Needs Assessments and the Need for Assessments
Assessments keep students on course. Assessments provide a structure to the students learning without which a student might feel that they are meandering along without purpose. A lack of purpose often leads to reduced motivation and learning slows down.
The teacher who does minimal assessment both formal and informal would be allowing their students to miss out on valuable learning opportunities. For new Canadians trying to master their new language, learning time is precious. But it is important that a teacher allows students to make mistakes. Not every utterance has to be in perfect English. Learning needs time and a student should not feel the need to be perfect or they may feel afraid to participate.
Setting learning goals, self-assessment and taking responsibility for one's own learning are the keys to learning and it is important that a teacher re-iterates this fact. Learning a new language as an adult can be a scary experience. You think you have nothing to work with and feel you are embarking on an impossible feat. It is a daunting journey that may take many years and still you will struggle to be a convincing native speaker. Having a plan of how this can and will be achieved will help to keep the learner engaged and self-motivated.
What do learners really need and how do I find out? All ESL students want to become better communicators to better integrate into their new home. Depending on their level of communication as judged by their CBL, their needs will vary. They will benefit from developing all three language skills: writing, reading and speaking and these skills need to be assessed separately. For example, beginners need more emphasis on listening when they are fist exposed to English. Their reading skills can help them develop and grow their vocabulary and speaking will become more important. Some students will fearlessly speak, others will be too self conscious. So each students needs will be different. A teacher needs to be aware of these subtleties so that their teaching can address different sorts of students.
To be more specific about students needs, a teacher has to ask them either with questions on a piece of paper or verbally and if they have no language to express those needs, with pictures or actions or a translator on a mobile phone. In the needs assessment that I created, I wanted to make sure that it was a collaborative experience and not simply a piece of paper with questions that the student ticks or crosses. My aim was to have the students be as involved as possible in deciding what their needs were and then attempting to communicate those needs. I wanted the goal setting, self-reflection part of the needs assessment to be something that they used for themselves and not just on a piece of paper that would end up in the recycling bin. I had them write out the questions and answers in their journals. In that way it becomes a record, a commitment and a daily reminder of their personal role in their learning journey.
This TESL course and the learning I have done in it has encouraged me to see the importance of student autonomy. I see this as paramount to success. I can use my own experiences as anecdotal support but Below is a link to an extensive study that gives more weight to my common sense.
It is easy to find people on-line who are learners of multiple languages. Many of my ideas about language learning have been formed by reading Steve Kaufmann, one such language learner. I read his blogs and receive weekly emails. He strongly emphasises the role of self-motivation and finding what techniques best work for you as a learner. Many of his personal lessons are one's that I would share with my future students as I develop my own personal style of teaching.
The teacher who does minimal assessment both formal and informal would be allowing their students to miss out on valuable learning opportunities. For new Canadians trying to master their new language, learning time is precious. But it is important that a teacher allows students to make mistakes. Not every utterance has to be in perfect English. Learning needs time and a student should not feel the need to be perfect or they may feel afraid to participate.
Setting learning goals, self-assessment and taking responsibility for one's own learning are the keys to learning and it is important that a teacher re-iterates this fact. Learning a new language as an adult can be a scary experience. You think you have nothing to work with and feel you are embarking on an impossible feat. It is a daunting journey that may take many years and still you will struggle to be a convincing native speaker. Having a plan of how this can and will be achieved will help to keep the learner engaged and self-motivated.
What do learners really need and how do I find out? All ESL students want to become better communicators to better integrate into their new home. Depending on their level of communication as judged by their CBL, their needs will vary. They will benefit from developing all three language skills: writing, reading and speaking and these skills need to be assessed separately. For example, beginners need more emphasis on listening when they are fist exposed to English. Their reading skills can help them develop and grow their vocabulary and speaking will become more important. Some students will fearlessly speak, others will be too self conscious. So each students needs will be different. A teacher needs to be aware of these subtleties so that their teaching can address different sorts of students.
To be more specific about students needs, a teacher has to ask them either with questions on a piece of paper or verbally and if they have no language to express those needs, with pictures or actions or a translator on a mobile phone. In the needs assessment that I created, I wanted to make sure that it was a collaborative experience and not simply a piece of paper with questions that the student ticks or crosses. My aim was to have the students be as involved as possible in deciding what their needs were and then attempting to communicate those needs. I wanted the goal setting, self-reflection part of the needs assessment to be something that they used for themselves and not just on a piece of paper that would end up in the recycling bin. I had them write out the questions and answers in their journals. In that way it becomes a record, a commitment and a daily reminder of their personal role in their learning journey.
This TESL course and the learning I have done in it has encouraged me to see the importance of student autonomy. I see this as paramount to success. I can use my own experiences as anecdotal support but Below is a link to an extensive study that gives more weight to my common sense.
It is easy to find people on-line who are learners of multiple languages. Many of my ideas about language learning have been formed by reading Steve Kaufmann, one such language learner. I read his blogs and receive weekly emails. He strongly emphasises the role of self-motivation and finding what techniques best work for you as a learner. Many of his personal lessons are one's that I would share with my future students as I develop my own personal style of teaching.
Promotion of learner Autonomy in EFL Classroom. The students view, Anni Ikonen Nov. 2013. https://jyx.jyu.fi/bitstream/handle/123456789/42630/URN:NBN:fi:jyu-201312102771.pdf
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