Negotiating_with_Learners

UNIT 2 PLANNING AND ENABLING LEARNING level 4 theory * 1A NEGOTIATING WITH LEARNERS “Assessing learners’ needs is not an event, it is a process. Some of it will take place at the first meeting with a potential Learner, some will take place during an ‘induction’ and some will be discovered later.” Petty 2004 p.508 We as educators assess learner’s needs basically for two reasons: * Firstly to place them onto the right learning programme. * Secondly to then support and guide the learner to reach their goals. Each learner is a unique individual and their specific needs have to be met in order for them to reach their short term and long term goals. Initially this can be done when they enrol on the course but programmes may need changing at a later date to meet their needs. Through the use of effective assessment procedures we can plan and prepare a learning programme tailored to meet their needs. There are many assessment procedures available to use and deciding which one is the best option primarily depends on the information that you want to find out about the learner. Assessing the learner’s needs is a continuous process and not only reserved for the start of the academic year. The process itself, especially in the early stages is often a shared responsibility. Within an organisation a variety of people may be involved in the process. This type of shared responsibility ensures that the information when collated can be used in a constructive way to provide the most appropriate programme for the learner. Whatever your role within the organisation you can assess your learners, ideally through using a three part process: 1. PLAN – we need to decide what knowledge would help our learners reach their goals. 2. ASSESS – we now have to find out this information. It is up to us to develop the most appropriate form of assessment to use, which can be an informal chat to a more complex ‘diagnostic test’. 3. INFORM AND ADDRESS – we have to inform both our tutors and learners the outcomes of such assessment to allow us to develop a learning programme, suitable for them. Initial Assessment Before we plan or develop any sort learning programme we first need to find out some information about the learner, this would include: * Previous knowledge. * Skills and abilities. * Previous experience. * Attitudes and expectations. * Preferred learning styles. There are a numerous variety of methods of obtaining this information, which include psychometric testing, skills scans and APEL. * PSYCHOMETRIC TESTING – This method was developed by psychologists to allow us to measure certain attributes of someone. This would test the intelligence of someone, their verbal and non-verbal reasoning, manual and basic skills. Other tests within this criteria measures people’s aptitude to do a particular job. This method proves very expensive to conduct and research has shown that the results are not really a true reflection on the learner’s true abilities and their personality. However employers still use this method and rely heavily on the outcomes of such tests. * SKILLS SCAN – In brief, a system that assesses young people’s skills that are needed to enable them to succeed in a high performance-working environment. Learners need to have a solid foundation in basic literacy, numeracy and I.T skills, and the thinking skills to put all this knowledge into practice. * APEL – It is a procedure that involves formal recognition of prior learning, which might give credit towards a qualification. Or it maybe an acknowledgement that such learning has previously taken place. It allows the learners to be admitted to a programme and to start from where they are rather than where the teacher thinks they should be. They bring with them previous experiences to the class. It provides an opportunity to collect and judge oral and written evidence brought forward from an existing experience. As stated by Walkin: “Identification of needs – matching individual needs and expectations with a personalised training programme is an essential ingredient in any successful learning proposition” Walkin 1990 p 316 When negotiating with learners it is important to remember that all aims and objectives have to be met by the specific needs of the learner, and have to be directly related to the course content. Walkin states: “Aims are a broad statement of intent, stated simply and concisely should sum up what is intended in terms of benefit to the pupil, and should lead to the selection of relevant objectives.” Walkin 1990 p 101 Individual targets will usually be linked to the key objectives that you will focus your teaching on over the next few weeks, for some learners a target may need to be broken down into stages. Whatever the targets, they need to be straightforward and not too many at once, so that learners understand them. You can note the targets you set for individual learners by highlighting the particular boxes on a class record of key objectives. Exceptionally, there may be some learners with special needs whose personal targets need to be recorded in your supplementary notes. (Word count 833) John Northam City & Guilds 7304 January 14 2011 REFERENCES Petty G (2004) Teaching Today 3rd Ed (Cheltenham, Nelson Thornes Ltd) Walkin L (1990) Teaching and Learning in Further and Adult Education. (Cheltenham:Stanley Thornes) FURTHER READING Reece I, Walker S 6th Ed (2007) Teaching Training & Learning (Tyne and Wear, Business Education Publishers Ltd) Curzon LB (2004) Teaching in Further Education 6th Ed (London, Continuum) Tummons J (2005) Assessing Learning in Lifelong Learning Sector 2nd Ed (Exeter, Learning Matters) Child, D (2003) Psychology and the Teacher. 7th edition. (Holt, Rinehart and Winston)