Andragogy and Needs Assessments

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TESL 0100
Unit 2 Reflection

Some of the key ideas that stood out for me in Unit 2 were Andragogy and Needs Assessments. Andragogy describes the principles of adult learning or adult education. Malcolm Knowles (1997) identified several characteristics about adult learners that focus on the process of learning. Knowles stated that adults need to know why they are learning something, they need to learn by doing, and their learning needs to be relevant to their daily lives. Being involved in the planning and evaluation of their learning is also key. Adults take ownership of their learning and thrive on task-based, problem-solving activities.

I recently took a course which focused on differentiated professional development and Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) for teachers. Malcolm Knowles’ idea of andragogy was one of the learning theories that we discussed. The idea of differentiated job-embedded professional development is becoming more common in education and leads to a greater transfer of new knowledge to teacher practice. It makes sense that these principles would apply to adults who are learning English as a second language as well. Giving students voice and choice in their learning, relating their learning to real-world goals, and incorporating practice, feedback and reflection will engage students and will result in increased understanding.

Looking through various Needs Assessments that I found during my search and reading over the ones shared by my classmates was eye-opening to me. This type of activity was not used in the language schools that I previously taught in many years ago. It also reminded me of something that is done in my school division. At the beginning of the school year each Classroom Teacher works together with the Learning Support Teacher to create a Class Profile. It identifies strengths, challenges, learning styles, talents, interests and preferences of the students in the class. The Class Profile is then used as a guide for planning instruction. Needs Assessments and Goal Setting can be used in a similar fashion. An ESL teacher can review all of the information and data and use it to inform their instruction.

As I am working through the course materials I am making a lot of connections between what I am learning and my own background knowledge and experiences. This relates to one of Malcolm Knowles’ assumptions about adult learners – experience. My learning is active, and I have an array of past learning experiences to draw upon as I continue on my learning path.

Reference: 
Knowles, M. S. (1997). The adult learner: A neglected species. Houston, TX. Gulf
            Publishing.   

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