In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic created disruption in many of the institutions we regularly rely on, including universities. While disruption may often bring with it a myriad of possible pitfalls, it affords potential opportunities for change and development by reflecting on and modifying practices. In this article, a group of learning advisors and administrators from a self-access center at an international university in Japan reflect on the ruptures we experienced as a result of changes due to unexpectedly working remotely and our attempts to find stability, the pitfalls we sought to avoid, and the opportunities that we found amidst the disruption. Specifically, we illustrate our experiences related to student-led learning communities, self-access curricula, and learning advising, considering the effect on students and advisors alike. We advocate that self-access practitioners actively promote the use of language, encourage the development of communities of learners who focus on their interests, offer full online services even when the center is open, and use the same effective practices whether supporting learners online or offline. Our intention is that this article will help others to support stability, connectivity, and positive development in their own contexts.

“The myth that emotions are only a minor part of learning is one of the most amazing confabulations of all time” –––Rebecca L. Oxford, 2013 p. 67 Learning a second language can invoke feelings of enjoyment, stress, accomplishment, failure, excitement, and discouragement. These affective factors have an interdependent relationship with cognition (Damasio, 2000) which can enhance or impede language learning, however, the affectional aspect of the learning process is a largely neglected dimension of language teaching and learning theories (Damasio, 2000; MacIntyre, 2002; Oxford, 2013). Ryan and Deci (2017, p. 351) state that, “Substantial evidence shows that autonomy-supportive versus controlling teaching strategies foster more autonomous forms of motivation in students and the higher quality engagement, performance, and the positive experience associated with it.” They go on to say that the positive effects of autonomy-supportive strategies permeate through all age groups and cultures. Therefore, if language teachers aim to foster an environment where learners have the capacity and desire to take control of their learning, i.e., promote learner autonomy, (Benson, 2011), teachers must not only be aware of the relationship between affect and language learning but also take action by implementing effective affective strategies in our pedagogical practices. This can be accomplished by assisting learners to be aware of their emotions and the meta-affective and affective strategies they can implement in order to better manage them (Oxford, 2011). Such strategies are paying attention to affect, planning for affect, monitoring affect, etc. (Oxford, 2011). Another facet educators must be aware of in the classroom is how autonomy can be socially mediated (Murray, 2014), e.g., mentoring, cooperation, and peer-assessment. Further, being aware and taking appropriate actions also requires educators to exercise their emotional intelligence, which Salovey and Mayer (1990, p. 189) define as “a type of social intelligence that involves the ability to monitor one’s own and others’ emotions, to discriminate among them, and to use the information to guide one’s thinking and actions.” Thus teachers must play an important role by being partners as well as independent learner-practitioners when interacting with students (O’Leary, 2014).

In this paper the author poses and seeks an answer to the question, “Is music an effective tool in secondary and post-secondary foreign language learning classrooms?” By observing articles and research ranging from the historic intertwinement of language and music to its use as a medium for learner choice, the author details music’s benefits on foreign language learner cognition, affect, motivation, and identity as well as the challenges involved. Additionally, the author presents some possible ways the introduction of music into the classroom can be a catalyst for learner and teacher autonomy.

The distinction between Cooperative and Collaborative Learning approaches is not a clear one. Some use the terms interchangeably while others consider Cooperative Learning to be a type of Collaborative Learning. Still others clearly differentiate between them, characterizing Cooperative Learning as more highly structured in its procedures, involving a great deal of intervention by the teacher to plan and orchestrate group interactions. Collaborative Learning, on the other hand, presupposes some degree of learner autonomy－that groups can work effectively toward shared goals and monitor their own progress. This paper takes the view that the distinction between Cooperative and Collaborative Learning is a useful one and that both approaches can play valuable roles in fostering autonomous interaction. It argues that while Collaborative Learning formations may be the ultimate goal for teachers wishing to develop learner autonomy, Cooperative Learning is a valuable means for modeling the skills and abilities to help students get there. The discussion begins with an overview of the two approaches, focusing on their implementation in the Japanese educational context. It then presents seven highly structured Cooperative Learning activities and shows how they can be modified and extended over time to encourage more autonomous interaction.

This paper documents part of the process of preparing to fully reopen the physical Self-Access Learning Center (SALC) in a university in Japan after being somewhat interrupted during two years of the COVID-19 pandemic. Self-access is becoming increasingly complex, multi-faceted and multi-disciplinary and it is necessary to revisit SALC mission statements periodically, particularly after major events or changes. A group of language educators working at the university examined literature and theories from a range of perspectives in order to inform the future directions of the SALC. In a series of meetings over a one-semester period, one or two team members led a guided discussion based on some key papers, talks or other resources related to eight themes. After a semester of such discussions, they returned to the mission statement and re-examined it, making it more theoretically robust and specific, acting as a guide for SALC services for a new era.