Introduction to the Learner as a Social Agent

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The user/learner as a social agent 💡

Learning a language and using a language are not two separate activities. Individuals learn languages by using them and use languages in their learning process. Learning and using languages is a constant back and forth from a social to an individual level, from a cognitive to an interactive dimension. It is a dynamic process that shapes learners’ linguistic and cultural repertoires. In this process learners are not passive recipients of knowledge and know-how; they are active in the sense that they exert agency, i.e. their will and capacity to act. Learners as social agents make choices and decisions, and take responsibilities. For instance, learners as social agents judge on the basis of the context and the situation they are in which language(s) or register to use, what communicative strategies may be the most effective, and they mobilize their general knowledge and communicative language competences to accomplish a task. In doing this they are constantly moving between the social and the individual levels. The former requires some form of interaction (even mental when one reads a book for instance) while the latter implies some form of reflection.

To start reflection on the notion of social agent and how this can inform language education, you can: 

  1. First watch this 8-minute video by clicking on the link Learners as social agents (2022: Council of Europe)
  2. And then read this brief infosheet on the user/learner as a social agent: https://rm.coe.int/the-user-learner-as-a-social-agent/1680a862ac

Now that you have an idea of the concept, you can decide to explore more on the user/learner as social agent and on practical applications by going to Learner as a Social Agent

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