Jason Graham & Susiati Widiningsih

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                            Self Access Centres

What is a Self Access Centre?

Basically, a SAC allows for the learners to engage in meaningful activities at their own pace and ability. It is full of many different types of realia, books, CD's, music, visuals, and other manipulatives that are available to the learner. Some tasks might be structured or levelled to suit individual needs or designed to practice a certain task or concept.

SAC's need rules and these must be known to the learners (best negotiated with the learners themselves). I found that it also takes practice! Students need to know where to go, what to do and how to work in the SAC. Easy to understand instruction (in some cases simple pictures or diagrams) are needed for certain activities.

The more the learners are exposed to the SAC and given ownership (which requires learner feedback) the more comfortable the teacher and student will feel using this resource tool. Don't forget..you will need to somehow assess how the students are doing, the relevance of the tasks and resources in the SAC. It takes time but it is worth it once it's up and running.

Click here to see my classroom layout with a SAC in 2004.

 

             Photos: Adult ESL SAC, Nagoya, Japan

                  Why have a SAC?

  • Learner independence, ownership
  • Learner responsibiltiy & accountability
  • Increase learner confidence
  • Cater for all learners/abiltiies
  • Maximise use of resources

                                 Tips for a SAC

 

 Materials & Resources

 Rules

 Ergonomics

  Aesthetics

 Assessment

Grouping 

 Literature

Goal Setting

                         Assessment and the SAC

Possible Assessment Ideas

Self Evaluation

 Peer assessment

Self Tests

Teacher Observation

 Collaborative Assessment

 Group Assessment

Assessment tasks need to be authentic, unambigous and have a clear alignment with the learning objectives of tasks and activties being performed. Students should have a choice from a variety of asessment tools. As assessment is an ongoing process, assessment tools and techniques need to be revisited, it is also possible to get the learners involved in the creation of the assessment process. In other words, assessment should not be a 'surprise attack' on the learner, but viewed as a tool for the demonstration of skills and knowledge. Finally, learners need to know what will happen with this assessment, is it a 'one off test'? Will the learners be given the opportunity to explore further inquiries regarding the task?