Call for papers

Conference of the CercleS’ Focus Group Autonomy, Paris (France), 26-27 June 2025 

Fostering autonomy in language education: Focus on teaching practices

 Language learner autonomy, conceived as learners’ ability to take charge of their own learning (Holec, 1981; Little, 2007 and 2022; Benson, 2011), is one of the key objectives in language education. It is a complex construct that involves multiple dimensions, such as the learner’s motivation and willingness to take ownership of their learning process, the ability to define what part of the learning is relevant to them, and the capacity to come up with—then pursue—a study plan accordingly, across various learning environments (may they be formal or informal). Other factors contribute to learners' capacity for making and acting on decisions about their learning; including prior language learning experience, language learning strategies, self-awareness both as individuals and learners, the ability to identify suitable learning resources and assess their relevance to personal goals, as well as the capacity to navigate the non-linear nature of language learning—acknowledging obstacles and finding ways to overcome them. 

As language educators —teachers and/or advisors—we are confronted with the fact that autonomy cannot be directly taught; it is not something that ‘teachers do to students’  (Little, 2017). Nevertheless, it is possible to provide our learners with an autonomy-fostering learning environment. This can be done by creating a welcoming and caring atmosphere, providing unconditional regard towards them as individuals—not only as learners; offering a variety of opportunities for them to make informed choices about possible learning goals, resources and tasks; providing adequate linguistic and methodological scaffolding; leaving opportunities for experimentation; and opening spaces for reflection on the learning process. 

Within the Focus Group Autonomy of CercleS (The European Confederation of Language Centers in Higher Education), we have started to share our thoughts and practices on these issues, knowing that fostering autonomy-friendly practices can take various forms depending on contextual, institutional, and individual factors. 

Because the development of language learning autonomy depends on many elements, as we saw above, we would like our conference to be an opportunity to focus on concrete teaching and advising practices aiming at the following selected aspects:

• stimulating students to be ready—and willing—to take charge of their own learning
• supporting students in reflecting on and monitoring their learning process and progress
• creating a safe learning environment where affects, emotions and feelings can be overcome or regulated

Here is a non-exhaustive list of questions related to these topics that participants in the conference could address:

Topic 1: Getting students ready and willing to take charge of their own learning

From an autonomy-enhancing perspective, certain aspects of teacher and learner roles are viewed differently than in more “traditional” approaches to language teaching. Teachers are no longer seen as sole authorities deciding on teaching content and materials; instead, they take on the role of learning companions, adopting a more advisory position by offering support and guidance to students. Students, in turn, take on a leading position in their learning experience; they are no longer expected to follow their teacher’s instructions blindly. As a language educator, how do you help students make this transition? What scaffolding or backgrounding steps do you implement to help them become prepared (and or/willing) to take charge of their language learning? 

Topic 2: Helping students to monitor their learning process and progress

Developing the habit and necessary critical distance to pause, look back and reflect on one’s learning practices, and then assess their outcomes, is also very challenging. How do you support students in performing ongoing evaluations of their language learning process? What strategies do you implement to give them the opportunity—and to develop the necessary skills—to assess their learning actions (e.g. concrete organization, resource selection, and choice of learning activities / strategies / methods / techniques)? How can you help students to monitor their progress, i.e. to determine whether they have met their learning objectives and whether their learning actions have been successful? 

Topic 3: Dealing with students’ affects, emotions and feelings

Emotions, feelings, and affective factors play a significant role in developing language learning autonomy as they shape learners’ reflections, choices, attitudes, relationships with others, and overall learning contexts (Borges, 2022: 213). As a language educator, how do you ensure that your learning environment is secure and composed? How do you reduce stress and anxiety in your autonomy-enhancing practices? How do you support students in self-regulating their emotions so that they can sustain focus and gather the necessary energy for their language learning?

The conference will be held at Université Paris Cité in Paris on June 26 and 27, 2025. 

Paper proposals, consisting of 300-word abstracts in English (excluding references), are welcome until January 31, 2025, on the conference website (https://fgauto2025.sciencesconf.org/ => “Submission”, from the "MAIN MENU" section in the top left-hand corner of the website). Oral presentations are expected to last 20 min (+ 10 min Q&A).

Notifications of acceptance will be sent by the end of March 2025.

References

Benson, P. (2011). Teaching and Researching Autonomy. (Second edition). Longman.

Holec, H. (1981). Autonomy and Foreign Language Learning. Pergamon (First published 1979, Strasbourg: Council of Europe).

Jiménez Raya, M. & Vieira, F. (Eds.) (2021). Autonomy in Language Education. Theory, Research, and Practice. Routledge.

Little, D. (2007). Language learner autonomy: Some fundamental considerations revisited. Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching, 1(1), 14–29

Little, D. (2022). Autonomy, autonomisation and the Council of Europe : The interdependence of pedagogy and politics. Recherches en didactique des langues et des cultures. Les cahiers de l’Acedle, 1(19‑1). https://doi.org/10.4000/rdlc.10480

Little, D., Dam, L., & Legenhausen, L. (2017). Language Learner Autonomy. Theory, Practice and Research. Multilingual Matters.