Action Log and Autonomous Learning

Hello friends! Thanks for keeping in touch. I’m sure all of you will be successful in the acquisition of English because you are all enthusiastic in learning. Don’t worry, even if you feel something is missing. You are on the right track. Just keep going.

I’ve been reading _Reflective Teaching in Second Language Classroom_ and watching Tim Murphy’s DVDs for the past few weeks, thinking about how to plan and carry out action log.

It took a bit while before I realize that keeping action log is a part of autonomous learning. Autonomous learning simply means that a learner has “freedom and ability to manage one’s own affairs, which entails the right to make decisions as well.” (Scharie & Szabo,p.4) So, the action log is supposed to be an activity that promotes learner’s autonomy. That’s the reason we’ll have to implement it repeatedly in our classes. Otherwise, students do not take responsibility for their own learning. I’ll tell you my negative experience.

I used a sheet of paper called “furikaeri shi-to” ( reflection log )in my classes last year. I just happened to find a format in an ELT journal and used it once without thinking about the meaning of reflection log and stopped using it. Thus, I lost the chance of developing responsibility in the attitude of my students last year.

The following is my plan of using action log in this semester: In the first class, I will probably use five to ten minutes to explain how to keep action log in a loose leaf. I’ll give them a feasible sample and have them write their own log within the class hour. From the next session, they’ll be asked to do it by themselves at home. I’ll check them once in a couple of weeks.

The books I’ve been reading are as follows: Dornyei & Murphey _Group Dynamics in the Language Classroom_ (Cambridge), Scharie & Szabo _Learner’s Autonomy_ (Cambridge), and Richards & Lockhart _Reflective Teaching in Second Language Classroom_ (Cambridge).

Cheers,

Bobby