Article
C a r d o s o
LEARNER AUTONOMY AND
SELF-ASSESSMENT: INDISPENSABLE
TOOLS FOR SUCCESSFUL LEARNING
BACKGROUND
Two years ago, I realized that my students had never had a real
chance to assess their own learning. They were taken very good
care of by the school, who always called them to check if they were
satisfied; and by their teachers, who sent them monthly reports on
performance, among other things. However, they were not being
guided and given opportunities to lead an equal role in determining
the rate of their success in learning a language.
Active learners taking initiative learn more things and learn better
than do people who sit at the feet of their teachers. Knowles
(1975:14)
The quote above was the first thing I came across while researching
self-assessment, which then led me to the relatively new field of
Learner Autonomy (capacity to take charge of one’s own learning).
It’s a concept of which I have been an advocate since then and on
which I have based my teaching practice and my initiatives as an
academic manager and teacher-trainer.
Autonomy is essentially a matter of the learner’s psychological
relation to the process and content of learning – a capacity of
detachment, critical reflection, decision-making, and independent
action. Little (1991:4)
With such a concept in mind, I was able to develop a learner’s self-
assessment questionnaire that would ameliorate the conditions
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b y W i l l y C.
I mentioned, allow learners to reflect on their involvement,
achievement and barriers, and state their aims more formally and
objectively. The next step was to collect and design classroom
activities that would aid this practice and that could be adaptable
to fit into any language program.
CRITIQUE
Teachers are constantly assessing their learners, either formally,
through tests; or informally, through some practice followed by
error correction, for instance. It is the teacher who usually has
the last word in determining success or failure. As preached and
marketed, we have been moving towards more learner-centered
programs, in which approaches and materials are certainly more
interesting than they were 20 or 30 years ago. But it seems to me
that in terms of assessment, mainstream curricula are still very
far from being learner-centered. Therefore, learners are unlikely to
have the responsibility we expect from them. The accountability
then usually weighs a lot more on the side of the teacher. I believe
many of you reading this article have already faced something
like: if the learner succeeds, it’s her/his merit; if she/he doesn’t, the
teacher is to blame. If this sounds like nails on a chalkboard, take
a look at the two quotes below. I leave the conclusion up to you:
It is mainly in formal instruction (where the focus is on learning
about the language rather than interacting in the language) that
b y W i l l y C. C a r d o s o Article

intellectual ability (aptitude) seems to matter. (…) Research

How was my: interest, involvement, interaction with other
shows that high-quality teaching can nullify aptitude differences. students, attention/focus, contribution
Willis (1996) (with materials; bringing doubts; helping colleagues).
Individualization (‘individualised learning’, ‘individualised
instruction’) is, historically at least, linked with programmed
learning and based on a thoroughly behaviouristic psychology. As 3. Metacognitive assessment [for setting goals]
it is generally practised, it leaves very little freedom of choice to It is absolutely necessary to have short, medium and long-
the individual learner. Rather it is the teacher who tries to adapt term goals to learn any skill, needless to say, an on-going
his methodology and materials to the learner, like a doctor writing check-up of these goals is desired.
out a prescription. That is, the majority of the relevant decisions
are made for the learner, not by him. It is in fact individualised I have ______ hours a week available for extra-class activities?
I will use this time to:
TEACHING: it aims at the most efficient use of the teacher and at
the most effective result, but in terms of what the teacher wants a. Prepare for the next class.
the learner to achieve. Riley (1986:32) b. Revise the content of previous classes.
c. Do something related to my personal or professional
interests. For example, _______________
ACTION
To develop the questionnaires and classroom activities that
will promote what was said above, I made use of Brown’s five 4. Socioaffective assessment
categories of self-assessment suggested in Language Assessment Here we leave language aside for a moment to take care of
(2001): direct assessment of performance, indirect assessment something as important: learning styles and preferences. The
of performance, metacognitive assessment, assessment of process of learning how to learn plays as a lead role as the
socioaffective factors, and student self-generated tests. I will give process of learning the subject matter. Hence, it is essential to
an overview of them and propose some ideas. evaluate both processes.
1. Assessment of [a specific] performance
This is carried out right after learners complete a task. A
very useful tool here is recording spoken activities. E.g. after LEARNING PREFERENCES (Choose as many options as needed)
they make a presentation or discuss a problem, they listen to
I learn better through: I learn better by:
the recording and evaluate their own pronunciation, fluency, a. television/video/films a. memorizing
grammatical accuracy, and so on. Possible questions are: Did b. radio broadcast/podcast b. solving problems
c. music c. figuring information out
I make any mistakes that I don’t normally make in writing?
d. print material by yourself
Did I make any slips in pronunciation? And to follow up: What e. White board d. listening
can I do to improve? f. images/pictures/ e. reading
photographs/ f. copying stuff from the
2. Indirect assessment of [general] competence
whiteboard
The purpose of this evaluation is to disregard small occasional g. listening and taking notes
flaws that are maybe caused by tiredness or anxiety. This h. reading and taking notes
i. repeating what I listen
assessment comprises a book unit, a group of units, or even
a whole module.
I prefer when the teacher:
a. explains grammar using rules and terminologies
b. guides me to discover how to use the grammar through
Has my English gotten better since_____?
examples and situations
(last unit; two months ago…)
If so, how did I make it happen?
If not, what happened? What could have been different?
5. Student-generated tests (self- and peer-assessment)
After studying ______ After studying ______ One of the main purposes of giving a test is, prior to it, to stimulate
(this unit; for two months), (this unit; for two months), review; and after it, to make learners aware of the areas they need
how is my… how is my…
to improve. Student-generated tests are of great value in light of the
Speaking Grammar
Listening Vocabulary above. They foster intrinsic motivation, and give them a chance to
Reading Which grammar items do I select content that is more relevant to them. After all, they will be
Writing need to revise?
the ones using the language. Two nice example of this are: a) in a
Which skill is more Which vocabulary area do I
challenging? What can I do to need to revise? reading activity, students devise the comprehension questions on
improve? their own and then test each other, they will also be responsible

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 Article by Willy C Cardoso

for grading it. b) learners keep tab of words, grammatical structures,
expressions and any content that they consider important through
a certain period; they will use that to review and the teacher will
design the tests based on these lists.
To see more sample questionnaires and activities, as well as,
guidelines to develop your own material, visit the post Self-
Assessment on http://authenticteaching.worpress.com
self-esteem and self-consciousness, which play important roles
in the learning process. Teachers and learners will hopefully
share responsibility for either success or failure, and take the
wheel of the course hand-in-hand.
“The greatest sign of success for a teacher... is to be able to say, “The
children are now working as if I did not exist.” Maria Montessori

REFERENCE
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, the purpose of having learners assess themselves Benson, P. (2001) Teaching and Researching Autonomy in Language
throughout the course is to give them more control over their Learning, Pearson

learning, it is to make them think for themselves whether the effort Brown, H.D. (2004) Language Assessment: principles and
they are putting in is paying off (or when there is a lack of it), for classroom practices, Pearson

them to clearly see the consequences with their own eyes, and Nunan, D. (1988) The Learner-Centred Curriculum, Cambridge
based on that to set realistic goals for learning. Moreover, self- Scharle, Á. and Szabó, A. (2000) Learner Autonomy, Cambridge
assessment encourages an enhancement of one’s self-knowledge, Willis, J. (1996) A Framework for Task-Based Learning, Longman

The author

Willy C. Cardoso has been in ELT for 10 years. He is a consultant for English in the Office and Super Teacher (SP). At the moment, he is
taking a Masters in Education in the UK. You can find him blogging on http://authenticteaching.wordpress.com and on twitter (@willycard).
willybanze@yahoo.com.br
www.englishintheoffice.com.br

D.E.L.E
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NOVIEMBRE: 19-20 de noviembre

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