Lacey Phillips FRIT 7430 Instructional Design Learner Analysis Assignment Fall 2011 Introduction The learning for

r my analysis is taking place in a public middle school in southeast Georgia. It is in a 7th grade Mathematics classroom. We are working on our Dealing with Data unit. This unit includes the following Georgia Performance Standards: M7D1. Students will pose questions, collect data, represent and analyze the data, and interpret results. a. Formulate questions and collect data from a census of at least 30 objects and from samples of varying sizes. b. Construct frequency distributions. c. Analyze data using measures of central tendency (mean, median, and mode), including recognition of outliers. d. Analyze data with respect to measures of variation (range, quartiles, interquartile range). e. Compare measures of central tendency and variation from samples to those from a census. Observe that sample statistics are more likely to approximate the population parameters as sample size increases. f. Analyze data using appropriate graphs, including pictographs, histograms, bar graphs, line graphs, circle graphs, and line plots introduced earlier, and using box

and- whisker plots and scatter plots. g. Analyze and draw conclusions about data, including describing the relationship between two variables. Demographics At the beginning of each school year, our students are asked to take home student information sheets to their parents, where they fill out demographic information on the students we teach. Once the students bring them back, teachers turn them into the front office, and the secretaries work to put the information into Infinite Campus, where it is readily available at any time for teachers to look at. This is where I went to obtain the information on my students. I chose to focus on learners in my second block as my group for the learner analysis. This class includes twenty-one students, whose demographic information is included in the table below. Student numbers are being used to ensure student anonymity. Student Number 1 2 3 4 5 Race/Ethnicity # Siblings Enrolled in Public School System 1 1 3 0 1 Special Needs Other notes

White White White African American White

N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

Student living with grandparents Lives with mother and stepfather Lives with father and stepmother Lives with mother and stepfather Lives with

6 7 8 9 10 11 12

White African American White White African American White White

2 3 1 2 0 1 3

N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A Speech teacher is to sit him at front of the room and use proper pronunciation N/A N/A N/A N/A ELL N/A N/A N/A N/A

mother and grandmother Lives with both parents Lives with mother Lives with both parents Lives with grandmother Lives with mother Lives with both parents Lives with aunt and uncle

13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21

White African American White White Hispanic White African American African American African American

2 2 1 2 2 0 2 0 1

Lives with aunt and uncle Lives with both parents Lives with both parents Lives with both parents Lives with mother Lives with grandfather Lives with mother Lives with mother Lives with grandparents

Entry Skills and Prior Knowledge In regard to educational and ability levels, I thought it would be best to include my students CRCT levels from the previous year in Math they will be denoted with the following letters: DNM Did Not Meet the state standard; M Meets the state standard; and E Exceeds the state standard. Our schools use this information to place students in their classes so that the classes are grouped with students with similar entry levels and ability levels. I obtained this information from my school Principal, and each teacher at my school has access to the information of the students they come in contact with on a daily basis. I am not going to list individual student reports; instead, I am just going to list the number of students in each level. Students who did not meet the state standard - 15; students who Met the standard - 4; and students Exceeding the standard - 0. I also have two new students, who I do not have this information on. From this information, you can tell that the majority of the student in my second block did not meet the state standard on the CRCT last year. Many of the students who did not meet, however, were 2-8 points away from meeting the standard. Therefore, I have my work cut out for me this year. However, my students took their Pre-test for 7th grade Mathematics during the second week of school and the standards from this Dealing with Data unit were actually the top scores for this class. Therefore, I am expecting great things out of my students in regards to these particular standards for this unit. Academic Motivation My students are all motivated by different things. Almost every male student I teach plays sports at our school, and many of my female students also do. However, my female

students are more motivated by their peers they are extremely social. Some students are motivated at home by the importance that their parents place on education. Others may be motivated in different ways. For example, many of my students have very difficult home lives, and for some of them, I think that school is a way out for them. Others are motivated because they wish to make their teachers and parents proud. No matter where a students motivation comes from, it is my job to motivate them to learn in my Math classroom, and to keep them motivated. Motivational Strategies John Kellers ARCS Model of Motivational Design tells us what we must do to keep our students motivated. In order to keep students motivated, as educators, we must first gain their attention. I prefer to use active participation to gain my students attention. We often have student-led discussions in class. I like to implement games and labs. I also use real-world examples that students are interested in. For example, my students were given the career homeruns of the top ten all-time hitters for the New York Yankees. From this information, they had to collect data and put their data into different types of displays. They used bar graphs, histograms, and even created box and whisker plots from the information. They had to choose which player they thought was the best and explain why they thought so and use the graphs as evidence of their decision. The students especially the boys really got into this project. This specific project also creates relevance for the students and makes the learning meaningful for them. Students must also feel confident in their learning. I help students build confidence by focusing on the positive things they do instead of the negative. If students answer a question correctly, I tell them good job or

some sort of something that will make them feel as if they have accomplished something. Even as an adult, I enjoy doing things more that I feel like I am good at. I am sure that this also is the case for my students. Therefore, we must make our students feel like they are Math champions to keep them motivated. If they constantly feel as if they are struggling or failing, they are likely to give up. We must try our hardest to build up our students selfesteem and get them to feel as if they are great at Math. Even when my students do poorly on an assignment, I try to conference with them in order to explain to them what they did wrong, so that I am setting them up for success in the future. I also give them constructive criticism and explain to them that they will do better the next time. It is important for our students to not feel defeated, and for us to keep them uplifted at all times. Lastly, we must making learning satisfying. We do this by making the learner feel as if the task is useful and beneficial. One of my students asked me why they needed to know how to read line graphs recently, and I explained that business use them to be able to easily see their profit their company is making, and doctors and nurses use them to track heart rates and many other things. The student then said Oh! and then got really interested in making the graphs. We analyzed a few graphs which I displayed on the screen, and he volunteered to answer each question and when I called on him, he answered them correctly! It was amazing to me to see that once something is made relevant and satisfying to a student, they are much more interested and motivated to learn. Learner Characteristics Students come in on the first day of school with many different ability and achievement levels, and from many different backgrounds and learning styles. My students

took a survey on the first day of school that actually showed them what type of learner they were. You will find this survey posted in the Appendix of this paper. When students took this survey, they turned it into me, and this is the information I found: Student Number 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Type of Learner (from student survey) Visual/Spatial Linguistic; Interpersonal Kinesthetic Linguistic; Musical Visual/Spatial; Kinesthetic Kinesthetic; Linguistic N/A new student Linguistic; Musical Linguistic; Kinesthetic Musical; Linguistic; Interpersonal Kinesthetic; Visual/Spatial Visual/Kinesthetic Linguistic Linguistic; Musical Visual/Spatial; Intrapersonal Intrapersonal Logical; Visual Kinesthetic

19 20 21

Linguistic; Intrapersonal Intrapersonal; Kinesthetic Linguistic; Interpersonal

As you can tell from the second section in this analysis, my students come from very different backgrounds. I have a mixture of ethnicities: white, African American, and Hispanic students. My students also come from very different home lives. Some live with their parents, some live with just one parent, and some live with other relatives such as grandparents or aunts and uncles. All of these have an effect on the way students learn. One particular incident came to my mind when I thought about the effects of culture and ethnicities of my students. One of my female African American students is very talkative, and can be very loud and disruptive in class. I asked her to talk to me after class one day, and I asked her why she had to be so loud in my class. She explained to me that at her house, she had to be loud to be heard. Suddenly, it just clicked for me that these students dont just come to school as a clean slate ready to learn whatever you throw their way that day they are greatly affected by the way they live their lives at home with their families. Their home lives have shaped them into the people they are and it is our job to make learning meaningful to them. According to the article by Hurley, Allen, and Boykin, African American students benefit from a system called communalism. Communalism is a term for the form of group orientation that is found in African-American culture (Hurley, Allen, & Boykin, 2009). Therefore, African-American students benefit from group work and group projects. I try to implement some sort of group or partner work daily in my classroom even if it is only for twenty minutes.

I have one student in this particular class who is Hispanic. She is an immigrant, as her parents moved here from Mexico when she was just a baby. In T. D. Rodriquez article, it is explained that psychological anthropologists concerned with immigrant academic performance have suggested that the minority status of students affects their achievement in school (Rodriquez, 2002). He explains that this minority status can be of two types: voluntary or involuntary. Hispanics are considered involuntary. As my Hispanic student is a minority, she is also one of the highest performing students in my class, despite the fact that she is also an English Language Learner. I know that her background plays a major role in her achievement level, but she has overcome the set back, and is doing extremely well in my 7th grade Mathematics classroom, and I believe it is because I am able to motivate her to learn, through many different strategies. Many of my students are white students who, though not a minority, have struggles of their own. These are students who are what I like to call flying under the radar. They are not the students that are chosen as mentor students or a part of our focus group for meeting Adequate Yearly Progress. However, these students also deserve specialized attention as they have challenges of their own. I believe the most important thing to do for these types of students is to create positive relationships with these students. They need to know that they are noticed, and that their teachers truly care about them. Good teachers have always known how important it is to establish positive working relationships with their students (Kronenberg & Strahan, 2010). I strive to be one of these good teachers. A positive classroom atmosphere is vital for student success. Students need to be in a setting which they feel safe, and feel cared about in order to learn anything. If we as educators do not provide this type of environment for our students, we simply

cannot expect them to learn the content we send their way each day. No matter what a students ethnicity, culture, or background, we must make them feel welcome and feel like they belong when they step into our classroom each school day. Accommodations When I gave my students the survey at the beginning of the school year, I noticed that the majority of my students were either kinesthetic or linguistic learners. Therefore, I try to implement some type of Math lab at least twice a week so that my kinesthetic learners are targeted. I also try to let students work with a partner or in a group for at least 20 minutes a day on an assignment, which targets my linguistic learners as they have time to talk with their partner on their assignment. This also targets my students who are interpersonal learners. I target my visual learners daily by projecting examples of the things we talk about onto my projector screen, and by allowing them to create their own visuals. For example, last week we created flow maps to review the order of operations. Students made these on poster board and they then hung them around the room and down our hallway at school. One of the toughest parts of my job is figuring out different ways to meet the needs of all the different types of learners I have in my classroom (at the same time.) This is what is referred to as differentiated instruction. Differentiated instruction is a set of strategies that will help teachers meet each child where they are when they enter class and move them forward as far as possible on their educational path ( Levy, 2008). As noted in the tables above, I also have a learner who has a speech problem. He takes speech classes three times a week, and he has an IEP that I have to follow. His IEP states that he must be placed at the front of the room and the teacher must use correct pronunciation. I

also use a Redcat system, which projects my voice through speakers in my classroom, which also helps this student because he can hear my pronunciation of words clearly. I also work closely with his speech teacher to be sure that I am providing all possible support this student needs. It is argued that a fresh approach is needed which investigates the kinds of specific practitioner knowledge needed to support a pupil with specific language impairment (Forbes, 2008). Forbes also explains that the analysis suggests that practitioners and their managers and leaders will be better placed to audit how and when different modes of knowledge are needed in the cycle of their co-work, to identify any gaps or overlaps in the types of knowledge necessary and to ensure that these are addressed in future in practitioners pre- and post-qualifying professional education and learning. This describes the relationship between the Speech-Language Pathologists and me. We work together to be sure that there are no gaps in the students learning and that he can achieve to the best of his ability. I also have a student who is an English Language Learner, who is serviced by our ESOL teacher. It is my job to be sure that her language not hinder her learning and love for Math in my classroom. Teachers must know how to teach grade-level content to students who are reading below grade level, and must be able to adapt materials as well as teaching approaches so that students which a wide range of sociocultural, linguistic, and [dis]ability-related characteristics have meaningful access to the general education curriculum (Garcia & Tyler, 2010). This is exactly what I do for this student. I try to scaffold my students to understand the material to the best of their ability. I always guide them through the Math problems, and then allow them to work independently. While working independently, however, I always read the directions out loud for my students and

explain the directions in a way that makes sense to all of the learners in my classroom. Especially for this student, I try to keep reading in Language Arts class, so that my students difficulty in reading will not have an effect on her Math work. The article by Garcia and Tyler also explains that strategies that support students cognitive and academic development include: using teaching methods that draw on students preferred or stronger modalities (e.g., listening vs. reading, oral vs. written); and reducing information students must generate independently (e.g., providing checklists, reading and/or study guides, peer assistance with note-taking); and teaching study skills, self-monitoring skills, or other coping strategies to support areas affected by the disability (Garcia & Tyler, 2010). I regularly implement these strategies. I provide oral directions instead of the student having to read them, and I also provide study guides for our tests we take.

References
Forbes, J. (2008). Knowledge tr ansformations: examining the knowledge needed in teacher and speech and language therapist co -work. Educational Review, 60(2), 141154. Garcia, S. B., & Tyler, B. J. (2010). Meeting the needs of English language learners with learning disabilities in the general curriculum. Theory Into Practice, 49, 113120. Hurley, E. A., Allen, B. A., & Boykin, A. W. (2009). Culture and the interaction of student ethnicity with reward structure in group learning. Cognition and Instruction, 27(2), 121-146. Kronenberg, J., & Strahan, D. B. (2010). Responsive teaching: a framework for inviting success with students who "fly below the radar" in middle school classrooms. Journal of Invitational Theory and Practice , 16. Levy, H. M. (2008). Meeting the needs of all students th rough differentiated instruction: helping every child reach and exceed standards. Differentiated Instruction , 81(4), 161-164. Rodriguez, T. D. (2002). Oppositional culture and academic performance among children of immigrants in the usa. Race Ethnicity and Education, 5(2).

Appendix Gardners Multiple Intelligence Test (given to students)

MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES TEST Where does your true intelligence lie? This quiz will tell you where you stand and what to do about it. Read each statement. If it expresses some characteristic of yours and sounds true for the most part, jot down a "T." If it doesn't, mark an "F." If the statement is sometimes true, sometimes false, leave it blank. 1. _____ I'd rather draw a map than give someone verbal directions. 2. _____ I can play (or used to play) a musical instrument. 3. _____ I can associate music with my moods. 4. _____ I can add or multiply in my head. 5. _____ I like to work with calculators and computers. 6. _____ I pick up new dance steps fast. 7. _____ It's easy for me to say what I think in an argument or debate. 8. _____ I enjoy a good lecture, speech or sermon. 9. _____ I always know north from south no matter where I am. 10. _____ Life seems empty without music. 11. _____ I always understand the directions that come with new gadgets or appliances. 12. _____ I like to work puzzles and play games. 13. _____ Learning to ride a bike (or skates) was easy. 14. _____ I am irritated when I hear an argument or statement that sounds illogical. 15. _____ My sense of balance and coordination is good. 16. _____ I often see patterns and relationships between numbers faster and easier than others.

17. _____ I enjoy building models (or sculpting). 18. _____ I'm good at finding the fine points of word meanings. 19. _____ I can look at an object one way and see it sideways or backwards just as easily. 20. _____ I often connect a piece of music with some event in my life. 21. _____ I like to work with numbers and figures. 22. _____ Just looking at shapes of buildings and structures is pleasurable to me. 23. _____ I like to hum, whistle and sing in the shower or when I'm alone. 24. _____ I'm good at athletics. 25. _____ I'd like to study the structure and logic of languages. 26. _____ I'm usually aware of the expression on my face. 27. _____ I'm sensitive to the expressions on other people's faces. 28. _____ I stay "in touch" with my moods. I have no trouble identifying them. 29. _____ I am sensitive to the moods of others. 30. _____ I have a good sense of what others think of me. MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCE SCORING SHEET Place a check mark by each item you marked as "true." Add your totals. A total of four in any of the categories A through E indicates strong ability. In categories F and G a score of one or more means you have abilities as well.
A Linguistic B LogicalMathematical C D E BodilyKinesthetic F G

M usical Spatial

IntraInterpersonal personal

7 ___ 8 ___ 14___ 18 ___ 25 ___ Totals: ____

4 ___ 5 ___ 12 ___ 16 ___ 21 ___ ____

2 ___ 3 ___ 10 ___ 20 ___ 23 ___ ____

1 ___ 9 ___ 11___ 19___ 22___ ____

6 ___ 13 ___ 15 ___ 17 ___ 24 ___ ____

26 ___ 28 ___

27 ___ 29 ___ 30 ___

____

____

Scoring Rubric for Learner Analysis

0 Learners Selected a group of learners that is not an appropriate target sample 3 Selected a group of learners that is appropriate; sample size is less than or equal to 8 Identifies demographics of learners 5 Selected a group of learners that is an appropriate target audience for the selected Standard/Goal and contains sufficient number of learners (8 or more). Identifies a broad range of learner characteristics and includes supporting data from the target learners. 2 Utilizes Gardner's multiple intelligences to describe learners' intelligence preferences and strengths; includes instrument and original data from students. 2 Identifies special needs of learners. Cites at least 3 references for specific methods of meeting learners' needs. 2 Describes how culture and/or ethnicity might influence target learners Cites at least 3 references for specific methods of meeting the needs of learners of different cultural and/or ethnic backgrounds. 2 Includes motivation information and strategies for motivation Uses ARCS terminology or structure 2 Score Score Score Score Score Score

0 Gardner Does not identify differences among learners

1 Identifies differences, but does not use Gardner's MI theory.

0 Special Needs Does not include special needs information 0 Culture/Ethni city Does not include culture or ethnicity information

1 Identifies special needs of learners, but does not describe accommodations for those learners. 1 Describes how culture and/or ethnicity might influence target learners, but does not list methods for meeting needs of learners from different cultural or ethnic backgrounds. 1 Includes motivation information, but does not list strategies for motivation 1

0 Motivation Does not include motivation information

Form

Poorly organized report

Some section headings provided were addressed

Well organized report

Section headings provided were not used

More than three spelling or grammar errors that distracted the reader

Provided section headings were addressed

Several spelling and grammar errors that distracted the reader

Few, if any, spelling and grammar errors that distracted the reader APA Style attempted APA Style applied to reference list

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