I also have to be constantly aware of issues the learners may be facing because of past experiences. Some of my students have been forced to flee from their countries of origin. One lady has had much trauma in her past and suffers from headaches. She finds it difficult to sit for long periods. We have agreed that she could get up and have a break whenever she needs.
Another essential factor crucial to the learning process is the analysis of the learning styles of our students. It is therefore extremely crucial that a learning style analysis of all students is carried out in order to adapt resources to meet learners needs and to use a variety of teaching methods and techniques to keep students interested and motivated. (Minton 1997). A recommended learning styles analysis is the ‘Barsh Learning Style Inventory’ which analyses students learning styles by asking a variety of questions. It is then possible to identify the learning styles of students and plan lessons accordingly. I ascertained the learning styles of my students by using the college approved learning styles questionnaire. This was far simpler than the Barsh questionnaire and far more suitable for my students for many of whom English is a second language. There is a variety of learning styles in the class. Some students find it easier to remember information presented visually, others orally, and yet others prefer hands on experience. From my analysis the students in my class have a mixture of visual, auditory and kinaesthetic learning preferences with the predominant learning style being the visual one. As Petty says “ a teacher can only suit all learning styles by using a good mix of teaching methods”( Petty 2001 p124).It is most essential to undertake the learning styles analysis so we don’t fall into the trap of teaching in the way that we like to learn and thus not meeting the learning needs of our students.
In order to adapt teaching to specific learners, a teacher needs to be sensitive to what individuals bring to the class (Minton 1997, p107). Students have individual needs; abilities and motivation differ with age, culture and family background (Armitage et. al 1999, p50). Older students may learn at a slower pace and need more repetition. I usually start my lessons with a revision of the previous lesson often in the form of brainstorm and also aim to end the session with a review of the lesson, sometimes in the form of a quiz., This repetition reinforces the learning of the student. “Learning needs to be reinforced by recall and practice” (Petty 2001 p23)
It is essential to collect the sorts of information detailed above such as motivation, past experiences, education, strengths and weaknesses, expectations, existing knowledge and skills so that a teacher can take into account individual needs, select appropriate strategies, provide appropriate support, negotiate with students where necessary and present sessions at the right level and pace.
2 Outline the method used to obtain the information
From the above we have perceived the importance of compiling a range of information about our students. One method used to collect this information is the initial assessment. Initial assessment is a formative type of assessment. (Reece and Walker 2000, p410. The purpose of the assessment is to find out as much as possible about the student so that we can create a teaching situation where each student will be able to learn effectively; to enable us to put the student in the correct learning environment and to set goals and targets. It can be very demotivating for students if their work is not set at the right level and if they are not given attainable targets to achieve. (Petty 2001 p 50)At Westminister Kingsway College the student initially meets with the course co-ordinator to have a chat and do an initial assessment. The student will have already have filled up an application form detailing her/his prior education skills, motivation and past work experiences. Any anomalies can be cleared up and new information gleaned. The background of the student is explored and reasons elicited on why the student is applying for the course. In the basic skills literacy department the student is then given a computerised test to establish the level of the student. The test will ascertain if the student is entry 1, 2 or 3 or level 1. Entry 1, entry 2 and entry 3 correspond with the national curriculum level 1, 2 and 3. The student is then assigned a class appropriate to his level of ability. Once the student joins the class the course tutor completes a diagnostic assessment for the student. This assessment focuses on the individual need of each student and the students will be graded according to their achievement
( e =emerging c = consolidated or E=established) at the various basic skills. Three skills that the students need to develop can then be incorporated into the students Individual Learning Plan.
In general, information is collected from the completed enrolment forms as well as gathered at the initial assessment which I attended with L (Course co-ordinator), and the diagnostic testing. I have also used observation, individual tutorial, as well as discussion, questioning and analysis of learning styles questionnaires to develop the ILPs lesson plans and the scheme of work. I also spoke to the course tutor to gain more verification of a students skills, motivation and favoured learning styles By gaining this type of information I am also in a better position to refer the students to appropriate support such as advice and guidance or for further testing for learning disabilities. As Danes and Graham has stated, the needs, aspirations and expectations of every individual in the group should be taken into account to facilitate appropriate learning methods and to “determine the appropriate concepts, knowledge, procedures and skills” in which students should engage. (Danes J, Graham B,1996, p6)
An Individual Learning Plan is produced for each student once the information on the students have been collected. It details the students aspirations and personal goals, identifying areas of strengths, areas for improvements and desired learning experiences. Targets are set and reviewed on a regular basis. It also allows us to record the support needs of learners and to adapt learning materials to meet each learner’s needs effectively. A group profile of all the students is also compiled detailing briefly the background, personal facts and the aspirations of the learners.
As well as assessment directly related to learning, it is also important for teaching staff to learn about other student needs. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs (Armitage et. al. 1999, p54, Reece and Walker 2000, p101) suggests that for a student to achieve “self-actualisation” and learn effectively, other needs must first be met. Often students have intricate needs. Adult learners in particular must deal with day to problems and issues that may arise (Minton 1997, p105). All students have needs, some are bashful or reticent, some may have practical problems etc. It is therefore an important part of initial assessment to encourage students to express their needs (Minton 1997, p105). I try to develop a good rapport with my students and encourage them to articulate their needs at all times as knowing the students needs is essential in the teaching/learning process.
3 Discuss ways of using the result to inform the learning programme
I now intend to focus on 4 individual students,to examine their profiles and analyse ways in which the group's learning could be informed and developed using the information gathered from the students.
Student A
R is a student from Italy but has been in England for over 20 years. She is retired and extremely keen on her studies. She works hard and is keen to do extension exercises. However, she found the sessions last term on biography more interesting than this term as she is not thinking of rejoining the labour market. We have recently discussed this and agreed that she could do some poetry and fiction writing as a way of developing her literacy skills as she is particularly interested in these topics. We agreed to start implementing this after half term. We discussed what she hopes to achieves from the course and she was able to identify her limitations and targets which corresponded to the targets from the diagnostic testing such as being able to use punctuation correctly and spell common words. Her learning style is a combination of visual and kinaesthetic so she enjoys writing and worksheets. She is working at entry 3 is able to work independently so I think she will enjoy and benefit immensely from individual study. Giving her a range of learning materials that she finds interesting will encourage and motivate her whereas if she is forced to focus on a topic in which she is not interested she may become demotivated and leave the programme. Thus involving her in the learning process, getting feedback about her interests and needs is crucial to the learning process. This is a fundamental principle that applies to all learners. Interesting material that they can identify and relate to plus a variety of teaching aids and involvement in the learning process are all fundamental principles that aid good practice. I also intend to encourage all of my learners to become independent learners and to assume some responsibility for setting their own targets and assessing their own progress. As Petty said learners learn best when they are involved in the learning process. (Petty g, 2001 )
Student B
D is originally from Somalia but has resident in the UK for over 10 years. She has some mental health needs so her timekeeping and attendance suffers at times as she has to attend hospital appointments. Her medication makes her tired and unable to concentrate for long periods. I have to be careful to keep my teacher talk to a minimum and I strive not to talk for more than a maximum of ten minutes at a time. She has not done the learning styles questionnaire but from my observation, I believe she has a visual and kinaesthetic learning style as she often likes working on work sheets but seem to switch off in discussion groups. I am aware that she needs particular encouragement as she is fairly quiet and possibly suffers from low self esteem in common with many people with mental health problems. Her problems outside the classroom have an impact on her ability to learn as Maslow's in his hierarchy of needs analysis suggests. I need to be sensitive to her needs, aware of the problems and offer any additional support or help such as help in catching up on work missed. We have discussed this issue and she will try see me from time to time to discuss any work that she has missed I need to show her that she is valued by praising her efforts which will help her self esteem and aid motivation. During an individual session with her I offered encouragement and support. She needs to be actively involved in learning activities pinpointing the importance of all learners to have a variety of teaching methods so that all learning styles are catered for.
All students benefit from the above strategies; praising students for their work is a good way of showing recognition, aiding motivation and giving feedback to students. According to Petty when personal targets are achieved there should be plenty of recognition and praise (Pettyg, 2001). The self confidence of adult learners can be low as many of them come to education having previously failed at school. I believe that there is an issue of self confidence in a small number of my students- the majority appear reasonably confident. However it is important that I try to praise individual students for any appropriate work that they produce and any targets attained. I try to find at least one thing to praise each student for during the lesson. Other strategies discussed above such as keeping teacher talk to a minimum, using different learning strategies to aid involvement and interest and being aware of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs analysis is crucially relevant to all of the students.
Student C
H is originally form Iran but has been in the UK since she was two years old. She has resided in the UK for over 20 years. She is a wheel chair user and suffers with poor short term memory. The classroom is rather cramped so I try to ensure that a space is left for her at front of the class. I have a revision session at the beginning of every lesson and a review at the end as repetition reinforces learning. I am aware that if I have a session where students have to move around then I need to take her needs into account, to warn her about the session and discuss how best she could participate in the session. She needs help getting in and out of the room and students are sensitive to this and help her when necessary. She has to leave exactly on time to catch her transport so I also need to try to finish the class on time so that she does not feel different and excluded. In general, I try to widen participation of any students with disabilities and try to ensure that their disability hinders them as little as possible in the learning process. I have suggested that she revises her work prior to the lesson and given her suggestions on organising her folder. It is important to recognise learners disabilities and provide appropriate support in the classroom. If someone in the class had a visual or hearing disability, I would suggest that a position at the front of the classroom may be more appropriate for that person.
Adult learners, generally speaking, have declining mental and physical ability due to the ageing process and may lack confidence and underestimate their ability to learn therefore all the teaching strategies useful for people with disabilities such as revision, repetition and encouragement are useful for all adult learners. I have to think about pacing the lesson at the correct level sometimes at a slow pace to accommodate the students with disabilities and other times faster for the more able learners. Petty advises us to teach at the top or the bottom of the class as the average student will cope. (Petty G, 2001). All learners need help to remember so apart from building in revision sessions I give tests, quizzes and emphasise key points. Students may then reinforce their learning through exercises or worksheets etc. I also try to explain at the beginning of the session how the topic fits into the overall scheme of things as I believe that students will be more motivated if the subject matter is relevant and interesting and they appreciate the significance of the topic. (Petty g, 2001) I also try to introduce ideas a little at a time. During an initial session with the learners I gave out lots of handouts and soon realised that using bitesize portions was a more effective teaching strategy. I also search for memorable and unusual materials that I feel students more likely to remember as well as using materials that the students can relate to easily Mnemonics can be a good memory tool. I haven’t as yet used this technique but it is one which I aim to use As Petty says, SPERT (success, purpose enjoyment reinforcement and targets will make a learner 'spert' on to greater attainment. Collecting all the information about learners and using it in ILP, lesson plans and scheme of work will ensure that learners 'SPERT' on to higher achievement. Mnemonics can play a significant part in the learning process. (Petty g, 2001)
Student D
M is one of the youngest of the class at just 19 years old. By observation and talking with him I have discovered that he is motivated to study and that in spite of having to make quite a journey to the college, difficulties at home and financial problems he continues to struggle to attend his course. Difficulties at home often mean problems with attendance and punctuality He is quite strong verbally and basically an auditory learner. He has a disability to his arm which may affect his writing. His mother has recently died compounding the problems at home but he has continued to come in although his punctuality is a problem. One has to be understanding in view of his bereaved situation I referred him to student guidance to see if he can get financial help and he is now in the process of trying to sort out this matter. He has been offered support around his bereavement but prefers not to take it up at present. Once again the importance of being aware of students personal difficulties and problems are highlighted by this case. Help can be offered to meet individual needs if one is aware of the problems. As theorists have expounded, students will not be able to learn effectively if their basic needs are not met.
It is important that students are given a good induction to the college so that they are aware of what facilities and support is available. At Westminster Kingsway the students have a full induction programme for 3 hours. It includes a tour of the site introductions to their teachers, expectations of behaviour ie punctuality and attendance. They are given a student handbook and sample activities. The induction also involves an introduction to the use of the library, health and safety issues such as what to do in case of fire. Equal opportunity issues are also included in the induction programme. This ensures the student is given all the knowledge about the college in order to support their learning needs. One drawback, however, is that induction only happens at the beginning of the term whilst students are allowed to join the course after it has started. Those students who join the course late are not given an induction and tour etc that the other students got at the beginning of term. This situation could be remedied this by asking an experienced student to help out a new student if further students join the course. This already happens on an informal basis.
In summary, it is crucially important to identify the factors that may demotivate my students such as emotional and personal problems and to try to find ways to overcome these barriers to learning by being sensitive and understanding. Using a range of teaching methods to make the lesson interesting, and to appeal to students of all learning styles, abilities and disabilities is also fundamental to the learning process The importance of recognising the varying abilities and motivation between students; individual differences, cultural differences, gender differences, background differences etc cannot be understated. A teacher can then adapt their material to make it relevant, to stretch the most able, to support the least able and students with disabilities. I need to have clear aims and objectives with a range of activities to accommodate individual learners. I endeavour to allow the more able students to continue at their own pace through the use of more difficult learning materials in accordance with Petty’s excellent advice “make the first few tasks easy enough for the least able and the last few tasks demanding enough for the more able.” (Petty g, 2001)
Assessing learners needs requires that learners are consulted on their learning needs, targets are set, reviewed, reinforced with praise and individual learner feedback is encouraged to facilitate individual learning needs. I try to incorporate all of these elements in my practice.
Bibliography
Armitage A, 1999. Teaching and Training in Post- Compulsory Education. OUP
Curzon L B,1997. Teaching in Further Education: 4th Edition, Cassell
Danes J & C, Graham B, 1996. Adult Learning, Adult Teaching: 3rd edition, Lavenham Press
Minton D, 2000. Teaching skills in Further and Adult Education. rev edition Thompson
Petty G 2001.Teaching Today: A Practical Guide. 2nd edition Nelson Thornes
Reece I and Walker S, 2000. Teaching Training and Learning: A Practical Guide, Business Education Publishers Ltd