Page 244 - Nutrition Counseling and Education Skills: A Guide for Professionals

4. Selecting methods, techniques, materials, and resources appropriate to the objectives and the individual or group
5. Implementing the learning experiences (intervention) and provision of opportunities for the person to practice new information
6. Evaluating progress and outcomes performed continuously and at stated intervals, including reassessment of learning needs (postassessment)
7. Documenting the outcomes and results of education

The first three steps (steps 1–3) of planning learning are discussed in this chapter: (1) learner needs
assessment, (2) performance objectives, and (3) content determination. Chapter 12 discusses the four
additional steps (steps 4–7) of implementing and evaluating learning.

CASE ANALYSIS 1

List some initial methods to direct the planning and establishing of goals and objectives.

Conducting a Needs Assessment

The first step in education is to conduct a preassessment or needs assessment with the client or employee.
Preassessment is a diagnostic evaluation performed by gathering data before instruction to establish a starting
point. It serves to classify people regarding their current knowledge, skills, abilities, aptitudes, interests,
personality, educational level, degree of literacy, age, gender, occupation, culture, lifestyle, health problem, and
psychological readiness to learn (stage of change). Each person is unique.

A needs assessment will compare what a person knows with what they need to know.
Source: US Department of Agriculture.

A need for learning is the gap between what people know now and what they should know. This gap may
also represent the difference between expectations of how employees should perform compared with how they
actually function or perform.

Desired knowledge, skill, – Current knowledge, skill, = Need for learning
attitude, or performance attitude, or performance

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