ISSN 1869-3334 http://www.zfs.uni-wuerzburg.de/projektarbeit/profil/ 7 Key Concept: Learner Autonomy Theresa Summer Neuphilologisches Institut, Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg theresa.summer@uni-wuerzburg.de Learner autonomy is an important pedagogic concept in foreign language learning and teaching today and in addition, it is considered to be a significant educational goal. For the learner to become autonomous, he must identify, rehearse and apply learning strategies, structure his own learning, and critically reflect upon his own learning processes to then be able to utilise his acquired skills, in and beyond the classroom. Crucially, autonomy is primarily concerned with learning rather than teaching, as its development is viewed to be a cooperative learning process that can be guided (not directed) by the teacher. Lernerautonomie ist ein wichtiges didaktisches Konzept im Bereich des Fremdsprachenlernens und -lehrens und stellt des Weiteren ein entscheidendes pädagogisches Lernziel dar. Um autonom zu werden, muss der Schüler Lernerstrategien identifizieren, einüben und anwenden können, sein eigenes Lernen strukturieren und seinen eigenen Lernprozess kritisch betrachten können, sodass er seine erworbenen Fertigkeiten anwenden kann, sowohl in der Schule als auch außerhalb. Lernerautonomie als Konzept bezieht sich primär auf das Lernen (nicht auf das Unterrichten an sich), da die Entwicklung von Autonomie als kooperativer Lernprozess betrachtet wird, der vom Lehrer angeleitet (jedoch nicht dirigiert) werden kann. Origins of the Concept of Learner Autonomy From the perspective of educational philosophy, it was John Dewey who set the groundwork for the development of the concept of learner autonomy in his publication Democracy and Education. He stressed the need for the creation of a collaborative teaching environment which fosters a child’s continuous development in learning rather than the pure acquisition of knowledge and subject matter (Dewey 1966; reviewed in Benson 2001: 25-27). The pedagogic concept of learner autonomy in foreign language teaching originates the foundation of the Centre de Recherches et d’Applications Pédagogiques en Langues (CRAPEL) at the University of Nancy in the 1970s. A group of teachers and researchers conceptualised learner autonomy – the most influential figure being Henri Holec (the director of CRAPEL). His frequently cited definition of learner autonomy is: “To say of a learner that he is autonomous is *…+ to say that he is capable of taking charge of his own learning” . (Holec 1979: 4) Summer, Theresa (2010): Learner Autonomy. Profil 2, 7-10.