PROMOTING AUTONOMOUS LEARNING IN ONLINE CLASSES: A DESCRIPTION OF TEACHERS’ BELIEFS AND PRACTICES

Learner autonomy (LA) or the capacity of learners to take charge of her/his own learning has been a well-established research area in the field of teacher education. Using classroom observations and interviews, the researchers followed through the mental lives of the tertiary teachers in a teacher education institution. In particular the inquiry highlighted the relevance of learner autonomy in the virtual classrooms through the lens of the teachers’ beliefs and practices. The Filipino teachers’ classrooms revealed that LA can be promoted through an effective utilization of the digital platforms of learning. The digital delivery of instructions for lectures and assessment purposes showed that the Filipino learners are capable of working on their own, as well as collaborate with their classmates as a team. Teachers equipped with digital capacities showed advantages as they displayed ease in delivering lessons and establishing interaction with their students. However, the tendency to be teacher-centered was noticeably prevalent as teachers maximized the online class as the opportune time to give inputs, instruct and give asynchronous activities for independent learning. Despite the prospect of online classes as a platform for independent learning, the researchers assume that it cannot be considered as a stand-alone modality for most of the undergraduate students in the rural universities in the country.