Discover Your Learners
A good question can lead to great answers
What does it mean to discover your learners? This page offers ideas to assist teachers in discovering a little bit more about their learners through surveys, a simple star, and a cultural inventory. Ideally, these tasks will allow for further understanding of what it is our learners desire to take away from their language learning.
Quick Survey: Simple, Effective, Learner-Centred
"These are my favourite chords. I hope you like them, too." ~ The Weakerthans
It's true. We love to talk about our favourite things. Our learners are no different. And when we can compare and contrast our findings, we are all happy. Here is a simple fill-in-the-blank to help find out what is your learners enjoy engaging with outside of (or inside) the classroom.
A Star From Scott Thornbury
The star method is an interpretation of Scott Thornbury's star method for getting to know you learners, and for them to get to know each other. Learners draw a star on a blank sheet of paper and at each point write the following: a person's name, a place name, a number, a date, and a symbol (logo). Learners then discuss their stars in small groups. See the PDF for an example.
Cultural Identity Self Inventory From Betsy Parrish
See video example above for completed inventory. Reference PDF for frames for carrying out the inventory with your learners.
References
Parrish, B. (2020) Cultural identity inventory. ESL 8105 English Teaching Practice course module. St. Paul: Hamline University.