ABSTRACT
One way of fostering autonomy is by drawing on students’ personal lives inside the classroom and by encouraging learning outside of it. Together, these comprise what is commonly referred to as Learning Beyond the Classroom (LBC). However, current materials and classroom practices are often not geared towards preparing learners for lifelong and lifewide learning and many teachers are unsure how to support learners in taking greater responsibility for the language learning process. In this chapter I propose an eight-phase framework for encouraging, preparing, supporting, and involving LBC that draws on the unique affordances for language learning offered by life beyond the traditional classroom environment. The aim of the framework is to support practitioners in identifying ways to increase learner control in a systematic manner, by gradually extending learning opportunities beyond the classroom, and to point researchers to specific areas of study.
