Assignment Number One-- Learner Analysis[1]

8/8/2019 Assignment Number One-- Learner Analysis[1]

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Amy Walker

Assignment #1Learner Analysis

Standard 2: The student who is information literate evaluates information critically andcompetently.

GPS: ELA7W3The student uses research and technology to support writing.

Method: The following learner analysis was conducted using a survey and a teacher

interview that was completed by the students. Additional student information was

obtained in a teacher interview.

1. Target Population: The group of learners selected consists of 12 seventh grade

students. The students are heterogeneously grouped and represent a broad range

of learner characteristics. Characteristics from the target learners is as follows:

Target PopulationStudent

Number

Gender Race Age Exceptionality First

Language

Lunches

1 M W 13 None English

2 M B 13 None English Free/R

3 M H 15 ESOL Spanish Free/R

4 M W 13 ADD English

5 F B 13 None English Free/ R

6 F B 13 None English

7 F W 13 None English Free/ R

8 F W 14 ADD English

9 M B 13 None English Free/ R

10 F B 13 None English

11 F H 13 None English Free/R

12 M W 13 Gifted English


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Learner Characteristics of Target Population

Student

Number

Gender Race Learning

Preference

Favorite

Subject

Least

Favorite

Subject

Social

Preference

FavoriteGenre of

Literature

1 M W Visual Reading Math Partnership Fiction

2 M B Auditory S.S. Math Groups Non

3 M H Visual Math English Partnership Fiction

4 M W Kinesthetic Science Reading Groups Non

5 F B Visual English Science Alone Fiction

6 F B Visual Reading Math Partnership Fiction

7 F W Auditory Math English Alone Fiction

8 F W Kinesthetic Science Reading Groups Non

9 M B Kinesthetic Math S.S. Groups Fiction

10 F B Visual Math English Groups Non

11 F H Visual Reading Math Alone Fiction

12 M W Kinesthetic Science S.S. Groups Non

Summary:

The target population consists of 6 males and 6 females. There are 5 Caucasian

students, 5 African-American students, and 2 Hispanic students. Six students

qualified for a free or reduced lunch. All but one student chose English as their firstlanguage. The group ranges in age from 13 to 15 years old. Two students are ADD

and one student is gifted.

According to the survey, 6 students are visual learners, 4 kinesthetic learners, and2 students are auditory learners. The teacher should incorporate a variety of learningopportunities in order to accommodate the diverse needs of the students learning

preferences.

Students were asked to circle their favorite and least favorite subject as a means ofassessing students attitudes and interests. Three students chose Reading as a favorite

subject, one chose Social Studies, four chose Math, one student chose English, and

three students chose Science as their favorite subject. I found it interesting that the


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Hispanic male chose Math as a favorite subject. He does seem to comprehend

numbers much better than letters. His least favorite subject is English, which does

tend to be more challenging for him given that he speaks very little English.Four students chose Math to be their least favorite subject, three chose English,

one chose Science, two chose Social Studies, and two chose Reading. Given the data

acquired from students, there seems to be a variety of learning styles and preferencesamong the group.

Most students prefer to work in groups (especially kinesthetic learners). While 3

students prefer working alone and 3 prefer working with partners, an attempt will bemade to allow students the choice of how to prepare their work. The teacher will

vary instructional strategies to accommodate all students.

Seven out of twelve students prefer reading fictional books. Students will have

the opportunity to choose the genre of literature they would like to use in the unit.Some students may read or work with both genres of literature.

* Survey can be found at the end of this document.


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2. A student survey was administered to determine the learner characteristics of the target learners (Gardners multipleintelligences). The questions were designed to show all areas of learning in which students have strengths. The following

table organizes the survey results in a way that allows the teacher to summarize the implications for all learners. The original

data from students can be found after viewing the table.

Types of Intelligences

StudentNumber Nature

Smart

(Naturalist

)

Number/

Logic Smart

(Mathematical)

Word

Smart

(Verbal)

Music

Smart

(Muscial)

Picture

Smart

(Visual)

Body

Smart

(Kinesthetic)

People

Smart

(Interpersonal)

Self

Smart

(Intrapersonal)

1 X X

2 X X X

3 X X

4 X X

5 X X X

6 X X

7 X X

8 X X

9 X

10 X X X11 X X X

12 X

X--Indicates the highest scores on the Survey


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Summary of Table

The group of 7th grade students selected have multiple strengths and weaknesses and will enjoy learning in a variety of ways.One student had a strong preference for visual learning, possibly because his first language is Spanish, therefore pictures and visual

images help him tremendously when completing his work. Most of the students seem to learn through a variety of ways; they have a


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range of strong intelligences. In order for all students to capitalize on their strengths, the

teacher should incorporate diverse teaching strategies throughout the curriculum.

Most students possessed a strong intelligence in the body (kinesthetic)intelligence. This tells me that most students enjoy working with hands-on activities.

Concrete learning and examples will benefit the students. The second most common

intelligence was the people (interpersonal) intelligence. Students in this class enjoyworking with others. Group work or working with partners would benefit this group of

learners. I found it interesting that no student scored significantly high in the nature

smart category. This is evident in our society today, given the widespread rate at whichtrees are cut down for shopping centers and other social activities.

* The multiple intelligence quiz that was distributed among students can be found at the

end of this document.

3. Accommodations for target learners with special needs:

A teacher interview was conducted to identify the special needs of students. The

following table shows the individual criteria for students.

StudentNumber

STARReading

Level

ReadingCRCT

Score

CRCTScoring

Criteria

Special Needs, Emotional,Psychological, Physical

Handicaps

1 12.1 850 exceeds

2 4.5 824 meets

3 1.4 no data available n/a very limited English;

struggling reader4 7.2 830 meets ADD

5 6.7 811 meets

6 5.7 836 meets

7 12.9+ 836 meets

8 5.6 845 meets ADD

9 7.7 821 meets

10 4.2 790 did not meet

11 5.9 no data available n/a

12 12.9+ 910 exceeds

Academic Summary:

STAR Reading Levels:

Below: 7 At level: 2 Above: 3

Reading CRCT Scores:

Does not meet: 1 Meets: 7 Exceeds: 2


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Special Needs: 1 (struggling reader)

Gifted: 1

Accommodations: One student was identified as ESOL, which requiresaccommodations for this learner. Two students were ADD and one student was

identified as a gifted learner. Accommodations for these students can be seen as

follows:

Accommodations

Type of Student

Diversity

Teaching Strategies that will

be

Utilized

How will the strategy be

implemented?

ADDAttention

Deficit Disorder

Students 4, 8

Direct Instruction;

Summarize information;

PowerPoint presentations

Ask student to repeat

directions to ensure all oral

directions are understood. Use graphic organizers

when appropriate.

Summarize informationusing power point

presentations.

Use a variety of visual andauditory teaching strategies.

Provide hands-on activities

when possible.

Struggling

Readers

Student 3

Repetition; Use pre-reading

strategies; Provide a variety of

reading materials in theclassroom library.

Provide visual images of

material.

Read literature twice; usetape recorder to play storieson audio.

Provide material that

matches the learning level of

the student.

Allow students to use

highlighters to highlight keyterms and ideas.

Gifted Students

Student 12

Higher Level Questioning;

Provide a variety of reading

materials in the classroomlibrary.

Use the buddy-system to

allow gifted students guide

others through complexlearning tasks.

Supply a variety of readingmaterials.

Ask higher-level questions

that promote criticalthinking skills.


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4. Culture and Ethnicity of Learners:

This class is made up of a diverse group of students. The target groupconsists of five Caucasian students, five African-American students, and two Hispanic

students. One Hispanic student comes from a large family of English speaking parents

and siblings. She speaks English and Spanish fluently and interacts well with her peers.The other Hispanic student has lived a challenging and complex life for a 15-year-

old boy. His mother died in a car accident a few years ago, which resulted in his being

orphaned and homeless in Mexico. There are a few questions about his history becausehe became homeless and was thought to have roamed the streets for a few months before

officials located him and his sister. Authorities located an aunt that lived in the United

States and sent him and his sister to live with her. He speaks very little English;

however, he is immersed in an English speaking home and school. He doesnt haveadditional help in school, other than accommodations made by the teacher. The other

Hispanic student in his class has become a tremendous help for him and he seems to have

progressed throughout the school year. However, he must have accommodations made

for him to complete the school year and progress to the 8

th

grade.

3 methods of meeting the needs of learners of different cultural and/or ethnic

backgrounds:

Dolch Word ListsOver 50-75% of the most commonly used words can befound on the Dolch Word Lists. Students can create flash cards with words from

this list. They can draw an image beside the word and write the definition on the

back. The teacher can also use cloze activities with the cards.http://specialed.about.com/od/literacy/a/dolch.htm

Provide reading materials with a Spanish and English translation. Also, providereading material that corresponds to the students reading level. Picture books forESL learners are great to use in the classroom as well. Books of differing reading

levels should be provided in the classroom library.

Home/ School communication is in place and extra assistance is provided either

by a student or by myself. Graphic organizers are provided when possible and

verbal instruction is not given alone. Students are provided with continuous,positive feedback as much as possible to boost self esteem.

http://specialed.about.com/od/teacherstrategies/a/modify.htm

5. ARCS Model: Motivational StrategiesThe student survey was designed to determine the learners interests and attitudes

towards subject areas and ideas. The ARCS Model will be used as a guide when

drawing further insight into student motivation.

o Attention: Students attention will be gained through the use of making

connections between content and students prior knowledge. The use of a K-W-L

chart will determine what students already know about the concepts taught. The
http://specialed.about.com/od/literacy/a/dolch.htmhttp://specialed.about.com/od/teacherstrategies/a/modify.htmhttp://specialed.about.com/od/literacy/a/dolch.htmhttp://specialed.about.com/od/teacherstrategies/a/modify.htm


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teacher will have the opportunity to draw on what the students know and what

they would like to know about the concepts. The chart will be completed during

the discussion with the students. This will allow students to feel as though theycan have some of their questions answered when progressing through the unit.

After the completion of the unit, the students will have the opportunity to discuss

what they learned and complete the final part of the chart.

o Relevance: Students will be engaged in a discussion of why Information Literacy

Standard 2 is important and can be utilized in their own lives. Standard 2 states

that the student who is information literate evaluates information critically and

competently.Students will also determine why GPS standard ELA7W3 is relevant in their

lives. This standard states the student uses research and technology to support

writing. The students will learn to develop ideas that lead to inquiry,investigation, and research. They will include the researched information in the

form of a PowerPoint presentation. They will use electronic sources to locate

relevant information.

o Confidence: The students will gain confidence at the beginning of the unit

through the use of clearly defined objectives and understanding the standards and

guidelines. The students will be able to see the end result (a final product) as

they begin the unit. They will have a goal to work towards from the start. Theteacher will provide positive feedback and reinforcement strategies throughout the

unit to ensure all students possess the confidence required from beginning to end.

o Satisfaction: Students will be given the opportunity to satisfy their desire to

demonstrate what they have learned through the final assessment. This

assessment will determine that all students have mastered the content taught andare ready to apply their knowledge to further real-world applications.


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Survey

Please circle the answer that best describes you.

1. What is your age?

a. 12 b. 13 c. 14 d. 15

2. What is your gender?

a. male b. female

3. What is your race?

a. Caucasian b. African- American c. Hispanic d. other

4. Which way do you learn best?

a. hands-on activites (labs) b. visual activities c. listening

5. What is your favorite subject?

a. Math b. Reading c. Science d. Social Studies e. English

6. What is your least favorite subject?

a. Math b. Reading c. Science d. Social Studies e. English

7. What is your first language?

a. English b. Spanish c. other_______________________________

8. Do you receive free or reduced lunch?

a. yes b. no

9. Do you know how to look up information in the library?

a. yes b. no

10. What is your favorite genre (category) of book to read?

a. fiction (make believe) b. Non-fiction (real)


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Documents

Assignment Number One-- Learner Analysis[1]