Independence in Language Learning: How can Teachers Encourage it?

This paper documents a teacher\u27s exploration of independence in language learning before, during, and after an eight-week English teaching internship at the Institute Cultural Americana in Orizaba, Mexico. It examines what independence means for language students, and it defines student and teacher responsibilities in a classroom where learners are encouraged to become more self-reliant. Three strategies are outlined for promoting independence in the classroom. These strategies are: increasing communication between student and teacher to ensure that the course is relevant to the student\u27s and teacher\u27s goals, making the student\u27s full range of resources more recognized and used, and having students take on more initiative and control. The author relates particular successes and struggles during her own teaching experience in Mexico as she prodded students to assume more responsibility for planning, directing, and evaluating their learning