4.1 SWOT Analysis

In this first Application and Reflection task of the course, you will undertake a SWOT analysis. The concept of the SWOT analysis comes from the world of business where it is used as a strategic planning and management technique used to help identify Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats related to business competition or project planning. It is often more broadly called a situational assessment or situational analysis and can be much more widely applied, for example to your own teaching and learning context in the care setting you are involved in.

Please download this SWOT worksheet (18.2 KB)  and complete steps 1 to 5 below:

1. Analyse your own care context in respect of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats it presents for learning languages with senior learners. Where do you see chances and risks?
2. Note your views in the individual fields of the SWOT analysis. Please write down at least three points in each field.
3. Please write the conclusions you draw from your analysis underneath the SWOT table.  These should include ways in which you think improvements can be made to help people in your care to engage with language learning, things that work well, and how you can build on these etc.
4. Write a post in the course Forum where you attached your SWOT analysis.  You can summarise your SWOT findings in your forum post.
5. Then read the analyses your fellow students have posted and comment on what the group's analyses have in common and where they differ.

Once you have finished posting your file in the Forum, follow the link to the next activity.