Identifying my learners needs

There are some key questions that have been given in the CIDTT guide . I have phrased a few of my own .

For e.g -

What kind of activities do they like or don’t like ?
What kind of “intelligences ”are popular ?
What are the cultural distribution levels ?
What kind of technology based instruction do they prefer ?
What are the ground rules in general ?
How are the classrooms arranged ?
Do they work in specified groups ?
How much freedom to they have in choosing their working styles?
Do they like groupwork / teamwork ?
What levels of Grammar have they already attained ?

I took this checklist today to the school . I met the 3rd grade teacher and interviewed her and I also met all three Grade - 3 classes . The students will be all mixed up when they come back after the holidays . I didn't want to waste anytime and so I rushed off to meet them . Some might leave and new ones may join but its comforting to know that some of them atleast would be my future 4th grade students .
Keeping that in mind I wanted to familiarise myself with everything that I could .
I talked to some students . I observed the classroom settings . I have so much information . I viewed their work through the past files . I took pictures . I will be teaching English so I also took a glance and jotted down on all the levels of grammar that they are already familiar with . I spoke to other 3rd grade teachers who generalised and then specifically to the coordinator and future 4th grade teachers . Ofcourse I will do all of this again when I get a specific group after the holidays but this kind of work done now which i refer to as spade work can enable me to make a fair program and session plan . The idea is that whatever objectives and aims I set should be appropriate to the level for whom I set them for and also I can take into account activities that are already popular and I can find ways to vary the levels of learning in a much more informed structured manner .