Speakers
Description
Self-access centers (SACs) are spaces that provide opportunities and resources for language learning. Ideally, these are tailored to the needs of learners and offer pathways for more effective and autonomous learning. Beyond supporting learner autonomy, SACs also contribute significantly to global readiness by fostering intercultural competence and equipping learners with the skills needed to engage in multilingual and multicultural environments. While scholars and educators have emphasized these principles for decades, in practice, SACs often fail to live up to them. Some common issues for SACs include: learners being forced to attend them; lack of space; difficulty developing the expertise to run them effectively; and institutions deeming them too expensive to maintain. In Vietnam, SACs remain uncommon due in part to resource constraints, limited expertise, and an educational culture that prioritizes structured guidance over learner autonomy. However, with careful planning, these problems can be avoided. Indeed, by adopting the guiding principle of sustainability, a SAC can be established ecologically and on a relatively small scale. In this presentation, the speakers will first discuss practical steps for establishing a sustainable SAC. Then, drawing on the literature on SACs, ecology, and learner autonomy, as well as their own professional experience, they will share insights on common challenges with running a SAC and strategic ways to overcome them. The speakers will conclude with a discussion of the practicality of a sustainable SAC for those universities hoping to (re)start one, followed by an opportunity for attendees to share their experiences and perspectives.
Biography
Andrew D. Tweed (Ed.D.) is an Associate Professor and Coordinator of the Self-Access Center at the World Language Center, Soka University, Tokyo, Japan. Active in foreign language education since 2000, he has conducted teacher training programs for the U.S. State Department in Cambodia, Malaysia, and Thailand, and supported the development of a self-access center at Meijo University, Nagoya, Japan. In addition, he has managed and led teacher training programs in Vietnam for secondary and post-secondary teachers. His research interests include language education in Southeast Asia, learner autonomy, and psychology in language learning. He holds an MA in TESOL from the University of Washington and an EdD in TESOL from Anaheim University.
Stuart Warrington, Ed.D., is a professor in the Department of British and American Studies and Head of the Self-Access committee at Nagoya University of Commerce and Business, Japan. His research interests lie in ecological approaches to learner autonomy, and the professionalism of self-access learning managers and advisors.
