Learner Analysis Assignment

Laurie L Bennett

June 5, 2012

Learner Analysis Assignment

INTRODUCTION

My learning unit will be created for a media specialist to teach a unit to a group of high

school students on the use of internet technology in research, including the use of social media.

The learning environment will be a public high school in the area where I live (Blue Ridge, GA).

The lessons will be conducted in a computer lab, where every student will have access to a

computer with an internet connection during the entire unit. The standard that I am using for this

unit is from the National Literacy Standards website under standard 4.3, which states “learners

use skills, resources, and tools to pursue personal and aesthetic growth” (“AASL,” 2012, p 8) in

particular, responsibilities.

DEMOGRAPHICS

I used the students’ academic records to access their demographical information, such as race,

primary language spoken, special needs (if any) and their free/reduced lunch status. The chart

below shows the number of students in each category Please note that each student may fall in

more than one category. For example, one student is white, has ADHD, and is eligible for free

and reduced lunch. Therefore, the total number of students in the information bar is higher than

the number of students in the group (8 students total).

ENTRY SKILLS AND PRIOR KNOWLEDGE

I gave a survey with a list of 21 commonly used technological skills to see where each student

stood on a technology continuum (see Appendix B). All of the questions were a yes/no response

of whether the student had obtained the skill or not. A score of 0-9 (yes) answers indicates a low

level of technology readiness with a need for much improvement. Scores in this range probably

indicate that the student does not have a computer at home and what few skills he or she has

learned are from school assignments. A score of 10-14 (yes) answers indicate some need for

improvement of technology skills, but a moderate level of ability already. A score of 15-21 (yes)

answers indicate that the student has obtained many technological skills and probably has access

to computers and internet both at home as well as school settings. The table shows the results of

how many students scored in each level (“What is Your Technology IQ?” 2012).

ACADEMIC MOTIVATION

The students are extremely motivated to do this project. They know that the unit will take

them out of the traditional classroom setting, onto a computer and internet, and will also cover a

few lessons on social media. These skills are in areas that many of the students spend a large

amount of time outside of school for recreational purposes. When they know they will be

allowed to participate in activities that are normally not permitted during school hours, it

becomes a special treat for them and a break from the traditional school work they are normally

complaining about.

According to the link given in Module 4, I found 2 possible causes for the motivation in the

students. One motive is social. The students want to be a part of a group and by choosing some

social media groups that pertain to their chosen interests, this unit appeals to that social aspect of

their motivation. Another reason behind their motivation is cognitive. They will be able to

choose a research topic that interests them and explore the subject matter through online

searches. This part of the activity appeals to their cognitive senses (Huitt, 2011, para 8-11).

MOTIVATIONAL STRATEGIES

Using Keller’s ARCS Motivational Theory, I will meet the motivational challenges of the

students in the following ways. I will gain and keep their attention by having them be actively

participating in their own research on the computer. The students should be able to see the

relevance of the unit by understanding that the information and skills they use in the lessons can

be used in the research and social media interaction they use daily in their personal lives.

Students may not realize that every time they do an internet search on a topic that appeals to

them personally, they are doing research and learning something. This lesson will enable them to

know the best methods of finding useful information for them, whether it be for a classroom

assignment, or for something that they are interested in for purely personal reasons.

One obstacle of motivation may be lack of confidence from students who are not as

technologically advanced than their peers because of lack of experience with browsing the

internet, performing searches, or participating in social networking. I plan to help these students

gain confidence by showing them step-by-step how to perform each part of the lesson, and also

to allow their peers to help teach them how to perform some of the steps. As the students go

through each lesson and obtain success, their confidence level should grow and the next lessons

should not be as intimidating as the previous ones.

The students should feel a sense of satisfaction after completing this unit. They will be

entertained and feel like they were able to do fun things and play games or other activities that

normally they consider to be recreation on their own time and be graded on the same activities.

As long as they complete the tasks, which are not too academically challenging, they will receive

the highest points possible on the rubric, so that even the students will learning disabilities

(Autism) and the student with ADHD will find success easily on this assignment and still learn

valuable lessons that can be used in their real lives, and not just “sometime down the road” but as

early as the moment they leave the classroom and get home that day from school (“Learning,”

2012).

LEARNER CHARACTERISTICS

I gave the students an online assessment that is meant to identify their strongest intelligences

(see Appendix A). Although every learner uses a combination of Gardner’s Multiple

Intelligences, most people are strongest in one or a few and learn best when the material is

geared towards those intelligences. The group that I am using for the unit consists of eight

learners. One learner is on the Autistic spectrum and scored extremely high in the mathematical

intelligence. In addition, the same student has other learning disabilities, especially with social

interaction. Another student has no specific learning disability, but has ADHD and scores

extremely high on the kinesthetic intelligence. A third student, identified as gifted, scores high in

the musical intelligence. One student speaks Spanish as their primary language and has trouble

with communicating in English. Additionally, this student is a visual learner. The remaining

students fall into the regular education category, and scored high in linguistic, visual,

interpersonal, and intrapersonal intelligences, respectively (“Assessment,” 2012).

ACCOMMODATIONS

I have several accommodations that can be used to reach all of the students, including the one

with Autism, the one with ADHD, and the ESOL student who speaks little English. Using digital

timers will help prompt the students to stay on task and not get carried away with one task and

lose track of time. Software programs can help many learners who struggle with reading and

writing skills. A student with weak reading comprehension skills can benefit from a program that

reads the text out loud (which would help all three of the exceptional learners in the group).

Anticipation software that helps students finish sentences by completing partial thoughts will

also help students when they write assignments. Spell check is a valuable tool for all students

when writing (“Assistive,” 2010).

Organizational software can help students stay on task and not wander through the

assignments aimlessly, and a student who is easily distracted by outside noise can put on

silencing headphones or even play quiet music through them to eliminate other outside noises

from classmates. The student who has trouble seeing the entire assignment can have the tasks

broken down into smaller sections and I will check them off as they are completed. Other visual

organizers, such as powerpoint, can help a student report on what they have learned with visual

prompts, rather than typing out everything in paragraph form on a word processing document

(“Technology,” 2006).

An ESOL student can benefit from translating programs that will translate certain words or

even entire documents for them, depending on how much English prompting they might need for

comprehension. The use of a peer tutor is always beneficial for students who might struggle

through assignments alone (“Accommodations,” 2002). Many of the accommodations listed

here will overlap in helping more than one student to perform to the best of their ability.

References

AASL Standards for the 21st-Century Learner. (2012). Retrieved June 3, 2012, from http://www.ala.org/aasl/sites/ala.org.aasl/files/content/guidelinesandstandards/learningstandards/AASL_LearningStandards.pdf

Accommodations for ESOL Students In Regular Education Classrooms. (2002). Retrieved June 3, 2012, from http://www.clayton.k12.ga.us/secondlanguagelearning/esol/pdf/t7.pdf

Assessment: Find Your Strengths! (2012). Retrieved June 3, 2012, from http://www.literacyworks.org/mi/assessment/findyourstrengths.html

Assistive Technology Accommodations. (2010). Retrieved June 3, 2012, from http://accessproject.colostate.edu/disability/modules/ADHD/tut_ADHD.cfm?display=pg_4

Huitt, W. (2011). Motivation to learn: An overview. Educational Psychology Interactive. Valdosta, GA: Valdosta State University. Retrieved from http://www.edpsycinteractive.org/topics/motivation/motivate.html

Learning Theories Knowledgebase (2012, June). ARCS Model of Motivational Design (Keller) at Learning-Theories.com. Retrieved June 5th, 2012 from http://www.learning-theories.com/kellers-arcs-model-of-motivational-design.html

Technology Accommodations. (2006). Retrieved June 3, 2012, from http://drscavanaugh.org/assistive/technology_accommodations.htm

What is Your Technology IQ? (2012). Retrieved June 3, 2012, from http://www.ccis.edu/online/admissions/techiq.asp

APPENDIX A

Top of Form

This form can help you determine which intelligences are strongest for you. If you're a teacher or tutor, you can also use it to find out which intelligences your learner uses most often. Many thanks to Dr. Terry Armstrong for graciously allowing us to use his questionnaire.

Instructions: Read each statement carefully. Choose one of the five buttons for each statement indicating how well that statement describes you.

1 = Statement does not describe you at all2 = Statement describes you very little3 = Statement describes you somewhat4 = Statement describes you pretty well5 = Statement describes you exactly

  1 2 3 4 5

 

1. I pride myself on having a large vocabulary.

2. Using numbers and numerical symbols is easy for me.

3. Music is very important to me in daily life.

4. I always know where I am in relation to my home.

5. I consider myself an athlete.

6. I feel like people of all ages like me.

7. I often look for weaknesses in myself that I see in others.

8. The world of plants and animals is important to me.

9. I enjoy learning new words and do so easily.

10. I often develop equations to describe relationships and/or to explain my observations.

11. I have wide and varied musical interests including both classical and contemporary.

12. I do not get lost easily and can orient myself with either maps or landmarks.

13. I feel really good about being physically fit.

14. I like to be with all different types of people.

15. I often think about the influence I have on others.

16. I enjoy my pets.

17. I love to read and do so daily.

18. I often see mathematical ratios in the world around me.

19. I have a very good sense of pitch, tempo, and rhythm.

20. Knowing directions is easy for me.

21. I have good balance and eye-hand coordination and enjoy sports which use a ball.

22. I respond to all people enthusiastically, free of bias or prejudice.

23. I believe that I am responsible for my actions and who I am.

24. I like learning about nature.

25. I enjoy hearing challenging lectures.

26. Math has always been one of my favorite classes.

27. My music education began when I was younger and still continues today.

28. I have the ability to represent what I see by drawing or painting.

29. My outstanding coordination and balance let me excel in high-speed activities.

30. I enjoy new or unique social situations.

31. I try not to waste my time on trivial pursuits.

32. I enjoy caring for my house plants.

33. I like to keep a daily journal of my daily experiences.

34. I like to think about numerical issues and examine statistics.

35. I am good at playing an instrument and singing.

36. My ability to draw is recognized and complimented by others.

37. I like being outdoors, enjoy the change in seasons, and look forward to different physical activities each season.

38. I enjoy complimenting others when they have done well.

39. I often think about the problems in my community, state, and/or world and what I can do to help rectify any of them.

40. I enjoy hunting and fishing.

41. I read and enjoy poetry and occasionally write my own.

42. I seem to understand things around me through a mathematical sense.

43. I can remember the tune of a song when asked.

44. I can easily duplicate color, form, shading, and texture in my work.

45. I like the excitement of personal and team competition.

46. I am quick to sense in others dishonesty and desire to control me.

47. I am always totally honest with myself.

48. I enjoy hiking in natural places.

49. I talk a lot and enjoy telling stories.

50. I enjoy doing puzzles.

51. I take pride in my musical accomplishments.

52. Seeing things in three dimensions is easy for me, and I like to make things in three dimensions.

53. I like to move around a lot.

54. I feel safe when I am with strangers.

55. I enjoy being alone and thinking about my life and myself.

56. I look forward to visiting the zoo.

 

APPENDIX B

What is your "Technology IQ"?

To be successful in an online education course, students are required not only to master the course content and materials, but to understand technology, troubleshoot technical problems, and interact with faculty and students in a completely online environment.

The check list below will help you determine if you have the "technology savvy" required for academic success in online courses.

Top of Form

Yes No Skill

1. Save and receive e-mail

2. Send and receive/locate e-mail attachments

3. Use spell check to correct spelling errors

4. Save/delete files on an external storage device (CD, thumb drive, etc.)

5. Scan for viruses using virus scanning software

6. Create a folder/sub-directory

7. Use WinZip (or similar software) to compress/decompress files

8. Search for information on the Internet using search engines

9. Create a bookmark or favorite to locate a specific Web site

10. Save an image from the Web

11. Format a Word document using columns or tables

12. Copy/cut and paste information between programs

13. Manipulate multiple windows/programs simultaneously

14. Sort data in a spreadsheet

15. Create a chart in a spreadsheet

16. Insert a table and/or chart from Excel to a Word document

17. Download applications/plug-ins from the Internet

18. Install software and/or plug-ins on a computer

19. Create a PowerPoint presentation with graphics

20. Create a Web page using HTML or a page generator

21. Add sound and/or video to a presentation