SLA RESEARCH ON SELF-DIRECTION: THEORETICAL AND PRACTICAL ISSUES

3.3.3 Learning to learn

In Chapter 2 (p. 20), I discussed the concept learning to learn. In the following
paragraphs I will make a connection with that discussion by putting forward my own
research and conclusions.

So far, I stated that there are two different stages that have been identified in the
process of self-directed learning, learning to learn, or the preparation of decisions and the
learning itself, or, as Holec says, the decision making. However, that knowledge was not
enough to improve our leaming-to-leam programme in the SAC Oaxaca. As I stated before,
the results of it were not very successful. As I saw it, we needed to take into consideration
the information I just mentioned in the last section, that is, the difference between
metacognitive knowledge and metacognitive strategies and their relationship to the process
of learning. Hence, I worked in a framework for learner awareness that took into account
both, metacognitive knowledge and metacognitive strategies (Clemente, 1995b). It was a
purely theoretical reflection of how I depicted this first stage in the form of a leaming-to-
Ieam framework. Afterwards, I carried out empirical research (Clemente, 1996b) and I
changed some things, although the rationale for the framework remained essentially the
same. Fig. 3.4 shows the way I depicted the two stages. The stage of learning is represented
by the shaded area inside the triangle. The first stage, the learning to learn, consists of the
six rectangles that form a coherent process of both, awareness (self-awareness or assisted-
awareness) and practice. Metacognitive knowledge refers to the former and metacognitive
activities refer to the latter. There is a difference between the rectangles with dotted lines
and the ones jointed to the angles of the triangle. Although the 'knowledge' pieces of the
process are consider to be essential for the development of the process, the 'activities'
elements are the ones that act more directly upon the learning process. The main purpose of
the knowledge aspect consisted on raising awareness of the rationale that underlies one's
own particular way of learning in terms of person, task and strategic knowledge (see
discussion on metacognitive knowledge above). In other words, this aspect of the Ieaming-
to-leam framework deals with all those values and beliefs about oneself as a language

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