This historical study investigates the concept of learner autonomy in the national English language curricula for Chinese universities.It seeks to understand the meaning of learner autonomy in China and the intentiona...This historical study investigates the concept of learner autonomy in the national English language curricula for Chinese universities.It seeks to understand the meaning of learner autonomy in China and the intentionality of promoting this concept through the curricula from 1978 to 2007.By adopting Quentin Skinner’s intentionalist approach to analyzing the history of ideas,this study conducted a systematic document analysis of three national curricula in relation to their linguistic and practical contexts constituted of 169 Chinese academic articles in total.The study revealed that learner autonomy mainly referred to students’motivation and ability to work hard on their own outside the classroom in the Chinese context.Importing this concept,however,caused ideological confusion and exacerbated the disempowerment of teachers within the dynamics of China’s English language education at the tertiary level.The study raises awareness for borrowing concepts across different cultural contexts and has implications for research,policymaking,teacher development,and pedagogical practice in second language education in China.展开更多
Pedagogy teaches teachers how to teach, so that they may effectively teach students how to learn; it offers important training for teachers to transform students from mere parrots of information into challengers of an...Pedagogy teaches teachers how to teach, so that they may effectively teach students how to learn; it offers important training for teachers to transform students from mere parrots of information into challengers of and innovators of knowledge. Yet, while Bangladesh has had a long history of university teaching, pedagogy has hardly entered the imagination of university educators. At the university level, pedagogical training would address cultural hindrances to students＇ advanced learning. Today＇s teachers are yesterday＇s students, with each generation being groomed in the same cultural patterns of learning that are continually repeated without examination. At the same time, the majority of faculties lack pedagogical methods for adjusting their teaching framework to accommodate the diversity of students＇ worldviews to nurture knowledge progression in classroom settings. Importantly, students acquire cultural practices of rote learning and memorization by way of lectures and homework that parrots texts and lectures. Many faculties are unaware that the purpose of a university is to stimulate new ideas and knowledge, provoke assumptions, and teach and encourage critical thinking. The pedagogical challenge also derives from Bengali culture, from which teachers assume a hierarchical mindset and attitude that is counter-productive to students＇ learning.展开更多
基金This work was supported by the MOE Project of Key Research Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences in Universities in China.
文摘This historical study investigates the concept of learner autonomy in the national English language curricula for Chinese universities.It seeks to understand the meaning of learner autonomy in China and the intentionality of promoting this concept through the curricula from 1978 to 2007.By adopting Quentin Skinner’s intentionalist approach to analyzing the history of ideas,this study conducted a systematic document analysis of three national curricula in relation to their linguistic and practical contexts constituted of 169 Chinese academic articles in total.The study revealed that learner autonomy mainly referred to students’motivation and ability to work hard on their own outside the classroom in the Chinese context.Importing this concept,however,caused ideological confusion and exacerbated the disempowerment of teachers within the dynamics of China’s English language education at the tertiary level.The study raises awareness for borrowing concepts across different cultural contexts and has implications for research,policymaking,teacher development,and pedagogical practice in second language education in China.
文摘Pedagogy teaches teachers how to teach, so that they may effectively teach students how to learn; it offers important training for teachers to transform students from mere parrots of information into challengers of and innovators of knowledge. Yet, while Bangladesh has had a long history of university teaching, pedagogy has hardly entered the imagination of university educators. At the university level, pedagogical training would address cultural hindrances to students＇ advanced learning. Today＇s teachers are yesterday＇s students, with each generation being groomed in the same cultural patterns of learning that are continually repeated without examination. At the same time, the majority of faculties lack pedagogical methods for adjusting their teaching framework to accommodate the diversity of students＇ worldviews to nurture knowledge progression in classroom settings. Importantly, students acquire cultural practices of rote learning and memorization by way of lectures and homework that parrots texts and lectures. Many faculties are unaware that the purpose of a university is to stimulate new ideas and knowledge, provoke assumptions, and teach and encourage critical thinking. The pedagogical challenge also derives from Bengali culture, from which teachers assume a hierarchical mindset and attitude that is counter-productive to students＇ learning.
