DIY Materials: a Step towards Students´Autonomy
| Authors | |
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| Year of publication | 2017 |
| Type | Conference abstract |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
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| Description | The main aim of this presentation is to share the belief that university students can and shall overtake some of the roles traditionally associated with teachers. It will be suggested that there are many benefits to including students in making decisions about their learning. Since language classes are usually understood as only additional courses at universities, it is both teachers and students who benefit from sharing the responsibility for developing students ´ academic skills in foreign languages. The presentation will argue that by allowing students to choose or create their own study materials, their motivation is increased, class communication is supported and language learning is often naturally combined with content learning. Most importantly, the responsibility given to students results in developing their learning autonomy. During the presentation, concrete examples of tasks based on visual, audio and textual materials prepared by students will be introduced. It will be demonstrated that students need support and guidance when learning how to choose and create their own study materials. The activities will be also evaluated with regard to their contribution for developing students’ language skills as well as their critical thinking and metacognitive skills. |