Spinning the Wheel of Reflection: Facilitating Language Learning Insights through Advising

This paper explores the potential of language learning advising through a collaborative reflective analysis of an advising session using the Wheel of Language Learning (WLL) tool. Co-authored by a novice advisor and her advisee, the study examines an advising session in which one author, a language educator and researcher, guides the other, a colleague beginning to learn French as a fourth language. By jointly analysing the dynamics of the advising process, the paper shows how WLL facilitated deep reflection, uncovered connections between different aspects of language learning and encouraged the exploration of new learning strategies. The longitudinal impact of the advising session is evidenced through the advisee co-author’s subsequent progress and reflections. This collaborative study demonstrates the effectiveness of WLL as a visual and interactive tool for promoting learner autonomy and metacognitive awareness, while also demonstrating the value of shared reflection in understanding the advising process.