ENCOURAGING LEARNERS’ AUTONOMY: ALTERNATIVE ASSESSMENT IN LANGUAGE TEACHING / LEARNING

Abstract

Technology advance and volumes of information that people come across make them learn during their whole life. They should be able to meet the requirements of the rapidly changing world. That puts lifelong learning on the agenda as it is a prerequisite for a sustainable future and professional success. Thus, it is understandable that people should be prepared for autonomous lifelong learning which is one of the essential tasks set for university education. Students should be prepared to acquire new knowledge and to develop their skills by themselves when their formal education is over. They should be able to assess their achievements by themselves, to monitor their progress, and evaluate outcomes. That is why alternative assessment is gaining momentum. The present article presents, as an example, one of the forms of alternative assessment, the language portfolio. The language portfolio is well known to Ukrainian teachers, but not widely employed in the learning / teaching process. It is unlikely to be well-known to students although it may become a tool to systematizes the process of mastering the foreign language and may help students reflect on their learning needs and goals, as well as assess their weaknesses and strengths.