| Body | by Masaki Eguchi, CASLS Graduate Assistant
In this activity, learners will conduct a simple needs analysis for their own language learning. This activity was designed for learners of all levels, but is likely especially useful for learners engaging in self-directed learning or studying language for specific purposes. As such, these activity instructions were written with the learner as the audience. However, the activity can be adapted to a classroom or community learning context.
Learning outcomes:
Learners will be able to:
- Identify one or more specific language use domains where they will use the target language (e.g., Spanish for providing medical services)
- Identify one or more workplace tasks in which a language plays a key role in communication (e.g., listening to patients discuss their symptoms)
- List one knowledge goal that allows them to accomplish the identified communicative task
- List one analysis goal that allows them to accomplish the identified communicative task
Mode(s): Any (depending on the learner’s goal)
Materials: How Do I Know What I Need? video, Language Needs Inventory handout, devices with internet access
Procedure:
- Watch the How Do I Know What I Need? video. As you watch, take note of what aspects of language the Knowledge and Analysis quadrants of the IPIC model refer to, as explained in the video.
- Next, fill out Step 1 of the Language Needs Inventory handout to check your understanding of the Knowledge and Analysis components of IPIC model.
- Then, fill out Step 2 of the handout. First, identify one target language that is relevant to your work or educational context. Then, brainstorm the language use domain (the general context you will use the language in).
- Fill out Step 3 of the handout with one or more situations where you use or anticipate using the target language. For this step, think about specific situations within your general context. These situations should be more detailed and specific, and should include information such as who is involved and what information needs to be communicated. For example, in a medical clinic context, possible situations could include using appropriate greeting sequences with patients or asking clarifying questions to better understand patients’ verbal descriptions of their ailments. If helpful, you may write down more than one of these situations.
- Next, fill our Step 4 of the handout, using one of the situations you identified in Step 3. What Knowledge and Analysis information will you need to know or learn to be able to communicate in this situation? Write these down under My Knowledge Goals and My Analysis Goals.
- As you fill out the handout, you may find that you wish to revisit your answers in previous sections. That is okay! You may wish to complete the Steps 3 and 4 multiple times, either to refine your answers or to map out what you will need to know for more than one specific situation.
- Finally, take a few minutes to think about what successful communication in your specific situation(s) would look like to you. Do you want to project your professional competence to clients you would interact with? Would you like to put patients at ease by inserting some humor in the conversation? How would you know if your interaction is successful in the way you've defined?
Notes:
- Bonus step (on the handout): Observe real-world examples of the communication in your identified situations from Step 3 by observing communication in your workplace context, or a similar context, or by looking for video or audio examples for this situation online. Once you have observed the interaction(s), revisit your Knowledge and Analysis goals. Is there anything you would change or add for either category?
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