UNIT 14

LEARNER NEEDS

"The needs of a learner represent the gap between what the learner wants to get out of the learning experience and his or her current state of knowledge, skill, and enthusiam." Noessel, 2003

       Through this chapter I learnt that learner needs represent what the learner want to achieve through learning experience. So, there are two types of needs like personal and learning needs. Let’s start by saying that personal needs represent motivation, expectations and interest. It represents motivation because teacher can identify learners’ expectations and goals. Also, teacher will be able to choose materials (board games, computer graphics, listening songs, drawing, experiments, etc.) and topics according learners’ skill and language. For example, teacher asks students to perform a role-play as they prefer, but some students perform it orally and acting, so it means that students’ motivation is high because they enjoy learning. In contrast, learning needs involves specific ways of learning, specific vocabulary and grammar, specific text types and the most important learner autonomy. The teacher should focuses on what approach to teaching and assessment, level of language and skills. For instance, a teacher who is teaching to business professionals, she must know business and advanced vocabulary. As a conclusion, knowing learners need let to teacher be aware what skills and knowledge the learner already have and what expectations on learning. As future teacher, I will set up expectations and goals at the beginning of a year school. I will apply questionnaires, interviews or follow up surveys in order to identify students’ weakness and difficulties. It will help me to adapt suitable materials inside classroom and achieve a good teaching and learning process.

I will share these links:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyKM4X706qw

http://www.dhpescu.org/media/elip/01421590701881699.pdf