Introduction

We begin this chapter by revisiting the classroom dynamic that fosters the development of language learner autonomy and by drawing attention to the political foundations on which it rests. We then describe the closely related communicative and metacognitive dynamic that we believe should underpin teacher education for learner autonomy, arguing that language teacher education should use tools and techniques closely similar to those that shape the autonomy classroom, including TL use. After that we elaborate procedures that can be used to address two dimensions of L2 education that are often thought to work against learner autonomy: the curriculum and the textbook. These procedures can be used to design modules for preand in-service teacher education; they can also be used by individual teachers to support their planning. Finally, we briefly address the issue of assessment. Throughout the chapter our underlying assumption is that all aspects of teacher education should be closely linked to the participants' own pedagogical contexts. Theory should lead to practice, and the evaluation of practice should lead to the revision and/or extension of theory. We agree with Kohonen (2003: 156) when he writes: 'Teacher learning ... needs to be connected with actual teaching, supported by ongoing theory building.' This implies a role for action research in teacher education that can be carried over into continuing classroom practice, where the learners are co-researchers.

Language Learner Autonomy and Classroom Discourse

Dialogic teaching and learning

Traditionally, classroom discourse has been shaped by the recursive enactment of a two-stage process: teachers first present the material to be learnt and then use a question-and-answer routine to confirm that their learners have grasped the material in its essentials. Teachers' oral presentation may be supplemented by texts in print and other media, and a potentially infinite range of oral and written activities can be devised to help learners digest and remember the material presented. But the roles of teachers and learners remain those defined by the question-and-answer routine: teachers transmit and learners receive.