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Chapter 5: How to Engage Learners in Authentic Target Language Use - Examples from an Autonomy Classroom. By ​Leni Dam

Abstract
‘But how can they say anything in the foreign language if they are not given the words beforehand?’ Language teachers often ask this question when I present examples of target language use in an autonomy classroom. This article explains how from the very beginning it is possible to engage pupils in authentic target language use, including communication that does not involve the teacher. The oral and written examples that I use to support my argument were produced by learners aged between 10 and 16 and ranging in proficiency from beginners to intermediate level. When I introduce each activity I also describe the pre-requisites for its success. In the last section of the article I summarise the positive results achieved in the autonomy classroom, which I illustrate using two sets of peer-to-peer talks collected by the LAALE project (Language Acquisition in an Autonomous Learning Environment), one from a ‘traditional’, communicative classroom in a German school, the other from a Danish autonomy classroom. I conclude by listing the essential features of an autonomous classroom supporting authentic language use.

Citation (APA 7)
Dam, L. (2019). How to engage learners in authentic target language use - examples from an autonomy classroom. In A. Burkert, L. Dam, & C. Ludwig (Eds.), The answer is learner autonomy: Issues in language teaching and learning. (pp. 96-117). Candlin & Mynard. https://doi.org/10.47908/9/5 (Original work published 2013)

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​Information About the Book

Title: The Answer is Learner Autonomy: Issues in Language Teaching and Learning.
Editors: Anja Burkert, Leni Dam and Christian Ludwig
Publication date: 2019 (originally published in 2013 as an ebook by IATEFL)
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