Assessing Individual Learner Goal Achievement

There is growing evidence that the needs of adult and child or adolescent learners are very different. A recent study of adult learning and literacy suggests that participants who have goals in mind are likely to persist in their studies, and changing a goal through experience appears to be a positive decision. Effective adult learning programs today strive to provide meaningful, learner-centered instruction that is informed by the learners' needs, interests, and goals. Tailoring instruction to class needs and class goals can be accomplished through class curriculum negotiation whereby students negotiate course content and set class goals. Such a process gives the learners a voice in their instruction and improves practice and instruction through a better understanding of adult learners' needs. This increases learners' motivation and confidence and leads them to commit more time to their studies--a valuable outcome for busy adults. This guide is designed to help the English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) teacher do this effectively for a class of 20 or more individuals. The guide helps teachers and learners define goals, helps teachers and learners work together to define individual short-term goals, suggests instructional steps, helps teachers make class and individual goals and planning compatible, suggests ways to carry out plan progress and monitoring, and suggests ways to evaluate and document progress. Blank forms and worksheets are included. (Contains 20 references.) (Adjunct ERIC Clearinghouse for ESL Literacy Education) (KFT)