Topic 3
In recent years,traditional teaching methods,which regard teachers as the core of teaching actions,has gradually become unpopular.Educationalists and foreign language educators begin to widely sponsor many new kinds of concepts and ideas of teaching.And these concepts and ideas pay more attention to learners,for instance,autonomous learning,independent learning,learner awareness,problem-based learning,in which autonomous learning is the most important one.Autonomous learning has been a buzzword in foreign language teaching in the recent twenty years.Many countries and areas have established professional institutions to study autonomous foreign language learning,such as AILA (Association Internationale de Linguistique appliquee),ASALD (Hong Kong Association Self-access Learning and Development),ATEFL (International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign language) and so on.But the keystone of this educational concept was not introduced to China until recent years.
Nowadays,a majority of experts and scholars in the field of foreign language teaching agreed with a point of view that motivation makes one of the key factors that influence the efficiency of second language learning and foreign language learning.Motivation can be divided into two parts:instrumental motivation and integrative motivation.Foreign language learners who was affected by instrumental motivation consider foreign language learning as a tool to gain certificates or a way to find a better jobs,on the contrary,foreign language learners who was affected by integrative motivation have a great interest in the culture of foreign language,they want to know of more about foreign countries and even are willing to be a member of foreign people.Swayed by different motivations,learners have various learning goals and interests,which compelled teachers to create autonomous conditions for learners.