Needs Surveys
- ELT Buzz. At the start of a year or a course, teachers need to think about the needs of the cohort of students they'll teach. Here are a few suggestions.
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Needs surveys are a part of a teacher’s life - essential for getting to know your students’ learning needs and key to developing and delivering lessons that are on target and which address your students’ needs and growing language abilities. They are a staple part of a teacher’s job at the beginning of a course or the start of a school year (if you missed it - see our post about Back To School activities!).
There are many kinds of needs surveys teachers use. Some are quite wide and capture a lot of information about students. Others are narrow in approach and more focused on a specific set of information. Here is a collection of some in our lesson library.
The basic kinds of information gathered by student surveys.
General Student Info. - Students fill out with general info. and it gives the teacher a general idea about the student’s study history, personal life and details.
Abilities. Can/Can’t do. Of course, students can be given a placement test. But it is also ideal to survey with a questionnaire and get students responding and reflecting on what they can and can’t do in English. Can they order a pizza on the phone? Can they give clear instructions? Can they make a request? Use a checklist and see what your students language abilities are.
Learning And Study Preferences. What do your students expect from your lessons? How do they learn best? Textbook? Lots of listening? Grammar focus? How do they study, what are their study habits? What about homework? You may think your students haven’t an idea but if you ask the right questions, they’ll certainly give you some good feedback. What skills do they want to be prepared for in terms of their future employment?
Attitudes. What is your students’ attitudes towards learning English. How do they feel about reading lots? Speaking in class? Writing? A learning attitudes survey can find out more about your students’ underlying philosophy of learning and being a student.
Tech Needs Survey. In today’s world where it is common to use technology in class, at home or for remote learning - teachers need to survey students and make sure they have the tech hardware, access and also abilities that are needed for the class and curriculum.