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NEEDS ANALYSIS 1 November, 2004
Before
starting any course, be it for business English, general English or English
for Specific purposes, the teacher or academic coordinator needs to be sure
they are giving the students what they need.
What
they need may not be the same as what they want, and what the students want
may not be the same as what their boss or company wants!
To make
sure everybody knows what is being done and that this matches general needs,
a NEEDS ANALYSIS is fundamental.
In this
week's TDF meeting we asked 2 main questions, which were:
1) What
does the teacher really need to know before starting a course?
2) What
does the teacher need to do before starting a course?
The
following is a result of that brainstorming session.
What does the teacher really need to know before
starting a course?
PURPOSE
/ GOAL
What do
the students want to learn and why? What are their goals? At the end of the
course what do they want to be able to do? How does this compare with what
they can do now?
MOTIVATION
Are
they doing this course because their boss wants them to, or because they want
to develop a useful skill and tool to enhance their lives?
If
their motivation is extrinsic (i.e. externally imposed by a boss, parent or a
need to pass an exam) then the teacher will have to think about strategies to
motivate the students.
LEVEL
What is
their real level? And what does Intermediate mean anyway?
The
Council of Europe has established a uniform scale of levels across many
European languages so everyone knows what Intermediate, for example, means.
That is, there is a clear list of things the person can do with the language at
that level.
For
more info on this see
http://www.alte.org
Also,
see our LCC ATTACHEMENT for a tool to identify what levels correspond to,
i.e. what can they really do at each level.
SKILLS
Which
language skills (Speaking, Listening, Writing, Reading, Communication.)are
stronger? Weaker? Need developing? Do they have computer skills?
PAST
LEARNING EXPERIENCE
Have
they had a foreign teacher before? What methodology are they used to? A first
class crammed with pair work may freak them out!
What
books have they used? What other foreign languages do they know?
AGE AND
STATUS OF STUDENTS.
Younger
learners may be open to a more communicative approach; older learners may
need a balance of communicative approach with a more traditional teacher
focused approach.
Status
mixing (e.g. executives with subordinates) may lead to conflicts, loss of
face, reluctance to talk or work as a team.
If
status mixing is unavoidable, it may be a good idea from the start, to tell
all students that in the classroom they are equal; they are all learners.
EXPECTATIONS
What
are their expectations of the course? The results? Their role? The teacher's
role? Expectations of students and company may not coincide, so these have to
be well managed.
In
company classes, one good idea is to speak to the student's line manager and
find out what they expect, or need, their workers to be able to do. Also, by
contacting them in writing, (maybe sending a questionnaire) you will raise
their awareness of the learning situation and their expectations.
LENGTH
How
long will the course be and what is the timetable?
PLACE
Where
will the class take place and what facilities are available.
SIZE OF
CLASS
This
will directly affect methodology and activities chosen.
HOMEWORK
(OR NOT!)
How
much time can students dedicate to homework? How much should be set? It
should be made clear that only attending a class without doing any out of
class study will seriously slow down students' learning.
TYPE OF
COURSE
What
skills are to be focused on? Speaking? Writing? Telephoning? Giving
presentations? Hospital situations? Financial vocabulary?
WILL A
FINAL EVALUATION BE NECESSARY? WHAT SORT?
Teacher
and students need to know what kind of evaluation is going to be done. This
evaluation should also reflect the type of course followed. A Speaking course
shouldn't be tested via a written test of language.
As many
courses in China are focused on developing speaking and communication skills,
there is a need for good speaking tests that are also manageable in large
classes.
You
could have students interact in small groups, such as holding a meeting or
act out a course dialogues in pairs. As well as the teacher evaluating
performance, it would be a good idea to give other students an evaluation
sheet. This will keep them focused and get them listening to each other.
2) What does the teacher need to do before starting?
Think before you leap!
Get a list of
student names, phone numbers and e-mails.
Assess
the linguistic level the students already have. Can be done with a simple
placement test.
For a
simple on line one see:
http://www.cesireland.ie/placement.htm
For a
simple business one see:
http://www.businessenglish.de/placement.htm
Assess
the skills the students already have. (Speaking, Listening,
Writing, Reading, Communication.)
i)
Speaking ca be assessed by a simple face-to-face interview. This can also
provide information about MOTIVATION, PAST EXPERIENCE, EXPECTATIONS, GOALS
and so on.
ii) For
an excellent tool to assess spoken levels in a business context see
Assessment 1a ATTACHMENT. Here Students make up phrases from simple cues.
This gives useful background info as well as a chance to assess depth of
language knowledge and ability to use it.
iii)
Or, in the first class, ask 3 simple questions to each student. (The same
questions to each). Through their responses you can gauge their relative
level, willingness to play with the language, aptitude and maybe some
attitudes.
iv)
Also, to assess pronunciation, have the students go through the alphabet,
saying it aloud. It's simple yet exhaustive and quickly identifies key
problem areas.
Make a
list of objectives for the group or individual.
Ensure
goals are realistic!
Choose
a methodology.
One
factor will be what correction technique to use, and how much of it.
While this is a whole new topic in itself, here are a few pronunciation ideas
that popped up in our meeting.
i)
Write a sound on A4 paper. Explain this is today's focus. Whenever a mistake
is made, just point at the paper and Ss self correct.
ii)
Have a Chinese spot and an English spot on the floor at front of room. With a
common pronunciation mistake stand on CH spot and imitate the mistake. Then
leap, energetically, to the ENG spot and say the word correctly.
iii)
Use tongue twisters. Give students a sound, have them write some tongue
twisters, then model and practice on each other.
Decide
on activity types
Prepare
the course materials or choose a book. (Prepare flashcards, articles etc.)
To
increase motivation it's often a good idea to let the students have a hand in
choosing the syllabus. However, the ideal maybe to give them options within a
framework. Too much freedom may backfire.
Make a
brief course plan. This saves lots of time later and gives everyone on
the course a clear sense of direction.
Be
clear about, and preferably have ready, the final assessment.
Prepare
to be flexible. You may have to change some materials or even your
style to get the most from your students.
Take a
deep breathe and prepare to enjoy!
Although
a NEEDS ANALYSIS is done at the start of a course, in fact it is an on-going
process. Many pieces of the puzzle can only be picked up during the course.
For this reason you will probably have to make changes to your plan as you go
along. This should be expected and explained to students, human resource
managers, parents and so on.
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