“ Raina (2011:1). This stated we must have a method of preparation, deliverance and evaluation in order to have a successful encounter with all we teach. According to many popular educational theories literacy’s there are five areas to the teaching/training cycle.These are; Identifying needs, Plan/Design of the course, Delivery, Assessments and finally Evaluation. While this cycle can be started and finished at any phase, it should always be followed all the way through for it to be most effective.
However Kolb and Fry (1975) shows that the ‘cycle’ can be shown in four stages with the same principles. I will use the 5 step cycle in my assignment. Assessing learners’ needs is the process by which it is possible to identify what it is that is needed to provide a “good” course.This could be defined as one that is relevant to [the learners] needs with clear statements of purpose and having appropriate content presented at the right level and pace” Daines,Daines,Graham (2003:15) While the argument can be made that teaching without prior knowledge of the learner needs can be partially successful; by assessing learner needs it lessens the element of chance.
Thus giving the Teacher/trainer a more responsible acceptance and giving a good balance for relationships with the learners.A basic assessment would include questions about disabilities, literacy/language barriers. Asking questions about previous experience around the subject, a person’s learning styles and if there are any other needs that must be addressed before the course starts. Identifying does not stop here as there as you will still need to identify the needs of people throughout the cycle due to anything from external factors to something they don’t understand in the lesson. Now you should have a good idea of what the needs of your learners should be it is time to plan/design your course.
You will need to take into consideration the goals/specific learning objectives of the learners, what assessments will be carried out in order to measure their achievements, if from the questionnaires any alterations need to be made to the venue, course or timescales and also does the course cover the syllabus set by the assessing body. Whilst not extensive this covers a large part of the course design. In preparation you should have an idea of what adjustments you will need based on individual needs again keeping within the boundary of knowing when you are out of your own depth and need to seek help or advice.A back up plan is a good idea as we all know modern technology does not always do what we want. A perfect example of this is a power cut.
If you have paper handouts of the computer based presentation/lesson you can carry on with minimal disturbance. Delivery of the course is the key part to all of this, without the right delivery the learners are unlikely to gain the achievement set out in earlier stages. You have to be able to take charge of the learners and engage them in such a way as to motivate them and keep them interested.A good way of doing this is to change your tone and use various styles of presentation within the resources available. As long as you have a good understanding of the area you are covering this should not be a problem. Due to some people’s limited attention spans summarising is a good tool.
This said motivational barriers will still happen whether they be; psychological, social or physical barriers. You will not always be able to break these barriers and in some instances must accept a responsibility to be able to seek guidance and possibly professional help to overcome them.Assessing varying learning styles within a group and considering learner’s motivations and previous experiences helps identify various teaching methods that could be useful throughout the program To help identify the various teaching methods you may find beneficial within a class you should use assessments looking at the individual styles of learning within the group, which will not only reduce the loss of motivation but also help with the fluidity of the lesson.
