Chapter 2 Summary - Environment Analysis

Environment Analysis

Environment analysis is the process which involves looking at the different factors that will be crucial effects towards the goals of the course, what topics to include and how to assess it. All of these factors arise from the learners, the teachers and the teaching nad learning situation. It is very important to highlight that environment should be analyzed before setting the rules for the course, everything must be taken into account teacher's performance and knowledge level, the number and characteristics of the students, their different skills, strenghts and weaknesses, the infrastructure where lessons will be held.
These aspects are highly important and if one of them it is not considered something will go wrong in the course.

Environment Constraints

When making the correct analysis of the environment, we could make a list of constrainst which could have a positive or negative effect in the development of the lessons, it could be easier to checklist the pros and cons and to know the different effects. 

Understanding Constraints

To understand a constraint, after identifying it, you must research more about it and to know the different elements that are involved in it and how you can modify your curriculum or as well take advantage of a possible situation. For example a class with 40 students it is not handle in the same way of a class of 20 people.

The Constraint of Time 

Often, time is against us as teachers, and we cannot develop the class as we planned it because of different situations which appeared. Time is limited or the activities cannot developed in the time available. It is highly important to fit into time and adapt to it, this is a way to take advantage of the constraint, Another way is to cover most activities and goals during the provided time but in a superficial level, relying on later experience acquired by students themselves.

Steps in  Environment Analysis

1. Brainstorm and consider the range of environment factors that could affect the course.
2. Choose the most importand factors and rank them.
3. Decide what information could be taken into account about the constraint.
4. Consider the effects on the deisgn of the course.
5. Recap.