ABSTRACT
All pupils have needs and the needs of particular students are personal as well as special. Social backgrounds, maturation rates, interests, antipathies and learning styles are idiosyncratic. It is important, therefore, to avoid planning educational programmes on the assumption that some students have special needs and require special attention while others, the majority, are normal and can be dealt with summarily. If students are encouraged to discuss confidentially their own perceptions of their previous and anticipated learning, including their feelings about different teaching approaches, their ambitions, their worries about learning challenges and their enjoyment of learning experiences, there is some hope that teachers can begin to map out a learning route which will be motivating and beneficial to the individuals. Negotiating learning programmes with students helps to ensure that the pace, the method and the content of the programmes are appropriate to that individual. It also uncovers unexpected enthusiasms and resources.
