7/31/2019 Learners' Linguistic and Skill Needs-Essay e

1/2

Lina Vanessa Crdenas LunaSeminar on English Language

The Significance of Identifying Learners Linguistic and SkillNeeds

In English Language Teaching (ELT) is very important to identify the learners

linguistic and skill needs. There are some strategies to know that, but, it is

necessary to observe and reflect about the situation living at class. Be reflective

teachers is not easier as be traditional ones, for instance it is indispensable to

study each particular case in the students. It implies to observe everything along

the teaching learning process every day and collect data. Related to the situation

teachers faced, it is essential to know the significance of identifying learners

needs.

The first point it is to know what learners linguistic and skill needs are. Noessel

(2003) makes clear that the needs of the students are the gap about what they

want to learn and their current state of knowledge, skill, and enthusiasm. Teachers

need to be interested to identify their students specific situation and the style the

students learn easier. All the time, taking into account the students likes, dislikes

and according to Krashen considering the affective filter which includes students

motivation, self-confidence and level of anxiety.

After know students needs meaning it is very important to distinguish the kind of

needs learners present. One of them is the linguistic needs, which include a

combination of factors which could impact most of the time in the students learning

process. For example, the students do not yet read in their first language; differentmorphology and sounds in the between the first and second language; different

grammatical structures; lack of ability to interpret the communicative aim of a

speaker or writer. The other need is related to the skills. They can be identified in

four dimensions, cognitive; social; affective and psychomotor. In sum, it is

7/31/2019 Learners' Linguistic and Skill Needs-Essay e

2/2

necessary to identify each one in order to know what kind of needs the learners

have.

It was mentioned what learners needs are and the factors related to them. Then,

why is important to identify them and how to do it?. The work of Dick, Carey, &

Carey, (2004) indicates that students are different and they have different learning

style, knowledge, motivation and experiences. In the other hand the process of

collecting data and applying strategies according to the gathered information

teachers could improve the motivation and the level of the students. The third

reason is that teachers could use or apply the process through the complete period

of teaching to enable learners to get educational aims. There are several ways to

identify the students needs, analyzing the syllabus asking learners about the skills

and contents they will need to learn successfully. Other might be taking into

account students opinions through free writing, group vision and surveys.

Be critical and reflective teachers is not easy, but, it is not very difficult. Educators

need to know what the students needs are, why is important to know them and

how to identify in order to plan and implement the better strategies and

methodologies according to students learning style, motivation, content, external

factors and their current state of knowledge. If instructors do not apply this process,

what kind of learners improvement will they expect?

References

Vicky Minderhout. Identifying Learner Needs. Chemistry, Seattle University. Fromhttp://cetl.matcmadison.edu/efgb/3/3_2_6.htm

Simon Smith. 2003. Unit 109: Identify and assess learners needs and Unit 115

Support and Guidance. City and Guilds7407 Level 4 Certificate in Further

Education teaching. Fromwww.simonsdiary.co.uk/teaching/teachertraining

http://cetl.matcmadison.edu/efgb/3/3_2_6.htmhttp://cetl.matcmadison.edu/efgb/3/3_2_6.htmhttp://www.simonsdiary.co.uk/teaching/teachertraininghttp://www.simonsdiary.co.uk/teaching/teachertraininghttp://www.simonsdiary.co.uk/teaching/teachertraininghttp://www.simonsdiary.co.uk/teaching/teachertraininghttp://www.simonsdiary.co.uk/teaching/teachertraininghttp://www.simonsdiary.co.uk/teaching/teachertraininghttp://www.simonsdiary.co.uk/teaching/teachertraininghttp://www.simonsdiary.co.uk/teaching/teachertraininghttp://www.simonsdiary.co.uk/teaching/teachertraininghttp://www.simonsdiary.co.uk/teaching/teachertraininghttp://www.simonsdiary.co.uk/teaching/teachertraininghttp://www.simonsdiary.co.uk/teaching/teachertraininghttp://www.simonsdiary.co.uk/teaching/teachertraininghttp://www.simonsdiary.co.uk/teaching/teachertraininghttp://www.simonsdiary.co.uk/teaching/teachertraininghttp://www.simonsdiary.co.uk/teaching/teachertraininghttp://cetl.matcmadison.edu/efgb/3/3_2_6.htm