Language teacher education as a two-way autonomy development process: Student teachers and teacher educators as learners

As Little (1995) asserts, teachers cannot be expected to guide learners towards autonomy if they themselves do not possess a deep understanding of what it means to be an autonomous learner. Thus, language teacher education, at all levels, from pre-service to in-service, should offer opportunities for first-hand experiences of learner autonomy, in addition to imparting knowledge about teaching techniques and methodologies. This chapter will explore pedagogy for autonomy in learner and teacher development, with a specific focus on student teachers of foreign languages. These students are at a stage in their education where their identity as learners is well-established, while their identity as language teachers is still in the process of formation. The objective of this chapter is to contribute to the field by presenting data collected through a case study conducted during an online course on foreign language teaching methodology.