Gridging Theory Essay

Empowering Learner Agency: Bridging Theory to Practice

“Teaching, however purposeful, cannot automatically lead to learning for the simple reason that learning is primarily a personal construct controlled by individual learner” (Kumaravadivelu, 2003b, p.44).

Introduction

For many people, second language teaching is a passionate vocation. Although it was extensively researched in the literature of second language studies, there is a great body of research intended to re-examine critical issues as to what is an L2, how is it taught and learned, and who are the persons who learn and teach it. Seeking an understanding to these inquiries, there was a significant shift from teacher-centered to student-centered teaching and learning (Benson, 2001). Accordingly, there was increasing attention to illuminate learner agency, that learners are viewed as the agents of language learning, who determine

Moreover, insights from various theoretical and methodological approaches for second and foreign language learning, such as humanizing pedagogy, critical pedagogy, and postmethod pedagogy have all influenced the perception of the learner as an individual living and thinking person who needs to be critically aware of his/her learning opportunity. What those scholarships (e.g., Freire, 1970; Kumaravadivelu, 2001, 2003a; Pennycook, 2004) are arguing for is that language teaching should foster an environment that enables learners to construct their own knowledge, determine their learning goals, and reflect on their personal experiences so that learners will be empowered as legitimate language users inside and outside the