17th LAb session. Thursday, December 3rd, 2026 (Online)
Theme: Teacher autonomy for learner autonomy: Agency, reflection, and professional development
Registration (free): https://zoom.us/meeting/register/Rw87PemISlez1-bAhnhNeA
Deadline for submission of presentations: Sunday, 15th November, 2026
Organizers
The Research Institute for Learner Autonomy Education (RILAE) at Kanda University of International Studies (KUIS).
Details
How can teachers’ own autonomy help them support the autonomy of their learners? The interdependence of teacher and learner autonomy has been highlighted by researchers (e.g., Little, 1995; Magno e Silva, 2018), positioning dialogue and teachers’ own autonomous learning as central to the development of learner autonomy. At the same time, teachers’ opportunities to exercise autonomy are shaped by their institutional contexts and the spaces available for experimentation (Benson, 2010).
This LAb session explores autonomy as both a dimension of teachers’ professional lives and a foundation for autonomy-supportive practice. It invites participants to consider how teachers exercise agency, reflect critically on their beliefs and practices, and take an active role in their professional development. How can teacher education, mentoring, collaborative inquiry, and reflective dialogue create opportunities for teachers to experience the autonomy they seek to foster in learners? How can teachers navigate institutional expectations while opening up possibilities for learner choice, responsibility, and participation?
Bringing together research and practice, the session welcomes research and perspectives from educators, teacher educators, and student teachers on the connections between teachers’ professional learning and learners’ growing autonomy.
References
Benson, P. (2010). Teacher education and teacher autonomy: Creating spaces for experimentation in secondary school English language teaching. Language Teaching Research, 14(3), 259–275. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362168810365236 .
Little, D. (1995). Learning as dialogue: The dependence of learner autonomy on teacher autonomy. System, 23(2), 175–181. https://doi.org/10.1016/0346-251X(95)00006-6
Magno e Silva, W. (2018). Autonomous learning support base: Enhancing autonomy in a TEFL undergraduate program. In G. Murray & T. Lamb (Eds.), Space, place and autonomy in language learning (pp. 219–232). Routledge.
Speakers
- TBC
Call for papers [Submision form opening soon]
Deadline for submission: Sunday, 15th November, 2026
In our 17th LAb session, we invite colleagues from all contexts around the world to help us expand our understanding of Teacher autonomy for learner autonomy. We are particularly interested in research or practice related to the following questions:
- How can teachers’ own autonomy help them support the autonomy of their learners?
- How are teachers exercising autonomy over their own language learning?
- What connections have you discovered about teacher autonomy and learner autonomy in your own context?
- How do teachers reflect critically on their beliefs and practice?
- How is professional development incorporating learner/teacher autonomy in your context?
- What is the role of mentoring in teacher autonomy?
- What is the role of dialogue in teacher autonomy?
We welcome theoretical, research, and practice-based short presentations from early-career researchers, practicing teachers, learning advisors, and established scholars.
Presentations should be less than 10 minutes and can be presented live or pre-recorded. Feel free to submit attachments, links, and supplementary documents to accompany your presentation.
Presentation types accepted:
- Resource sharing (5 minutes), e.g., book reviews, events, or resources
- Research sharing (7-8 minutes), e.g., Overviews of studies in progress; Research summaries
- Professional development in practice (5-7 minutes)