Supporting the development of learning autonomy within language classes in the Web 2.0 era: lessons of experience
In this article we propose a model for supporting the development of learning autonomy within (English) language classes in the Web 2.0 era. This model posits knowledge as lying at the centre of a number of poles (university expectations, student professionalization, and the teacher’s expertise) and macro-preoccupations (link-making, scaffolding, the educational atmosphere, and classroom steering). The potential of this model of mediation is then assessed in the context of an exploratory study conducted at an Institut universitaire et technologique (IUT) over the 2014-2015 academic year. The study leads up to a discussion of the roles the language teacher is called to play in today’s current digital society, as well as the need to draw on the concept of zone of proximal development in order to refine results when following up on the study.