Lakhasly

One more trend which is seen as important in enhancing the quality' of student learning in foreign language education is the broad area of metacognition. Two areas of metacognition—metacognitive knowledge and metacognitive strategies have been extensively discussed in the literature on language learning in recent times. Brown sees an important role for teachers in enhancing metacognition. This is reflected in his call for “explicit encouragement and support for reflection upon learning processes’* (Brown 1994, 147). A better understanding of the concept of metacognitive knowledge, i.e. knowledge about learning, emerges from the work of Flavell (1979); Victori (1999); Victori and Lockhart (1995); and Wenden (1986, 1991, 1998, 1999). Learner beliefs, a subset of their metacognitive knowledge, has been a prominent theme in work done by CotteralJ (1995, 1999) and Horwitz (1985, 1987, 1988), Carter (1999), Kern (1995), and Yang (1992).
Raising learners’ metacognitive awareness, by helping learners gain insight into what learning involves and insight into their own learning style is a pre-condition to the teaching of metacognitive strategies. Broady (1996), for example, contends that by helping raise learners’ metacognitive awareness, teachers can help them learn how to use different learning resources and environments.
It is also argued that many learners do not deploy metacognitive strategies because teachers often assume responsibility for managing their learning. In the following quotation, Weinstein and Rogers (1985,

cited in Wenden 1991, 13) discuss the implications of the teacher’s management of the process of learning:
"Teachers try to stay in tune with their students ’ level of understanding by watching for subtle clues (e.g. facial expressions j and by stopping at appropriate times to ask questions in order to ascertain students ’ weak spots".
In other words, teachers are very often much more active in the learning process than are students. While this may result in very7 effective teaching strategies, these teaching behaviors do not necessarily help students gain independence by developing effective comprehension- monitoring strategies of their own.
Successful students, however, learn to adopt active strategies for themselves, incorporating monitoring behaviors into their repertoire of learning skills. Less successful students apparently do not, continuing to rely on teachers for this function.
Learner Autonomy
As important as each of these trends might be individually, it is their integration into an approach to language learning premised on making learners more autonomous that is likely to have a far greater impact on
enhancing student learning in the classroom. Learner autonomy has been described by Little (1991) as the buzzword in language learning in the 1990s and it seems set to become a mega-trend in learning in the 21st century. According to the literature on learner autonomy, autonomous learners are those who are prepared to assume responsibility for self¬directing their learning (Boud 1988; Holecl981, 1987; Holec and Huttunen 1997; Little 1991).
What emerges clearly in the growing body of research into learner autonomy is that autonomy, especially in its initial stages, is very dependent on teacher support. Teachers who adopt a critical approach to technology; who seek to promote a positive affective climate and who enhance metacognition in their students are engaged in practices which promote the qualitative involvement of students in learning. However, final responsibility for actualizing learner autonomy, rests with the learner.