Blog #2-Needs analysis

BLOG #2-Needs Analysis

When discussing needs analysis, the author says that a need is reflective of the interests and values of the stakeholders…and that the language needs are often those described as the skills that are needed to live in an English dominant society. The author Auerbach also points out that English language teaching is considered to be a transfer of skills that are created by the needs of social institutions, rather than the actual language learners, and often ignores the questions of power. (p. 54-55) I think Auerbach is on the right track in his comment and beliefs. It is the institutions that are creating the curriculum guidelines and ideology that formulates the standards that we are faced with in our schools that we have to deal with as teachers. It gets more upsetting to me as I take more of these classes, how the questions of power are often ignored and yet they are the reason why so many languages are now on their way to being lost. The federal government and the policy makers are often making decisions based on the needs of a particular political agenda that most people don’t even realize.