What do learners really need and how do I find out?

I really appreciate that prior to planning and implementing a unit of study that we are polling our students, in which ever way suits the learners and environment, to find out what they know and what they want to know. More so in the past, instructors would teach curriculum that may not have been relevant to the students, it could be either too easy or too difficult. Students might already have a great deal of experience with the topic and need to build on what they already know. Two new assessments I read about were a timeline and showing a picture to the class and asking questions to determine next steps. For the timeline students create a written or pictorial timeline that indicates major events in their lives (past and present). They also indicate their future goals. This provides initial information about the lives and goals of the students. (CAELA guide: Oct. 2007) For the picture provocation, the example cited was to show a picture of a worker to the class. Then specific questions are asked such as: What skills do you think he would need? What tools would he need? I could see using this if I was teaching a class that focused on job skills. Students could self-assess as the class goes through the pictures to determine what skills they might need to have to attain a particular job. I look forward to using needs assessments with my classes in the future.

The CAELA Guide for Adult ESL Trainees (Oct. 2007). Retrieved from :http://www.cal.org/caela/scb/guide.html