Week 4: Which Tool?

Nowadays, there are many different tools that can be applied in education. All the data analysis or interviews should guide us as teachers in the process of selecting the tool that matches students' learning goals with the content or syllabus of the class. It is important to have experience and knowledge of use about the tool chosen but if you do not know which tool may fit your needs or your students needs you can start exploring one of them taking into account the following picture:

To bear in mind:

The use of Internet is not a guarantee of a successful class. The level of students’ motivation and enrollment depends on the clear objectives and outcomes they are going to receive from the use of the tool which is in agreement with their way of thinking.

Week 3: Data Results

Abreviations: T: Teacher Ss: Students

After checking or having the results of the surveys or interviews, T should be aware of their learners’ needs in order to select the tool that match them better.

Taking into account what have just said, I obtained the following results in a beginner-level class of teenagers;

1. Ss’ favorite music is Regueton and Rap music rather than Rock, Vallenato and Crossover music.
2. The majority of the class said that after classes they spend their time with their families or friends, sleeping or doing homework.
3. Their favorite hobbies are listening to music, practice a sport, use internet or dancing.
4. The most practiced sport is football and basketball, the less practiced is volleyball, swimming and tennis.
5. Only two people said they were shy and that was the reason why they do not like to interact a lot with their partners, but the rest consider that practicing conversations is one of the most liked activities.
6. The reason why they are learning English is due to the fact it is going to be good and important for their professional future.
7. The most common way how students remember things easily are by writing, listening, drawing and repeating.

From the results before, it can be concluded that:

Ss in general are quite interested in sharing ideas and lifestyles with others because they not only learn by doing but also by socializing their knowledge. That is evident in the kind of sports they practice in which all the time they are enroll in getting in contact with other people, the activities practiced during the weekend and the kind of activities they like to do in class.

To bear in mind:

• It can be a percentage of error during this data analysis so it is important to guide students during class time to talk about all those aspects mentioned before (it can be a guided-activity related to the syllabus).
• Depending on the results, every teacher should be aware of their learners’ needs in order to provide meaningful details and learning that can engage or enroll them in a more efficient way.
• The needs analysis helps not only to get to know students better but also to identify different learning styles in the class.
• A teacher who knows his/her students can have a more effective assessment and evaluation, because he/she is aware of the way Ss scaffold their knowledge.

Week 2: Needs Analysis

Before starting the implementation of ICT’s in the classroom, T should know and be aware of his/her Ss’ needs so that T may select the tool that fits them better.

Taking into account the chart of week 1, the first step is to decide what information is going to be gathered and why, so the possibilities are[1];

• Get to know the learners (age, educational background, etc).
• Language ability (level of proficiency by providing an English test).
• Learning preferences (Ss’ expectation about T and Ss’ roles. Learning style: working in groups, kinds of activities).
• Learners’ interests (Likes, dislikes, music, specific topics, etc).

Method of Data collection

For my class I chose two of them; learning preferences and interests. One of the most common ways to gather this info is a questionnaire and there are two options, either by internet or by giving it directly to Ss.

If you choose the first one, you should know that you can create the questionnaire using Google docs and also you will receive all the data systematized, but be sure your Ss complete the form in a limited time.

The second option is time consuming but you will have all the questionnaires filled in one day, there is no need to wait more than a week or deal with technical issues from your Ss. This is one of the form I created to collect the data. It is in Spanish because it is a beginner level and they might feel confused, besides it is important to keep the information as accurate as possible.

http://goo.gl/9NSSt

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[1] Graves, Kathleen. Designing Language Courses: A Guide for teachers. Chapter 6: Assessing Needs.

To bear in mind:

• Are you sure who your learners are and what their needs are?
  
• Choose the method of data collection that makes you feel more comfortable such as surveys, interviews, writing exercises, discussions, and some other activities that I will explain in detail if you want it, just contact me.