Learner Autonomy and Critical Thinking

Learner Autonomy through Critical Thinking:
Lessons from ESL* Classrooms


The Backdrop
The postcolonial era is marked by numerous events that have broken political, social, economic and topological barriers. This spirit of freedom is reflected in literature in the form of nativism. Established norms, dominant cultures and ideologies are being questioned. The field of education, however, still perpetuates hegemonic culture: those in power decide, plan and manage to continue conformed practices. Teachers, teacher­ educators decide what students should do; those at the receiving end are expected to follow irrespective of perspective and opinions of their own needs, understanding, aptitude and aspirations and world-view. Learners, by and large, are a part of what Paulo Frerie calls the 'culture of silence', stifled, simmering but silent.

Teacher Education Today

Teacher education programmes these days emphasize mainly technical expertise, thereby doing a lot of disservice to the concept and purpose of teaching, to the learners as well to teachers themselves. Instead of learning to reflect upon the principles that create a classroom climate that is congenial to learning, prospective teachers are taught methodologies sans the need to arrive at the rationale. The methodologies are 'justified' by teacher educators and expected to be accepted in toto by the teachers-to -be. They are not even expected to be imbibed through experiential learning. Thus, critical thinking is denied. Hence, instead of learning to raise questions about the principles underlying different classroom methods, research techniques and theories of education, students are often preoccupied with learning the 'how to', and 'what works' or with mastering the best way to reach a given body of knowledge. This 'objective', knowledge about teaching and learning 'established' by experts is not to be questioned, analyzed or negotiated; it is to be accepted and mastered, instead.

There is a proliferation of teacher proof packages. The teacher here is to play the role of simply carrying out predetermined instructional procedures prepared by experts. Teachers' have little choice or say in any matter regarding the teaching procedures or materials. Knowledge, here, is broken down into small, manageable, discrete, easy-to-manage steps. They are standardized, eliminating scope for 'error' or deviation on the part of the individual teachers. Central questions regarding learning are reduced to problems of management---how to allocate resources to produce a maximum number of certified teachers within a stipulated span of time. The underlying assumption guiding such pedagogy: behavior of teachers needs to be controlled and made uniform and consistent, hence predictable across varying learner population.

(ESL* = English as a Second Language)
In this case, knowledge is removed from the processes of self-formation and development through discovery, generating one's own meanings, perspectives, interpretations of experience, which makes it an act of involvement hence personally meaningful and emotionally fulfilling. There is merely a contact with indifference, instead. The teachers are de-skilled; they are trained to be implementers, removed from the processes of deliberation and reflection, of exercising their freedom. Hence, when these teachers go to their classrooms, the nature and pattern of learning and classroom pedagogy are repeated. Further, the underlying assumption behind using the same set of materials and techniques for all learners is that all learners can benefit from the same materials, classroom procedures and modes of evaluation. The notion that learners come from different cultural backgrounds, have different histories and embody different experiences, linguistic practices, talents and interests is strategically ignored within the logic of such pedagogy. Hence, even the accountability to develop critical thinking is not considered to be within the purview of such pedagogy. Since they themselves have gone through a system, the teachers reproduce the system of which they are products.

This view of education is usually accompanied by top-down teacher-fronted classroom and other institutional relationships that are NOT conducive to communication. It enables control, not learning. It discourages any deviant behaviour, including creative endeavour. Making teachers-to-be mere implementers, disallowing them to be autonomous individuals (decision-makers and critical thinkers) is not only an intellectual error, but also an ethical error, as well. If the learners are to think critically individually as well as collectively they need to be provided with the opportunities to experience freedom, to express their world views and their interpretation of reality.

Research suggests that what students learn is influenced more by the hidden curriculum, the underlying patterns of social relationships rather than the formal curriculum. If curriculum is to generate possibilities for individual and social autonomy, thereby accountability, there is a need to develop a new language and new forms of relationships to accomplish such a task.

ESL (English as a Second Language) Classrooms that Empower Learners

Progressive ESL practitioners the world over have long ago recognised the need for and benefits of learner-autonomy towards developing learner-accountability for their own learning. Attempts have been made to involve learners in genuine communication situations by creating social set-ups within the classrooms. These approaches attempt to accomplish the task on hand, rather than teaching specific language points, thereby simulating L-1 like scenarios. Some such approaches are Asher's Total Physical Response, N S Prabhu's Communicational Approach, Lozanov's Suggestopaedia, the Community Learning Approach, the Immersion Approach and a whole set of Communicative Approaches. Further, there have been experiments at the individual as well group levels that may or may not have gained a popular opinion.
Here below are a few ideas I have experimented with in my classrooms with adult learners, mostly postgraduate students who want to learn English for academic as well as professional purposes. They include students from the faculties of engineering, medicine, science, management, law, education and various other branches of the humanities. In these courses, the focus has been on content, on certain critical issues nagging the society at large, on the process of conveying the message rather than on language per se. Since the issues concern individual learners personally and professionally, they feel intellectually challenged and emotionally involved. Here are some of these ideas.

Learners as script writers

An ethical issue, such as eugenics, cloning (genetic engineering) or euthanasia (mercy killing) is placed before the learners. A setting necessary to trigger off their thinking and to generate discussion is provided either through newspaper clippings, narration of an incident or visuals. The learners are told to take a side and collect evidence to justify their stand. Following this initial presentation by the resource person, learners work in groups to work out the mode of presentation: debate, mock court, panel discussion, skit, street play, oral presentation in the form of declamation, poem, story etc. Towards the end of the stipulated time, groups/ individuals make presentations followed by feedback by the peers as well as the resource person/instructor. Since the task provides an intellectual fillip and emotional involvement, almost all learners participate actively as bio-ethicists. This task has been very popular with all kinds of learners especially because it provides an opportunity of moral policing and to vent one’s feelings.

Translation of issue-oriented creative works

An incident, a prose write up or a poem is selected that revolves around some social or ethical issue such as the caste system or dowry system in India (For instance, a poem like 'Tumahri Gnati Kya Hai, Anuj? by M Ramanuj). Learners are told to translate the creative piece into English. At such sessions learners mostly prefer to work individually or in pairs. Following a couple of these sessions, students have also come out with their own creative bits in English. The focus during these sessions has been on the process of transferring the meaning from L 1 into L2, expression of personal interpretation rather than on the nitty- gritty of creative writing. With the effort being through intense involvement the level of motivation is high. Further, owing to the very nature of such a creative exercise which aims at generating numerous individual responses rather than a single standardized one, there is no fear of anybody being totally wrong. This leads to a sense of security, which in turn, leads to confidence-building. This task has been more popular students of the humanities.

Lexicographers

Learners are given a set of expressions and concepts basic to their field. They work in pairs to explain meanings with illustrations to enable even lay persons to understand the concepts, for instance, the difference between electrical and electronic, diamond and coal.
The outcome is a register-based glossary of technical terms useful for lay people. In the process of making the meaning clear to the common reader, the technical minds have to clarify their own understanding of the concepts without using jargon. Further, they are required to relate their technical know-how to life around. It has been observed that professionals find it easy to talk to other professionals of the same field, for they can rely heavily on the jargon. However, talking about technical concepts in informal, day today situations using non-technical language is really a challenging task. Here the learners are called upon to go beyond the textual content learnt by them and to relate it to the day today life situations around them.

Throughout these sessions, learners are helped with language problems at the individual level. During the plenary sessions, when presentations are being made, the focus initially remains on the message rather than the language. However, certain recurring errors are pointed out to individual learners on their written report. Further, certain language points, either fossilized problems in syntax and style, common errors, even nuances, are discussed during a general session. These sessions mainly focus on language use. Since based on their own work, learners are receptive to such language sessions.

So far as the teacher-education course is concerned, all the three modes of classroom practices have been found useful. Besides, pedagogic discussions on the nature and extent of classroom interaction, the nature of language generated, the role of the resource person/teacher etc are discussed during the plenary session enabling the teachers-to-be to develop insights into processes of teaching of a second language.

At Last

Learner-motivation has been found to be high during such content-based, emotionally­ charged sessions. Since the topics selected concern the society at large as well as their profession, each individual learner contributes to the discussion. In ethical matters, personal stand is more important than anything else. So, there is no question of anybody being right or wrong. This gives them confidence to participate to their fullest. However, they are required to justify their stand, so are also grilled by the peers on their ability to think logically, to provide evidence to support one's beliefs and to express oneself clearly. Thus, instead of teaching the language for language sake, when learners are challenged cognitively and involved emotionally, they learn the language effectively, for that is a tool to take their message across.

Struggles of the contemporary globalised world seem to be cultural rather than anything else. So, they are carried out through sophisticated and subtle modes of education. If citizens of a democratic county like India have to survive and thrive, they ought to be taught to think critically. Instead of teaching subjects for their own sake, they need to be made relevant by relating them to the societal issues around. Education must be made meaningful so as to make it critical and it must be made critical so as to make it emotionally fulfilling. Such thinking and feeling individuals alone can become autonomous learners and citizens.

Reference

Freire Paulo, 1970, Pedagogy of the Oppressed, Penguin Books, Harmondsworth
Giroux Henry, 1988, Teachers as Intellectuals, Bergin & Garvey Publishers, Inc. Golby Michael et al, 1979, Curriculum Design, OUP
Natraj, Sulabha, 2005, Developing Communication Skills: A Handbook for Teachers & Learners of English, Charutar Vidya Mandal, Vallabh Vidyanagar, Gujarat, India
Prabhakar, R & Natraj, S 1998, Breaking Barriers, Sardar Patel University, Vallabh Vidyanagar, Gujarat, India