a set of representations, beliefs and values related to learning that directly influence
(the learner's) learning behaviour (Riley; 1997,122)

In short, in order to create a new alternative of learning within a given learning culture, one
needs to know the existing developer learning culture in which the innovation is going to
transpire.

A retrospective analysis of my own development in self-direction makes me think
that I have spent most of my time learning about the representations, beliefs and values
underlying the philosophy of self-direction and autonomy in education (products of the
initator culture) but I have hardly spent any time analysing the developer learning culture. I
still do not know what its beliefs and values about learning are in general and about self-
direction in particular. I think that I just took this knowledge for granted. We, in SAC
Oaxaca, not only "skipped over the debate on what autonomy...mean(t) in our haste to move
more rapidly on (its) implementation" (Benson; 1997,2), but we also passed over the
definition of the learning developer culture. Needless is to say that the adaptation we made
was driven by forces (top-down innovation forces) different from the understanding of our
students' learning culture.

Therefore, the purpose of the following chapters is to describe the elements of the
learning culture of the students in Oaxaca that may be related to self-direction. Underlying
this objective there is the assumption that there are first and second order belief systems and
that it is necessary to explore both levels. I strongly believe that this knowledge can help us,
SAC counsellors, as Cotterall says, "to construct a shared understanding of the language
learning process and of the part (learner's beliefs) play in it" (Cotterail, 1995, 203).
According to Cotterall, being aware, as a learner and as a teacher, of the learner's beliefs is
"an essential foundation of learner autonomy" (ibid). Thus, it seems that awareness does not
only play an important metacognitive role (see 4.2.4.3, p. 85), but it is also relevant at a level
of interaction between teachers and students.

Making some connections to what I have said along these four chapters, my role as a
SAC counsellor, requires me to know what the shadowed outer circle of fig. 3.3 is made of
(p.58). In other words, I need to describe the beliefs, representations and values that make up
the metacognitive knowledge of the learners I work with. This knowledge will allow me to
identify our interaction in the appropriate point of the left side of fig. 3.5 (p. 68). That is to

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