B: Initial Assessment

The Informal Interview

Thus far, we have discussed the importance of knowing:

  • the level of formal education your learner has.
  • the learning style or preference your learner has.

However, understanding your learner does not consist of just gleaning information about her background; it should also focus on the skills, needs and goals of the learner. You may find it useful to do an informal interview with your learner. The informal interview can serve as an opportunity to do the needs assessment as well as get a feel for the skills the learner already possesses.

A needs assessment is the process of gathering information about the learner's background, interests and goals.

This interview should not be set up as though it is a testing situation. It should be something that you approach in a friendly, conversational way. You may even want to take more than one session to do the interview. Below are some questions which will help you learn more about your learner and assist both of you in developing a program which best suits the needs of the learner.

Naturally, if the learner cannot answer the first few questions, you would stop the interview process.

Possible Questions14

a. Education / Background

Where did you grow up?
Did you go to school there? (How many years did you go to school?)
What are schools like in your country?
What is your first language?
Do you speak any other languages?
How old were you when you started learning English?

14 Manitoba Education and Training, Adult Literacy and Continuing Education. Creative Student Assessment. National Adult Literacy Database. [on-line], Fredericton, New Brunswick. Available: nald.ca/CLR/csa/contents.htm. [2003, February 21] Used with permission.