Your questions answered
Question: What's the difference between a personal learning goal and a planned learning outcome?
Answer: The planned learning outcomes are those associated with your subject or discipline, for example, a new skill or accreditation. A personal learning goal is often shaped by the learner's motivation. For example, on a British Sign Language course, Simon wanted to learn to communicate with his toddler, whereas Onyeche wanted to satisfy her employer that she could work on the company's main reception desk.
Learners can usually tell whether or not they have achieved their personal learning goals, whereas they will need your input to judge whether or not they have achieved the planned learning outcomes of the course satisfactorily.
Question: Some learners are just interested in getting a qualification. Is this a legitimate personal learning goal?
Answer: It is, but learners may get the most out of their course if they are encouraged to say how the course content can be made directly relevant to them.
Question: My learners have little knowledge of the English language. How am I going to get them to identify their personal learning goals? Anyway, they just need everything!
Answer: It is most important to understand ESOL learners' personal learning goals. You can find graphic ways of representing their motives: images of home, children, work and community for example, and combining these with images that represent speaking, listening, reading and writing.
A friendly and open approach should encourage learners to understand that you are open to suggestion about what is taught and learned.
Question: I've got a detailed scheme of work: why do I need to worry about personal learning goals?
Answer: Personal learning goals are about the learner. Your scheme of work is about your subject or discipline. It's your role to adapt your scheme of work with its session plans and planned learning outcomes to accommodate what the learners need and aspire to.