and psychological aspects to undertake their own learning (see section 2.2.2.1, p. 20). After
the course, the students worked for four weeks in the SAC trying out materials and
equipment and developing their study plans. During this period they would require the help
of a counsellor. They were free to ask for this help whenever they wanted. When this period
was over they had to attend a counselling session. This CS was compulsory and its purpose
was "to analyse the results of their first work in the SAC and the successes and failures
...(with) the system... or (with) them as learners" (Clemente & Kissinger; 1994,64). In later
sections I will say more about the user's course and the counselling sessions.
To conclude, I hope to have provided the reader with a clear account of my first steps
in the search of autonomy in language learning. As I have said before, this was not meant to
be an objective account. I have been too involved in the project to be able to do that. What is
more, I do not believe in objectivity in this sense for an attempt to be objective would
necessary imply getting rid of all the attitudes and feelings (mine and others') that underlay
the decisions we made.
I also hope that the reader has now the necessary information to understand the
reasons why I started to see things in a different way, which is the topic of next chapter.
NOTES:
1) In fact, there are some centres that are called mediatheques, and sonotheques, which
brings the idea of the function of a library or "bibliotheque" as in French.
2)Wenden (1987) says that learning to Ieam and learning a language are similar processes
since both imply the acquisition of knowledge and skill, i.e. the proceduralization of
knowledge.
3) The city of Oaxaca has a population of 213,985 inhabitants. Its area is 85 km2. In Oaxaca,
we have 6 local papers, 3 local TV channels and several radio stations. We also have access
to the most important national papers and TV channels. There are 198 primary schools, 72
secondary schools and 28 preparatory schools. Being one of the most important tourist
locations in the country, the economy of this city is based on the tourist industry and
commerce.
Linguistically speaking, most Oaxacan inhabitants speak Spanish, though there are
12 indigenous languages spoken in the state (Garza; 1986,19) . The dialectal variety of
Spanish that is spoken in the city of Oaxaca has been identified as antipiano oaxaqueno
(Atlas: 1988,167) which is very similar to the "Mexican Spanish", that is to say, the standard
dialect ofMexico (Lope Blanch;1979, 125-6).
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