Implementing autonomy in language learning and teaching in most institutional contexts is still, even after decades of research and practice, a challenge for teachers and learners. Facing these challenges may be easier, if this is done not in isolation, but rather as part of a learning and teaching community. My experience at the Centre for Independent Language Learning (CILL) at the Language Centre of the Freie Universität Berlin is that the first step towards implementing autonomy is encouraging it while building a community of practice. For teachers, a community of practice means the opportunity to discuss their understanding of autonomy, to share and reflect experiences, to develop common strategies both for teaching and for addressing the administration, if need be. An even better opportunity to build a learning culture based on autonomy is to support teachers and learners to exchange their perspectives and cooperate towards a common understanding of (more) autonomous teaching and learning. One of the aims of the CILL is to create opportunities for such an exchange, involving student assistants and teachers to reflect on the provision of the CILL and to help to further develop it.
Teaching and learning culture
