4.2.8 Summary
To sum up, in this section I have put forward my own concept of self-directed
learning. I have done this by drawing some comparisons between other-directed learning
models, taken from the second language acquisition research and my own concept of self-
direction. Basically, the rationale of a self-directed learning model is based on the following
assumptions:
a) alertness, orientation and awareness are all essential elements,
b) awareness does not only occur in the first stages of the learning process but embraces
the whole learning process,
c) alertness and orientation are not only enhanced by awareness but they, in
turn, can enhance awareness in the form of learning-to-learn schemes,
c) alertness and orientation are not only enhanced by awareness but they, in turn, can
enhance awareness in the form of learning-to-learn schemes,
d) a system of decision making underlies the whole process of self-direction
e) both alertness and orientation contain external and internal elements.
f) external aspects of alertness and orientation can make the learner change internal ones.
g) motivation and attitudes are both internal elements of alertness and can only be changed
by the individual,
h) learning-to-learn schemes, as external factors of alertness, can have an
ejfect on the enhancement of self-motivation and
i)attitudes are caused by beliefs of different sorts, but these beliefs respond to beliefs of
second-order that are part of the metacognition system of any human being.
4.3 AUTONOMY 3
4.3.1 Introduction
In Chapter 2 ( 2.3, p. 24), where I first dealt with the concept of autonomy, I defined
it as "the ability to leam", which according to Holec, implies "the ability to take charge of
one's own learning", that is, to make decisions at different levels of one's own learning
process. In that section, I also described the way those of us working at the SAC Oaxaca
interpreted the concept of autonomy and the mistakes caused by that interpretation. One of
those mistakes was to think that the role of the teacher was to be as far as possible from the
learner and her decisions.
In Chapter 3 (3.4, p. 65), I explained to the reader how my concept of autonomy had
changed after having gained some experience working with students in SAC and carried out
IOl