FOCUS ON THE LEARNER

Focus on the learner

Focus on the learner

Introduction

Language becomes a barrier when it comes to global interactions. However, English being the most widely spoken language serves as the second language around the world so that people from different parts can communicate with each other through it.

Assessing and analyzing the learning needs of students in an educational setup is an effective tool for identifying their strengths and weaknesses, and for positioning them on the basis of their knowledge, expertise and competencies. This analysis helps to determine the gaps in the learning of a learner and the programs, courses, content, etc that may assist the learner in overcoming these. This paper focuses on a group of learners studying English and the common issues they face (Norton, 2000, pp.108).

Group Summary

The group of students chosen for the learning analysis consisted of 16 individuals from Spanish speaking origins. The average age of the group was 26 with the youngest being a Mexican female of 18 and the oldest being a 35 year old Spanish fellow. The group exhibited a good balance of both the genders, with 9 males and 7 females.

The group seemed to have a common liking for reading and music, whilst their favorite pastime was watching television. The females also appeared to have an interest in cooking and dancing. The majority of males, on the other hand, were die-hard fans of football, with a couple of young boys even playing for the local clubs.

The initial findings suggested that most of the students considered English as a prerequisite for success in the present professional environment. Their prime motivation for enrolling into the specific program was based on the premise that learning English would help them progress in their careers in a better way, as compared to their native languages. Learning English should ensure that they would not face any communication barriers and could travel round the world. As students, it was more so important for them to learn English since most of the publications come out in English.

Almost the entire group preferred the visual style of learning with rich text and added illustrations for assistance. They found learning through written instructions more beneficial than the oral learning.

Students who lived with native English families and individuals demonstrated higher levels of confidence and learning of the English language than those that lived otherwise.

The Mexican students seemed to have a better understanding of English than their Spanish counterparts, which could be attributed to their proximity with the US.

Errors in Learning

The learning assessment helped to identify the following common errors that the group made (Hawkins, 2004,pp.54).

Errors

Grammar

Vocabulary

Pronunciation

Example 1

Is necessary to take the classes.

We make our work on time.

Don wait for me.

Correct

Utterance

It is necessary to take the classes.

We do our work on time.

Don't wait for me.

Type of

Error

Omission of Subject

Make/Do Confusion

Shortened Contractions

Possible

Cause

A subject is not always needed in Spanish, whilst it is necessary in English.

The word “hacer” is used both for “to do” and “to make” in Spanish, creating confusion.

Native Spanish speakers do not finish a contraction at times which leads to such ...