The interests section of my needs analysis was perhaps the most revealing and useful of all. All of my students have an interest in learning about and discussing culture, whether it be fashion, food, or visual arts. Several of the students have a background in the arts. A few have worked in the business or academic sides of the fine arts as art historians or in galleries, while others are professional or amateur painters. Additionally, one has worked for an Italian fashion house and is a budding designer. All of this information has helped me plan not only a successful field trip to the Gagosian Gallery where students were inspired by the work of Jean-Michel Basquiat to compose personal essays or poems, but it also has informed how I structure the class. I know that the students respond to visual stimuli, so I try to incorporate as many visual styles of learning as possible, from words simply written on the blackboard to bold pictures for discussion and writing prompts.

       Many of the students also enjoy reading for pleasure. While some prefer TV (another visual cue), those who read to relax expressed an eagerness to read books, fairy tales, poems and novels in English. Thus, I have begun to gear more toward literature for reading texts so that the students can master components of English literary language and foster an appreciation for the English written word. Political topics and current events still have a major place in my classroom as most of the students read some form of the news every day, but for the first time, I am surrounded by learners whose linguistic abilities are ripe for literary exploration and who are eager for the experience.

       On the other hand, all of the students also admitted that their artistic interests do not always coincide with their language needs. Every single student reads and writes emails in English on a daily basis. They all want to improve their emailing skills for no reason other than necessity. They want to learn job skills in English and they want to be able to make small talk during potential networking opportunities. Therefore, we spent an early chunk of the course on careers and job-hunting skills, and have continuously practiced both formal and informal email writing in both a printed and online form.
 

       Many of the students also recognized in their needs analyses that the ability to make small talk and chat with Americans rested more on improving their pronunciation than anything else. Some students specified a desire to practice rhythm and intonation while others singled out particular sounds that give them trouble, such as liquids. In any case, each class now starts with pronunciation work through either explicit means where students must differentiate between and reproduce sounds, or through implicit practice where they speak with partners or in groups and are tasked with monitoring one another before the entire class corrects some pronunciation errors I jotted down.

       Each student explained that she only has one to two hours a day to commit to studying or practicing English outside of the class, yet everyone uses English in their daily lives. Several students noted that they want to work on these seemingly simple conversation skills so that they “don’t feel stupid” when they are spoken to here in New York. Therefore, honing in on this self-awareness in class is essential for students to feel safe producing English out in the real world. By using materials and prompts that relate to their own artistic interests as well as career needs, I’ve been able to help ease that burden and allow students to feel comfortable being “stupid” in class where it’s always acceptable to ask for help and admit that they do not know the answer or understand the question.

       Finding out how to make students feel safe was, for me, the key component of the needs analysis. As advanced students, they know that all of their skills are pretty good, and that each of them could always use some fine tuning. Therefore, locating those pockets of comfort that appeal to them emotionally, intellectually and creatively has allowed me to target lessons toward the interests of every student so that they feel safe with whatever type of work I throw their way.