Increasing learner involvement in course management. TESOL Quarterly

This article explores ways in which learners can be brought into a more central role in making decisions about the organization and direction of their language courses. As an introduction, a review of some of the arguments which support increasing learner involvement is presented. Constraints in introducing such involvenlent are then discussed, concentrating on learners ' prior experiences and expecta-tions, and it is argued that what is required is a gradual approach toward relinquishing the teacher's dominant role. This argument is taken up in a third section, where some materials and tasks are presented which are designed to bring about such a relinquishment. In recent years, there has been considerable debate over the need for more learner-centered teaching approaches. For some, such approaches refer to the design of syllabuses and course materials that more accurately reflect the interests of learners and the situations in which those learners are likely to require use of the target language. In term