Seven ways to develop independent learners

Richard Cleeve
A woman sat outdoors reading a booklet

What is independent learning?

Students who are actively involved in deciding what and how they learn are typically more engaged and motivated.

That¡¯s not surprising, because independent learners are extremely focused on their personal learning objectives.

, independent learning is ¡°a process, a method and a philosophy of education whereby a learner acquires knowledge by his or her own efforts and develops the ability for inquiry and critical evaluation."

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Seven ways to develop independent learners
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In the context of language learning, independent learners can recognize their learning needs, locate relevant information about language and develop the required language skills on their own or with other learners.

There are many advantages of encouraging independent learning among your students:

  • Increased recognition of strengths, weaknesses and progress
  • Higher levels of confidence
  • More motivation
  • Better management of learning
  • Improved performance

Not only will these benefits help your students while learning English, but they¡¯ll also benefit them at school, university and even in their day-to-day lives.

How can I help my students to become independent learners?

Some of your students may already be independent learners; however, most will need your support to become more autonomous.

Here are seven ways you can help:

Make learning goals clear

Sharing learning goals with your class helps students to see what they¡¯re aiming for and they¡¯ll also be able to assess afterwards? whether they¡¯ve achieved it or not. This can be done at the beginning of a lesson or series of lessons or even as a lesson progresses.

Although many teachers set the goals themselves, if you want to create a really independent learning experience, elicit them directly from the students. A simple question could be, ¡°What do you think this activity is helping you get better at?¡±

Personalize learning goals

Another thing to consider is setting different goals for different learners, depending on their strengths and weaknesses. This will be much easier if the students are setting their own goals. For example, when doing a task focused on the speaking paper in an exam course, one student¡¯s objective might be to give extended answers, while another might want to use more discourse markers.

Focus on the process as well as the goal

Once your students have set their goals, they need to start thinking about how they¡¯ll reach them.

One way to help them get on track is to provide them with a set of ¡®success criteria¡¯, which acts like a roadmap for the different tasks they need to complete. If your students understand what they need to do to be successful, they¡¯ll progress much faster and be more motivated when they see how far they¡¯ve come.

If one of your student¡¯s goals is to improve their grammatical accuracy in the C1 Advanced speaking exam, for example, you could give them a rubric (like the one below) which they can use to assess their own performance.

Keep your assessment categories as positive as possible (for example, 'solid', 'good' and 'acing it') and link it to the official exam criteria where possible.

Provide opportunities to reflect on learning

Students should constantly be encouraged to reflect on their performance and whether they¡¯ve met their learning goals. This will help them become more aware of their strengths, weaknesses and the progress they¡¯re making. Recognition of progress will help build confidence and motivation.

Opportunities for assessment and reflection don¡¯t need to take a lot of time. Spending two minutes at the end of the class asking students questions like ¡®What can you do better now than at the start of the lesson?¡¯ will help learners develop critical meta-cognitive skills.

Offer feedback on learning

Teacher feedback also helps students develop the skills needed to become more independent. Offer feedback in a supportive and sensitive manner, making positive observations alongside any criticism.

Effective feedback should allow learners to understand where they currently are in their learning, where they¡¯re heading and how they¡¯ll get there.

Encourage peer feedback

Feedback shouldn¡¯t only come from the teacher. You should also get students to evaluate each other¡¯s progress during and after an activity. Peer feedback is not only advantageous to the student receiving it, but there are also many reflective benefits of giving feedback to someone else.

Transfer learning decisions to students

It¡¯s impossible for students to become independent learners if you make all the decisions for them. Giving students the opportunity to make decisions about their learning will give them greater autonomy. However, this should be a gradual process and not all students will be ready to take 100% control from the outset.

Start with small decisions first and ask questions such as:

  • Do you want to do the task alone or in pairs?
  • Would you like to use a set of useful phrases for support when doing the speaking task?
  • Would you prefer to discuss questions about this topic or another?

This devolvement of responsibility built up over time will help learners to become more independent.

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  • A man sat at a laptop with headphones on

    7 tips for learning English online

    By Gemma Considine

    Learning English online is very different from studying in a physical classroom, and there is not always a teacher looking over your shoulder. And more often than not, you have to motivate yourself and keep yourself on track.

    In this blog, we¡¯ll share seven tips to help you learn English online ¨C including how to set goals, create a study schedule, and stay focused. Let¡¯s explore:

    1. Set SMART goals

    Lots of students wonder how to learn English online. And we know getting started is often the most challenging part. So before you begin studying English online, we recommend setting some SMART goals. These are goals that are:

    • Specific
    • Measurable
    • Achievable
    • Relevant
    • Time-bound

    Let's say you:

    • Have an ultimate goal to get a high score in an English language exam (like ), so you can study abroad.

    You¡¯ll need to plan how to reach this. An excellent way to start is to begin planning your short and medium-term goals. For example:

    • Short-term goal: Learn ten words each day
    • Medium-term goal: Improve practice test scores by 5% over the next month

    2. Make a study schedule

    Creating a well-thought-out schedule will help you to study English online and stay organized. It¡¯ll also mean you dedicate enough time to each language skill ¨C speaking, reading, writing and listening:

    • Pick times that work best for you ¨C You may prefer studying at certain times of the day when you have more energy, or after doing something energizing like working out.
    • Stick to it ¨C Once you¡¯ve set a regular fixed time, stay with it to ensure it becomes a routine habit.
    • Make time ¨C Give yourself as much time as possible to finish each task (especially in case life gets in the way) and some time to relax.

    3. Create a comfortable learning space

    Where you study . For example, sunlight can lead to better learning outcomes. Temperature and noise can also affect the way you learn. If you can, make sure that your learning space is:

    • well-lit
    • temperate
    • quiet (and private if possible!)
    • relaxing
    • organized

    You might also want to decorate your study space, perhaps with an indoor plant ¨C they can !

    Also, before you start, do you have everything at hand? Do you have water? Is your coursebook close by? And is your computer fully charged? Having all your supplies on hand will help you stay focused ¨C and learn English online faster.

    4. Eliminate distractions

    To learn English online, you need to eliminate distractions. Logging off your social media accounts and anything else distracting you until you¡¯re done studying is good practice. If you find yourself logging back in, you might want to use a focus app (like , which can block up to thirty websites).
    If you can, turn off your phone altogether and put it away and out of sight. If you¡¯re tempted to pick it up again, ask yourself why. Sometimes, there¡¯s no good reason, and it¡¯s best to keep studying.

    5. Try the Pomodoro Technique

    The Pomodoro Technique is a great way to break your studying into manageable chunks, which will also help you stay focused.

    The technique:

    • Set a timer for 20 minutes
    • Each time the timer goes off, write a tick on a piece of paper
    • Take a five-minute break
    • Continue to set the timer for 20-minute intervals
    • When you've got four ticks, take a 20-minute break

    This time management system works well because it gives you frequent breaks to look forward to and helps you concentrate. You can use this time to stretch, have a snack, take a walk ¨C or do anything that gives your mind a rest.

    6. Use self-study resources

    There are lots of English learning materials available online ¨C including worksheets, mock tests, games and grammar exercises. There are also various games and quizzes available online.

    7. Find a study partner

    We all know studying online can get lonely! That¡¯s why we recommend you find a study partner. With a partner to work with, you can practice speaking and listening. You¡¯ll have someone to check over your work. But most importantly ¨C you¡¯ll have someone to hold you accountable and help you stay motivated. Perhaps you know a friend or family member who is also studying English, and you can work with them. You can sometimes find local study groups or clubs depending on your location.

    If you're unable to find a local study group or an in-person partner, there are many places to find a study partner online ¨C for example, or dedicated social media groups. You might also want to try out silent Zoom meetings; students and professionals keep each other focused by simply working together on mute.

  • A woman looking at a laptop in a library smiling

    Everything you need to know about Versant by ÃÛÌÒapp tests

    By Gemma Considine

    From sending emails and participating in conference calls to studying a masters degree or communicating on social media, in today¡¯s globalized world, English is used by more and more?second-language English speakers in their daily lives.

    For this reason, many schools, institutions and businesses now require their students or employees to have a minimum level of English. That¡¯s why we need quick and efficient ways to test people¡¯s proficiency and make sure they have the skills needed to communicate effectively.

    This is where Versant by ÃÛÌÒapp tests come in. Our suite of four exams can be used to test various skills and competencies depending on the organization's needs. What¡¯s more, they can be taken anywhere, at any time and the results are received instantly ¨C making recruitment or enrollment a much smoother process.

    This guide will help answer some questions you may have about the tests, and provide some links to useful resources.

    What are the Versant tests?

    The Versant by ÃÛÌÒapp tests are designed to measure an individual¡¯s abilities in all or some of the four skills; speaking, writing, listening, or reading. They vary in length from between 17 to 50 minutes, and the results are available immediately afterwards.

    There are four Versant products available, and they differ depending on which skills are considered most relevant to the candidates, or their places of work and study. It is possible to focus specifically on speaking or writing, for example, instead of a candidate¡¯s entire skill set.

    One thing which is consistent across all the tests is that they are fully automated, and can be delivered online or offline around the world at any time. The scores are then available immediately after finishing the test ¨C so there will be no more agonizing waits for results!

    In addition, other languages are also available in the testing suite; including Arabic, Dutch, French, Spanish and Aviation English.

    Who are they for?

    Organizations, institutions and corporations can use Versant by ÃÛÌÒapp tests to establish language proficiency benchmarks.

    For businesses, they are a simple, reliable, and efficient tool for Human Resources (HR) departments to make sure their staff have the level required in the given language.

    In an educational context, the tests are an excellent way for schools to place students within a certain program, to measure their progress and check their level at the end of a course to see if they are ready to move on.

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