Identify, Plan, Facilitate and Evaluate the Needs of a Learner

Introduction
The teaching cycle consists of five processes, the five processes are identifying the needs of the learners, the planning and design of the lesson , to deliver/facilitate depending on the needs of the learners, to assess the learner and finally to evaluate your own delivery of the lesson and the entire course .

Identify needs
It is important for a teacher or lecturer to identify the needs of a learner before any teaching takes place, each learner will have individual learning styles and levels of ability and it is the teacher’s responsibility to identify any issues. Each learner will complete an application form before starting a course which will tell you in advance of any support needs. New students undertake an initial assessment which confirms their literacy and numeracy levels. Some learners may require additional support in lessons or attend study skills to enhance their levels. The teacher must adopt professional boundaries at all times which include using appropriate language and treating all students fairly. Teachers need to be aware of safeguarding guidelines and students should be referred to the appropriate bodies if required .

Plan and design
As a teacher it is good practice to have lesson documentation such as a scheme of work and a lesson plan for each individual lesson. Important information is found in a lesson plan which includes how long a session will last and resources used in that particular lesson. Using handouts during a lesson is a good way of incorporating individual learning styles. Assessments are planned and carried out at various times throughout the duration of the course which is found on the scheme of work. Deliver / facilitate

During the delivery of a lesson the teacher incorporates various teaching methods which can be tailored to support each individual learning style such as the use of a detailed handout, this may help a visual learner where as a kinaesthetic and an aural learner would benefit from a practical demonstration. The teacher could include fun activities in the lesson to help learners remember key facts this would create a positive experience for the learners. Assess

When a teacher is involved with the assessment of a learner it could be either skills or knowledge being assessed. Skills can be observed during a practical task and a selection of open questions can be used to identify if learning has taken place. An assessment is then recorded and constructive feedback is given on completion. Decisions should be fair and guidance should be given when appropriate.

Evaluate
On completion of each course it is good practice to allow the learners to complete a generic feedback document to gauge the positive and negative outcomes from the course. Feedback can then be used to improve the quality of the provision in the future. Conclusion

All of the five processes included in the teaching/training cycle are equally important in the preparation of the teaching and learning experience. Failure to include any of the five parts of the cycle could seriously disadvantage both the teacher and the learner and affect the final outcome.