Space, place, autonomy and the road not yet taken

Abstract

In this final chapter, we take a step back in order to get a view of this diverse collection of papers as a whole, and to reflect on what they might tell us about space, place and autonomy in language learning. The contributing authors investigate a wide range of spaces and places encompassing the physical, virtual and metaphorical. In doing so, they bring to the fore themes that revolve around the central notion of learners appropriating and transforming spaces into places for language learning. They cover an array of topics, including multilingualism, feelings, emotions, personal and professional development, inclusion, exclusion, and creativity, amongst others. Yet, perhaps more revealing and poignant are the themes that are only hinted at, but not explicitly treated or developed. These themes raise issues for future inquiries, such as the meaning of autonomy in view of a global shift in focus from classroom-based to out-of-class learning, and the complexity that permeates the interaction of the three central constructs-space, place and autonomy-in relation to language learning both within and beyond the classroom. The papers in this volume provide examples of research methodologies that might be suitable for these explorations. In this concluding chapter, we examine the implications these theoretical and methodological leanings have first for theory development, then for possible future inquiries, and finally for pedagogical practice.

Diskurtso-praktika kokatuak: benetako komunikazio-praktikak

“…Azken aldian, planteamendu ekologiko bat askotan erabili da metafora gisa aldaketa nabarmendu eta aztertzen duen ikaslearen autonomia-prozesuaren garapena deskribatzeko: konplexutasunaren teoria, sistema dinamiko konplexuak ere deitua (Murray eta Lamb, 2018;Paiva, 2011;Paiva eta Braga, 2008;Reinders eta White, 2016;Sade, 2014;Tatzl, 2016;Zhang, 2016). Horren arrazoia da, neurri handi batean, aitortu egin dela ikaslearen autonomia ez dela konstruktu sinple bat.…”

“…Klase-ingurune kolaboratibo eta ez zentralizatuak lagundu egiten du ikaslearen autonomia garatzen (Murray eta Lamb, 2018). Irakasle askorentzat, erronka izango da arretaz diseinatutako atazen eta curriculumen gaineko kontrola askatzea (Warner eta Richardson, 2017).…”

“…Hain zuzen, ekologiaren ikusmoldeek ihes egiten dute aurreikuspenetatik; aldiz, azalpena eta deskribapena hobesten dituzte. Era horretan, lagundu egiten digute oposizio bitarrak baztertzen, elkarrekiko harremanei erreparatuz (Murray eta Lamb, 2018).…”

Exploring Facilitative and Debilitative Spaces: A Shift in Focus from Classrooms to Learning Systems

“…Cooker & Torpey, 2004;Hobbs & Dofs, 2016). Much like Murray and Lamb's (2018) argument for complexity thinking regarding learning spaces and learning systems, the field of learning strategies has begun to move in a similar direction, embracing complexity (e.g. Oxford, 2017;Oxford, Lavine, Amerstorfer, 2018).…”

Self-Access Environments as Self-Enriching Complex Dynamic Ecosocial Systems

“…The more we studied the English Café and L-café over the years, the more they revealed themselves to be a network of complex dynamic systems. While much has been written about the relevance of complex dynamic systems theory in relation to the social sciences (see Burns & Callaghan, 2014) and to language education in applied linguistics (Dörnyei, MacIntyre, & Henry, 2014;Larsen-Freeman, 2014;Larsen-Freeman & Cameron, 2008;Mercer, 2017;Murray, 2017;Murray & Lamb, 2018), here I will limit the discussion to six characteristics, which have been particularly germane to our understanding of the L-café as a social learning space.…”