Learner Analysis Assignment Theresa Abernathy Introduction The learning environment that I chose for this assignment took

place at a public high school which is a magnet school for high achievers. I targeted my current Magnet/Gifted World History class for this assignment. Our school is located in Chamblee, Georgia and is one of the oldest in DeKalb county. We are a diverse community and our high school is currently ranked among the best in the state. The academic goal I chose was for students to understand Classical Mediterranean societies including ancient Greece and Rome and the depth of their impact on current civilizations. The Georgia Performance Standard is listed below. SSWH3 The student will examine the political, philosophical, and cultural interaction of Classical Mediterranean societies from 700 BCE to 400 CE. B. Identify the ideas and impact of important individuals; include Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle and describe the diffusion of Greek culture by Aristotles pupil Alexander the Great and the impact of Julius and Augustus Caesar.
C. Analyze the contributions of Hellenistic and Roman culture; include law, gender, and science.

Demographics Our school currently has around 1,400 students enrolled in our resident and magnet school programs. The class I chose is very small with 15 students on my roster. I will outline their .respective demographics below Student 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Age 16 15 15 15 15 15 14 15 15 15 M F x x x A x x x x x x x x x x C x AA G x x x x x x x x NG 504

x x x x x x

x x x

11 12 13 14 15 Totals

15 15 15 15 15

x x x 7 x x 8 2

x x x x x 7 6

x x x x x 12 3 1

C-Caucasion A-Asian

AA-African American G-Gifted NG-Non-gifted

M-Male F-Female 504-Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act

Entry Skills and Prior Knowledge I used previous CRCT Scores obtained through DeKalb County Schools IDMS program which allows teachers to view previous test scores, previous coursework and grades, as well as discipline referrals and special accommodations. Because my students are in the magnet program, there is a consistency among how well they have tested on prior tests. It is interesting to note that the one student with a 504 plan in my class had one of the highest test scores on the CRCT. Number of student who did not meet (less than 800): 0 Number of students who met (800-849): 5 Number of students who exceed (scores above 850): 10

Academic Motivation Based on my experience in the educational field with 13 years of teaching and 10 of those being with gifted and accelerated students, I have found that student performance and competition among the magnet students is one of the highest motivating factors in my class. Students must apply, meet the criteria, and then selected by lottery to attend our magnet program. Based on these requirements, they generally have the motivation to continue to be in the program if they maintain their GPAs. Obviously, that is motivation enough for these students. Aside from the competition aspect, they are motivated to achieve at high levels to continue their studies when they graduate. The students in this study all have high achievement scores and read above their grade level in all subjects. Because of their high intelligence, I have to ensure that my lesson plans are challenging to them to maintain their interest in learning.

Motivational Strategies A: Attention strategies to arouse and sustain curiosity and interest. For my chosen goal, I like to bring in a model of structure that was built thousands of years ago in ancient Rome or Greece. The students are then instructed to close their eyes and imagine being there in that time period. What do you see and what is happening? I implore the students to try to feel the sand in the Colissseum and imagine they are a gladiator preparing for the fight. Students generally bring a previous understanding of the gladiatorial battles and have a strong interest in the subject matter. When they see the structure, they immediately conjure ideas of being a hero fighter with the crowd screaming their names. They are invoking previous knowledge and allowing their interest to beckon new information as we embark into the chapter on ancient Greece and Rome. R: Relevance strategies that link to learners' needs, interests, and motives. My students will examine several key philosophers, writers, politicians, and leaders to compare their ideas and characteristics in todays world. They will realize how controversial their ideas were for their time period and analyze how their achievements affect todays societies.

C: Confidence strategies that help students develop a positive expectation for successful achievement. Students get an opportunity to problem solve and research when they are assigned the task to recreate one of these ancient structures. They have to research how they built them and what their purpose was, and then they get to build a replica using a maximum of 5 materials in their project. The students have to decide how to design their structure and which materials to use in order to receive full credit on their project. Students love hands on projects and this particular project allows them to think outside the box (or their textbook, in this case). S: Satisfaction strategies that provide extrinsic and intrinsic reinforcement for effort. Besides the satisfaction of receiving a good grade on a project that is worth so many points, I also try to turn this project into a competition to see who can create the most authentic looking replica. Generally, the students who do the best are not the ones who make the best grades on tests. It gives your atypical A student a chance to shine in a different light. Everyone loves to be acknowledged for hard work. It is critical that teachers find an alternative performance assessment to give everyone a chance to be recognized.

Learner Characteristics When I attended class for my gifted certification, this was one topic we spent many classes focusing on: Gardners multiple intelligences. In order for a teacher to be effective, we must distinguish between how our students learn and differentiate our lessons

to meet these learning styles (Gardner, 2011) Out of the 15 students that I surveyed for my data, the responses indicated that 12 students were considered to be visual-spatial learners, while 2 were logical-mathematical and only 1 was considered to be more verbal-linguistic. I used the survey from North Carolina State University included in our learning module. I think students today are so used to having visual aids, that they do not seem to focus and understand without them. I am not sure if my students have been together for so long (most have been together since elementary school), but it is almost uncanny the similarities between learning styles and activities they use to facilitate learning. Because I feel most of my students are either visual-spatial or logical-mathematical, I tend to use more visual aids in class, especially during instruction. They also love to do problem solving, even in the historical sense. The visual students loves a hands on project were they can relate prior knowledge to solve a problem that societies faces thousands of years ago. The other learning styles that Gardner focused on include bodily-kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalistic were not evident in my study but I am sure there may have been some data that could have been manipulated to fit various groups. Accommodations While I am perhaps lucky in the fact that I teach mostly gifted and highly motivated students, my students are, by far, not perfect learners. The one student I have with a 504 plan has been diagnosed with ADHD, but at our level, he seems to have it under control. He actually has not been a problem what so ever, and I feel that perhaps his peers play a part in his success in class. There are certain modifications that we are required to maintain for him, such as preferential seating in proximity to the teacher, extra-time as needed on assessments, and communication on expectations and assessment goals for class. All students have special needs and at times, require motivations to be successful (Kallenbach, 2010). Not all are diagnosed with a special disorder, as some issues are more things out of their control. The teacher has to look at all the students needs and issues and try to differentiate their lessons to accommodate these needs, which can often be difficult in larger classrooms. I find myself lecturing too much and I try to remind myself that this method wont reach all students. At that point, I must do something different the next opportunity I get to reach the students. References Gardener, H. (2011). Promoting learner engagement using multiple intelligences and choice-based instruction. Adult Basic Education and Literacy Journa,l 5 (2), 97-101. Viens, J., & Kallenbach, S. (2007). Multiple intelligences and adult literacy: A sourcebook for practitioners. New York, NY: Teachers College Press. McKethan, R., Rabinowitz, E., Kernodle, M. (2010). Mutliple intelligences in virtual and traditional instructional learning environments. Physical Educator, 67(3), 67-72.

Cardoos, S. & Hinshaw, S. (2011). Friendship as protection from peer victimization for girls with and without ADHD. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 39(7), 1035-1045. Gresham, F. M., & Little, S. G. (1993). Peer-referenced assessment strategies. Handbook of Child and Adolescent Assessment ,165179. Yesil, R. (2010). Reliability and validity analysis of the multiple intelligence perception scale. Education Journal (131)1, 262-273.

Appendix http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/ILSdir/styles.htm)

Learning Styles Questionnaire 1. I understand something better after I (a) try it out. (b) think it through. 2. I would rather be considered (a) realistic. (b) innovative. 3. When I think about what I did yesterday, I am most likely to get (a) a picture. (b) words. 4. I tend to (a) understand details of a subject but may be fuzzy about its overall structure. (b) understand the overall structure but may be fuzzy about details. 5. When I am learning something new, it helps me to (a) talk about it. (b) think about it. 6. If I were a teacher, I would rather teach a course (a) that deals with facts and real life situations. (b) that deals with ideas and theories.

7. I prefer to get new information in (a) pictures, diagrams, graphs, or maps. (b) written directions or verbal information. 8. Once I understand (a) all the parts, I understand the whole thing. (b) the whole thing, I see how the parts fit. 9. In a study group working on difficult material, I am more likely to (a) jump in and contribute ideas. (b) sit back and listen. 10. I find it easier (a) to learn facts. (b) to learn concepts. 11. In a book with lots of pictures and charts, I am likely to (a) look over the pictures and charts carefully. (b) focus on the written text. 12. When I solve math problems (a) I usually work my way to the solutions one step at a time. (b) I often just see the solutions but then have to struggle to figure out the steps to get to them. 13. In classes I have taken (a) I have usually gotten to know many of the students. (b) I have rarely gotten to know many of the students. 14. In reading nonfiction, I prefer (a) something that teaches me new facts or tells me how to do something. (b) something that gives me new ideas to think about. 15. I like teachers (a) who put a lot of diagrams on the board. (b) who spend a lot of time explaining. 16. When I'm analyzing a story or a novel (a) I think of the incidents and try to put them together to figure out the themes. (b) I just know what the themes are when I finish reading and then I have to go back and find the incidents that demonstrate them. 17. When I start a homework problem, I am more likely to (a) start working on the solution immediately. (b) try to fully understand the problem first. 18. I prefer the idea of (a) certainty. (b) theory. 19. I remember best (a) what I see. (b) what I hear. 20. It is more important to me that an instructor (a) lay out the material in clear sequential steps. (b) give me an overall picture and relate the material to other subjects.

21. I prefer to study (a) in a study group. (b) alone. 22. I am more likely to be considered (a) careful about the details of my work. (b) creative about how to do my work. 23. When I get directions to a new place, I prefer (a) a map. (b) written instructions. 24. I learn (a) at a fairly regular pace. If I study hard, I'll "get it." (b) in fits and starts. I'll be totally confused and then suddenly it all "clicks." 25. I would rather first (a) try things out. (b) think about how I'm going to do it. 26. When I am reading for enjoyment, I like writers to (a) clearly say what they mean. (b) say things in creative, interesting ways. 27. When I see a diagram or sketch in class, I am most likely to remember (a) the picture. (b) what the instructor said about it. 28. When considering a body of information, I am more likely to (a) focus on details and miss the big picture. (b) try to understand the big picture before getting into the details. 29. I more easily remember (a) something I have done. (b) something I have thought a lot about. 30. When I have to perform a task, I prefer to (a) master one way of doing it. (b) come up with new ways of doing it. 31. When someone is showing me data, I prefer (a) charts or graphs. (b) text summarizing the results. 32. When writing a paper, I am more likely to (a) work on (think about or write) the beginning of the paper and progress forward. (b) work on (think about or write) different parts of the paper and then order them. 33. When I have to work on a group project, I first want to (a) have "group brainstorming" where everyone contributes ideas. (b) brainstorm individually and then come together as a group to compare ideas. 34. I consider it higher praise to call someone (a) sensible. (b) imaginative. 35. When I meet people at a party, I am more likely to remember (a) what they looked like. (b) what they said about themselves.

36. When I am learning a new subject, I prefer to (a) stay focused on that subject, learning as much about it as I can. (b) try to make connections between that subject and related subjects. 37. I am more likely to be considered (a) outgoing. (b) reserved. 38. I prefer courses that emphasize (a) concrete material (facts, data). (b) abstract material (concepts, theories). 39. For entertainment, I would rather (a) watch television. (b) read a book. 40. Some teachers start their lectures with an outline of what they will cover. Such outlines are (a) somewhat helpful to me. (b) very helpful to me. 41. The idea of doing homework in groups, with one grade for the entire group, (a) appeals to me. (b) does not appeal to me. 42. When I am doing long calculations, (a) I tend to repeat all my steps and check my work carefully. (b) I find checking my work tiresome and have to force myself to do it. 43. I tend to picture places I have been (a) easily and fairly accurately. (b) with difficulty and without much detail. 44. When solving problems in a group, I would be more likely to (a) think of the steps in the solution process. (b) think of possible consequences or applications of the solution in a wide range of areas.