Conference - Autonomy in language learning
Autonomous language learning: experience, actors, resources
Bolzano Multilingual Centre and Merano Multimedia Language Centre
On 1st and 2nd December 2017 the Trevi Centre of the Italian Cultural Department hosted two days of work dedicated to autonomy in language learning, language advising and autonomous learning in the classroom.
The opening day of Friday, December 1st offered guided visits of the Meran Multimedia Language Centre and the Multilingual Centre of Bolzano open to all, to discover the places and materials on offer to learn languages autonomously.
These two centres of the Office for Bilingualism and Foreign Languages have been operating for more than a decade promoting languages and in particular autonomous learning. Alongside specific linguistic resources the two centres provide free individual support sessions to plan a course of learning autonomously, respecting the goals and learning styles of each individual.
The plenary conference in the afternoon was given by Christian Tommasini, Provincial Councillor for Italian Culture. After a presentation of the two self-learning centres, Maria Giovanna Tassinari, director of the self-access centre at the Freie Universität Berlin (D), proposed a definition of the concept of autonomous learning and outlined the role of language resource centres for this purpose. Finally, a language adviser and a user of the Multilingual Centre offered a live testimonial of those who follow this path, from the point of view of an adviser and learner.
On December 2nd, guests from all over Europe coordinated thematic workshops focusing on experiences in self-learning centres, on language learning advising, on the possibility of promoting autonomy in the classroom and on tools to overcome blocks in language learning.
The workshops allowed a lively and genuine sharing of experiences, ideas and proposals, from which future scenarios in the field of autonomous language learning arose, not only at an academic level.
The materials presented during the seminar are available for consultation at the Multilingual Centre of Bolzano and the Multimedia Language Centre of Merano (info: 0471 300789 and 0473 252264).
In addition, self-learning will continue throughout the year thanks to individual language advising meetings, as has been the practice for 13 years.
