From needs

assessment to

individual learning

journals: catering for

different student

profiles in a single

classroom

Beata Schmid, EF Boston

Emma Walton, EF London

Outline of presentation

• Background

• Needs Analysis

• Written placement test; oral

test

• Tutorials

• Individual Learning

Journals

• English Guides

• Progress Tracker

• Teacher and student

feedback on the system

• Next steps

• Summary and Q & A

Background

• Internal quality audit: focus groups, teacher evaluations, student evaluations

• External quality audits: accreditors (worldwide)

• Continuous development towards an environment where students take increasing responsibility for their learning

• Autonomous learning

Needs Analysis

• How can we help teachers who deal with continuous enrollment BEFORE students walk into the classroom?

• Several iterations; input from different stakeholders

• Students can complete it when they take their online placement test.

• Screen shot of what student sees & what teachers receive (register)

Student view: myEF portal

Student view: needs analysis

Student view: needs analysis p. 2

Teacher/admin view, ex. 1

Teacher/admin view, ex. 2

Details Needs Assessment Questions Replies Self Assessment

XXXX 1. Why improve language? to prepare for an exam Reading 7

25-Mar-14 2. Current occupation? I Work: I've been working as an administrative assistant for a technical department at XXX for 10 years.

Writing 7

CHL106814 3. Interested in? Professional Language Practice , Tourism and Travel , My Career Development , Cultural and World Issues , Art, Imagination and Creativity ,

Listening 7

38 4. Wish to focus on: Reading , Writing , Speaking , Listening , Grammar , Vocabulary , Fluency In Speaking , Exam Skills , Pronunciation 6

CH 5. Years of study? 5-10 years Fluency 7

ILSP 6. Home country habits? work individually , Vocabulary 7

I 7. After course, how use? I will use it in my daily job. At my company the working language is English and I have to deal with expatriates in my department.

Grammar 7

I 8. Special Needs? No Overall 7

1416

C1 Special Learning Requirements

66 / C1 Placement Test Writing Sample

As a mother of 2 children and a part-time worker, I do not have much time on my hands. Therefore when I have free time, what I like best is to play sport. I like running and I try to run twice a week. I am also a member of a fitness center, where I take a pilates class and a bodypump class. My friends are important to me and I try to see them on a monthly basis. It can be either for a coffee or if we have more time for a lunch or a dinner. I'm also fond of reading and try to read one book per month. But it is not always possible.

Teacher view: register

Placement testing

• Written test

• Oral placement test: to

confirm written scores

and make initial face

to face contact with all

students

• Based on CEFR

Oral placement test: B1 Q’s

• What sort of television programmes do you like? Talk about TV and radio in your country.

• How do you keep in touch with your friends and family (by phone/email)? How do you think communication might change in the future?

• Tell me about the last film you saw at the cinema (or the last book you read). Would you recommend it?

• Think about an interesting person you have met. What is he/she like? Describe their personality.

• Why do you think learning English is so important these days?

• Imagine that I am a visitor to your country. What advice would you give me?

Tutorials

• Originally long-term students only, on paper

• Too unwieldy

• Working group across continents: agreed on format

• Pastoral and linguistic content

• Online; activated week before Tutorial week

• Students fill in answers, goes to teaching data base

• Discussed and negotiated in face to face tutorials with main class teacher

• Objectives and action plans are set, with SMART targets

Tutorials: on paper

Which areas of your language learning do

you think you need to work on? (√ if yes)

Skills:

o Reading

o Writing

o Listening

o Speaking

Language Points:

o Grammar

o Vocabulary

o Pronunciation

How much extra study / practice do you do at home?

(√ if yes)

o I read books / newspapers / magazines

o I watch TV and / or DVDs

o I listen to the radio

o I keep a diary in English

o I review my notes after lessons

o I review new vocabulary

o I have my own grammar / vocabulary exercise book

Tutorials: p. 2, SMART goals Reading 1. Read a reader and answer the questions that come with it.

2. Read an article and present it to the teacher – summarise new vocabulary.

3. Read the daily lessons in the ilab and summarise what you’ve learnt.

4…

Writing 1. Bring your corrected writing from class to discuss with your teacher.

2. Write a summary of an episode of a TV show and bring it to the teacher.

3. Set up ‘Sentence Diary’ – write three sentences every day.

4…

Listening 1. Listen to 6 talks from TED.com. Write the summary of each of the talk.

2. Watch an episode of a TV show and bring a written summary to the teacher.

3. Watch the evening news and write a report on a story of your choice.

4…

Speaking 1. Teach someone a skill/custom from your country.

1. Prepare a mini presentation (1-2 mins) on a topic of your choice.

1. Interview a proficient speaker. Bring the summary to your teacher.

4…

Tutorials: more SMART goals Grammar 1. Do additional grammar activities – based on your teacher’s feedback.

2. Find a song that has this week’s grammar point in it and explain the usage.

3. Use the grammar lab to practice a grammar point –explain it to your teacher.

4…

Vocabulary 1. Write down two new words every day. At the end of the month write an essay.

2. Set up ‘Vocabulary Diary’ – record word formation, synonyms and antonyms.

3. Create your own flashcards using the notebook in iLab and test yourself.

4…

Pronunciation 1. Watch a ‘British accent tutorial video’ on YouTube and practice imitating it.

2. Record yourself speaking and analyse it.

3. Use the Pronunciation Lab to practise word and sentence stress.

4…

Tutorial: online version

Student and teacher view

SMART goal

Individual Learning Journals

• On paper

• Voluntary

• On the back of the time table

• Tool for autonomous learning

English Guides

• Can-do’s

• Pronunciation charts

• Grammar, Words and phrases

• Additional language practice

• Study Skills

• Living Abroad

• Culture

Progress Tracker

Reflects student’s spoken

communicative

competence:

• spoken interaction

• spoken production

• vocabulary

• pronunciation

• grammar

Progress Tracker: teacher view

Progress Tracker: student view

Teacher and student

feedback

• Surveys

• Informing next steps

Teacher feedback

Teacher feedback

Student feedback

0

50

100

150

200

250

(a) needs analysis (youfilled this out at the

beginning of your courseor when you took the

placement test)

(b) tutorial (c) English Guide (d) progress tracker

At EF, we are trying to find ways to help you with your learning. Which of the following tools do you find helpful or not so helpful to gain a better understanding of your own learning?

very helpful

helpful

not so helpful

useless

Teacher feedback on students

Student feedback on tutorials

• That you can analyse your progress

• Ask the teacher to learn specific topic on grammar

• To know what my teacher thinks about me and to know what my weaknesses are and things I have to work on.

• Explain what is the most difficult for you

• The help given by the teacher, specially because he guides you in order to improve the skills you need to improve with different resources like book, websites, etc.

• The possible solutions that are provided by the teacher And the identification of my weaknesses in the language

• You can ask the teacher to work on your weak point.

• Speak with the teacher about what we want to improve, and in what we need help.

• Teachers make their teaching plan based on our opinion.

• Talking about what I want to focus on

More student feedback on tutorials

• If I have a problem and I'm afraid to speak , I can just write and speak with my teacher personnally

• my teacher give me a lot of website for studies in my home is really good .

• I think it's very helpful because you can tell your teacher if you feel comfortable or not, and what you would like to change.

• Our teacher asks about what we want focus more, after he give us any advice, he show how or what we have to do.

• Give some good advice to what there can help with that you want to getting better with. It could be website you could look at.

• It is helpful to know our strengths and weaknesses to work on them.

• The advices that the teacher gives you. they help you to concentrate yourself on your weaknesses.

• to see in what do i need to focus and study more and talk about me and my progress

• I think the tutorial is very important to know how is my progress going and what can I do to improve my English every day. The teacher everyday say me new ways and methods to improve my reading and listening

• Is very important for me because the teacher explain me what i have to do to improve my English, he tell me which kind of mistake i do and with that base he teach me all the things that i need.

Student feedback on Language Guide

How often does your teacher use the Language Guide in class or for homework?

(a) every day

(b) several times per week

(c) once per week

(d) once per book

(e) almost never

(f) never

Student feedback: Language Guide

use on their own

0.0%

5.0%

10.0%

15.0%

20.0%

25.0%

(a) every day (b) several times perweek

(c) once per week (d) once per book (e) almost never (f) never

How often do you use the Language Guide on your own?

Next steps

More training:

• What tools are available

• How to use them

• How to conduct an effective Tutorial

• How to use English Guides more

efffectively, from the beginning

• More detailed rubrics for different

spoken interactions to increase

effectiveness of Progress Tracker

• Rating trainings

Summary

• Presented different tools for the differentiated classroom

and student (self) assessment

• Surveyed students and teachers as to usefulness and

effectiveness

• Found that more training is needed for both students and

teachers as to functions of tools to enhance use and

effectiveness, especially on self-guided learning, English

Guide, Individual Learning Journal and Progress Tracker.

Q & A