The third mode, assisted learning, also involves the figure of another person,
apart from the learners, that may be involved in the learning process. The most salient
feature of this mode of learning is the fact that the counsellor is not a guide but an
assistant. " I don't want a teacher following all my movements", as A stated. According
to Ge,
Ge: You counsellors do not guide me. You counsel me. I read that and
I didn't understand this particular point. I know what I didn't understand.
So, I ask you. You don't tell where my problem is. I already discovered it.
I didn't understand and you solved my doubt. Still, I am my own guide.
Different from the guide, that seems to be necessary for some learners, the
counsellor is not essential in every moment:
A: A counsellor doesn't offer a compulsory service. He helps on an optional
basis. As a learner, you know that there is someone there to help you, if you
want you can ask him, but if you don't want that is OK....But it is important
that I know that he is there for me, ready for the moment I need him.
The function of a counsellor is to answer the learners' questions, to solve their
doubts, to work out their problems. The learner uses her to verify her knowledge, to test
her hypotheses, to save time:
Ga: Unconditional, as the responsible teacher should be, with the
obligation to respond to you. I know that he is there and he knows
that I am here. If I don't look for him, no problem. I decide, I,
I make the decision, but he should be there.
The counsellor becomes an assistant subordinated to the needs and requirements of the
learner, who is the main figure of the learning process.
It must be noticed that, in regards to this topic, the participants made several
complaints about their experience when interacting with SAC counsellors. They
particularly stressed the counsellors' lack of commitment and ability to cope with their
problems. This may be the reason for their belief that, in a guided and counselled self-
directed learning, the interaction between the counsellor∕guide and the learner is essential
for the success of the program:
A: The self-access project is a failure. The counsellors need to be here
more time. Get involved....They seem to be ghosts. They are here
but in fact they are not....They need to be conscious of what their role is.
They need to define it.