Learner Needs and Assessments

Needs Assessment Activity - Unit 2

I have chosen a needs assessment activities for CLBs 5/6 about employment and job search from Practical PBLA, I've attached the assessment below. I've chosen this procedure because I believe it provides an opportunity for assessment that is less formal than strictly answering a questionnaire. The students are given the opportunity to answer with their opinions. Because my current employer is a 'work ready' college, my students are often very interested in the job search process in Canada so this assessment is a good fit for my context. I would like to make some modifications to this assessment prior to using it in the classroom.

First of all, there would be a warm up prior to this assessment, perhaps 'human bingo' as suggested by Cheri Dueck. Following that, I would distribute the assessment but one thing I would like to add to this activity is a gauge for what the students already know about these topics and their experience with these activities. So for example, the students will not only discuss if they agree on their interested topics but they can also discuss their experience in that topic. I would also add a scale from 1 to 5 (1- completely unfamiliar, 5 - expert knowledge) that would indicate their current knowledge on that topic. This would provide me with a baseline and an idea of what the students have done in the past and what they will require in the future. 

A students needs should be assessed throughout the class. I believe the assessment attached is flexible and a variation of it could be used to evaluate needs every week or couple of weeks depending on class schedule. And I also believe, as Brown mentions, that we can provide learners with some peripheral learning and processing in the first few days of class which will lead to a better idea of a students needs while using language in a more genuine and meaningful way. (2015, p.99)

Brown, D. & Lee, H. (2015). Teaching by principles: An interactive approach to language pedagogy (4th ed. revised). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.

Practical PBLA. (n.d.). Needs Assessment. Retrieved from https://practicalpbla.weebly.com/needs-assessment.html

Needs Assessment CLB 5 / 6Employment – Job Search

Below is a list of real-life tasks. Choose 3 tasks you are most interested in. Then, in your group, discuss your choices and see if your group can agree on the top 3 tasks you are all interested in.

Listening

Listen to interview tips.         Answer a phone call to set up an appointment for a job interview.         Listen to a phone message about instructions on job application process.         Watch a video about how to write a resume.         other: ___________________________________________________________

Speaking

Networking: Start, participate in, and close a small talk conversation.         Answer 1 or 2 interview questions.         Talk about your qualities and qualifications.         Make a phone call to reschedule your interview.         other:_____________________________________________________________

Reading

Read a job advertisement.         Read a resume and give advice on how to improve it.         Locate key information in 2 job ads and decide which position is most appropriate.         Read a cover letter and understand the format and meaning.         other:______________________________________________________________

Writing

Complete a job application form.         Write a paragraph about your previous work experience.         Email a person and ask if they will be a reference.         Read a job advertisement online and apply by email.         Other: ______________________________________________________________

Learner Personas Activity - Unit 2

Persona 1

When discussing this profile with your partners, identify how you can use this information in your planning.

	Name: Maya Age: 65 Newcomer to Canada (arrived within the last 3 years). Originally from Afghanistan. Lived as a refugee in Pakistan for 10 years. 4 children (adults, the youngest is in college, the oldest is a mechanic in a car shop). Loves cooking. Worked as tailor, continues to provide tailoring services from home. Multilingual.
Education and Experience	First free classes of formal education in first language (Farsi). Reads and writes in a second language (Urdu). Fluent in Pashto.
English Language Proficiency	Spoken - beginner, acquired from daily interactions. Written - alphabet, own name.
Digital Skills	Has never used a computer before. Has a cell phone, uses it to call family members
Learning Strategies	Limited, needs guidance from the instructor, has difficulties working on her own
Cultural Considerations	Respect towards older members of the community, teacher is viewed as a master and transmitter of knowledge
Motivation and Desires	Would like to learn English to be more independent in daily life (groceries, banking, doctor’s visits)
Goals and Expectations	Learn to read and write independently, progress to the next level by the end of the term
Obstacles to Success	Irregular attendance
Unique Assets	Acquires oral language quickly, talkative and tries to use English whenever possible

Supporting Maya in the Classroom:

• 
  

  Evaluation tools such as role playing (i.e., practice banking, arranging a dr appointment)

  
  

  may be beneficial for Maya as she is talkative and wants to learn English for daily life
• In addition to role-playing conversation circles and sharing circles may also suit Maya
• Integrating technology into the classroom and learning environment may be a steep learning curve for Maya; therefore a slow and guided introduction is key in order to ensure success

Persona 2

	Name: Satinder Age: 33 A newcomer to Canada, originally from India. He has his degree from a University in India. He has no children but is married. His wife is in India. He is currently on a visitor visa until he can receive a study permit.
Education and Experience	University degree in Mechanical Engineering. Experience working with vehicles for 12 years. Took English classes from ages 5 to 18 but hasn’t used English in a while.
English Language Proficiency	Spoken- Intermediate, strong accent and pronunciation problems Written- Intermediate, struggles with sentence structure Listening - Beginner, requires very slow meaningful communication Reading – Intermediate, Limited by vocabulary
Digital Skills	Technologically intermediate, familiar with Microsoft word and PowerPoint but struggles using Email.
Learning Strategies	Dependent on other students and teachers, asks lots of questions to ensure understanding. Very unfamiliar with self-evaluation and goal setting.
Cultural Considerations	Greatly respects elders and individuals in positions of power like teachers. Asks permission prior to entering the classroom.
Motivation and Desires	Would like to learn English to become work ready and provide for his family.
Goals and Expectations	Goal is to make a career change to accounting and to study accounting in Canada. His goals are to improve his speaking and listening so he will be able to communicate with coworkers in the future. Obtain a study permit so that he can stay in the Country.
Obstacles to Success	Study permit not yet obtained, pronunciation and accent issues make his questions difficult to understand. Does not always use English at home
Unique Assets	Able to develop arguments and opinions quickly, very friendly and works well with all of the other students

Supporting Satinder in the Classroom:

• Job development/ career oriented focussed activities such as resume writing,

  
  

  mock interviews, and cover letter development may all be effective and worthwhile activities for Satinder
• 
  

  As Satinder would like to change career paths, allowing opportunities for role playing &

  
  

  mock debates exercises would likely be quite beneficial
• 
  

  The instructor needs to be mindful of the prior knowledge and experience as well as

  
  

  limited experience in certain areas, specifically in the Canadian job market. For example, if there is an email exercise to write to a future employer this assessment or assignment would need to scaffolded and introduced with enough background information to ensure that Satinder can succeed

Persona 3

	Name: Hiroshi Age: 19 Hiroshi is coming to Winnipeg to enter an intensive 4.5 month English Language Program at the University of Manitoba. He is on an eTA visa which allows him to stay in Canada for up to 6 months. He is passionate about digital and graphic arts and wants to pursue a career in this in Japan.
Education and Experience	Hiroshi has lived in Japan all of his life and completed high school in Atami. Hiroshi knows conversational English and common words and phrases; however he wants to further develop his written and spoken English to further enhance his job prospects and ability to travel abroad.  He struggles with pronunciation and confidence in his written English. Hiroshi is planning on entering a graphic arts program at a University in Tokyo in the fall. Hiroshi has travelled to Winnipeg, Manitoba to take part in an intensive 4.5 month English Immersion program with Extended Education at the the University of Manitoba.
English Language Proficiency	Spoken: Intermediate with conversational English however formal English (i.e., that used in an interview) is not proficient . Hiroshi has a strong accent and has some difficulty with “l” sounds.   Reading: Intermediate. Hiroshi is limited with vocabulary however he often will read news articles in English and can read texts and emails. Listening: Beginner. Requires the speakers to speak slowly or the audio to be slower in order to fully understand. Can listen to simple instructions and follow. Writing : Beginner. Requires support in syntax, spelling and sentence structure.
Digital Skills	Hiroshi is very literate in technology. He frequently uses YouTube to creates videos, and he is very quick to use and learn new applications. Hiroshi owns a smartphone and laptop. He writes emails and uses social media. Hiroshi also enjoys to edit videos and create animations on Adobe Photoshop and Fireworks in his spare time.
Learning Strategies	Thrives off learning with or through technological aids. Needs guidance from the instructor. Is unfamiliar and unaccomosted to self and peer evaluations. Is less familiar with partner or small group work.
Cultural Considerations	Hiroshi feels a great deal of pressure from his family to excel in this English Extensive Program as his parents have paid for the tuition fee and are expecting that improved English language skills will correlate to better job opportunities and earning potential in his chosen career field. In the Japanese culture, elders are highly respected. Therefore, Hiroshi views the instructor in high regard.
Motivation and Desires	Would like to become more proficient in English in order to excel in his upcoming graphic arts program at the University in Tokyo. Would like his improved English language skills to help with future job prospects within his chosen career field.
Goals and Expectations	Hiroshi’s goals are to advance his written and spoken English as well as improve his listening skills. He would like to be able to communicate confidently with his new classmates in his future graphic arts program and to communicate with friends and family in English without hesitation.
Obstacles to Success	Is only in the program for 4.5 months (i.e., short time frame). Is a bit shy and more reserved. Has limited opportunities to practice his English at home but will have ample opportunity to use his English at university.
Unique Assets	Hiroshi is extremely creative and artistic. He is able to very effectively display his learning in a variety of technology forms (i.e., video, drawing, comic strips).

Supporting Hiroshi in the Classroom:

• Hiroshi’s goal is to improve his English language skills for his future career in graphic arts and for his school program in Tokyo. While his time in the English immersive class is limited it is important to foster as many opportunities for Hiroshi to use his English both inside AND outside of the classroom.
• Hiroshi may need some gentle encouragement for any group work or presentation type projects. If he is more hesitant to try these types of activities, the instructor may need to facilitate practice presentations where Hiroshi practices in front of the teacher first to build confidence.
• Hiroshi is very skilled in multimedia applications and technology therefore if there is an opportunity for him to show his English skills using these platforms it could be beneficial and boost his overall confidence

Persona 4

	Name: Ayat Age: 40 Newcomer to Manitoba (less than 1 year). Ayat is originally from Syria and came to Manitoba as a refugee through the Refugee Sponsorship Training Program. She is in Manitoba (specifically Steinbach) with her husband and 2 children (ages 3 and 5). She was  a trained and worked as an Early Childhood Education in Syria before coming to Canada. Ayat has enrolled in an a LINC(Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) program in order to start her formal English language learning in hopes of meeting her career and educational language goals.
Education and Experience	Formally educated in Arabic throughout Elementary school and high school.   Fluent in Kurdish. Is able to read and write proficiently Turkish.
English Language Proficiency	Spoken: Beginner- acquired from daily interactions and through watching Written: Beginner - she Is able to write the letters in the alphabet. Has not practiced writing words or sentences in English Reading: Beginner. No formal experience or training in reading English Listening: Beginner. Can pick up key words (i.e., hello, how are you, days of the week, number 1-10)   that she has been familiarized with.
Digital Skills	Limited digital literacy skills. Does not own a computer but used to use one back in Syria. Owns a phone and mainly uses it for family calls. Is not on social media.
Learning Strategies	Ayat likes conversing with others; therefore conversation circles and discussions would facilitate her learning.  Ayat enjoys learning through doing, therefore practices like role-playing activities would suit her learning.
Cultural Considerations	Ayat is soft spoken and is a practicing Muslim woman.
Motivation and Desires	Ayat wants to learn English in order to gain independence in her new home in Steinbach and to gain confidence when talking with others. Ayat would like to carry out daily tasks (i.e., grocery shopping, answering the phone, creating an email, setting up a bank account and asking for help) with confidence.
Goals and Expectations	Ayat would like to improve in all areas of her English. She would like to advance to the next LINC level by the end of her program. Eventually (within 1- 1.5 years) Ayat would like to have her English Language Skills to the competency level where she can work part time or full time.
Obstacles to Success	Due to child care limitations there are frequent absences for Ayat in order to take care of her kids. Ayat is not comfortable talking in front of groups of people.
Unique Assets	Ayat is a quick learner and is very good at picking up differences in pronunciation.

Supporting Ayat  in the Classroom:

• Ayat would benefit from role playing exercises and ones which simulate real life situations. Incorporating realia into the classroom and classroom activities would also be beneficial
  
  
• As Ayat is soft spoken but enjoys conversation circles the instructor may need to be mindful that she has equal opportunity to share her thoughts and that speaking time is shared among the class. She will benefit from small group work.
  
  
• As there may be some challenges with frequent absences, lesson reviews about what was discussed at the start of each class would be helpful in order to ensure that she does not fall behind.

Briefly share what you have learned through this exercise:

Throughout this exercise, it is clear that classrooms require a student-centered approach as there is an

incredible amount of individual differences in not only learning style and strategies but also in culture, motivations

, goals and obstacles. This exercise also proved the importance of needs assessments. Needs assessments

can provide us with a lot of the information about a learners personas and provide us with proficiency levels

that greatly influence classroom approach. For example, Maya would most likely require a more teacher-centered

approach but as Brown argues, beginner level learners should not be devoid of student-centered work.

Overall it is the teachers responsibility, at this level, to “keep the ball rolling.” (2015.)

It is essential that ESL teachers are adaptable, not only for proficiency but also for the understanding of various

backgrounds, culture, motivation and age. For instance, Hiroshi in the above learner persona is in a transitional

age between teen and adulthood. Therefore, we must consider his intellectual capacity and attention span.

(Brown, 2015) Also, the understanding of the differences between, say, a student from India or a student from

Japan will lead to a more effective and more flexible classroom due to the awareness of cultural influence.

Understanding why a student is in the classroom provides essential insight into the learners motivation and it is

clear from the learner personas above that motivation can vary greatly from student to student. It is important

that as teachers, we provide a classroom and needs assessments that are adaptable, tolerant and consider a

variety of factors when creating learner materials.

Brown, D. & Lee, H. (2015). Teaching by principles: An interactive approach to language pedagogy (4th ed. revised). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.

Galetcaia, T. (n.d.) Unit 2: Who Will I teach? TESL 0100: Fundamentals of Teaching English as a Second Language. Retrieved from https://universityofmanitoba.desire2learn.com/d2l/le/content/328655/viewContent/1552337/View

Activity Analysis - Unit 6

Activity Analysis with Corresponding Goals

Topic/Reading/Activity/Task	Language	Language Goals for Students
Write a workplace appropriate email	Appropriate salutations (good morning, sincerely, Dear Ms…)  Formal questions for information Use modals such as may/might Email vocabulary (signature, body, salutation etc.) Use indirect language (I was wondering)	Students will be able to: Greet and sign off an email with appropriate salutations. Request information using proper question structure Make suggestions using modals and indirect language Identify parts of an email using appropriate email vocabulary

References

Brown, D. & Lee, H. (2015). Teaching by principles: An interactive approach to language pedagogy (4th ed. revised). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.