The movement for learner independence springs from the powerful yet commonsense perception that it is learners who do the learning. (Teachers, however good, cannot do it for them.) It is strengthened by the further observation that every learner is different from every other learner. Disillusionment with ‘lockstep’ teaching and the development of a communicative/humanistic teaching philosophy which has shifted the focus from teachers to learners have given added impetus to the movement.
