington University, USA