Amy Walker

Assignment #1—Learner Analysis

Standard 2: The student who is information literate evaluates information critically and
competently.
GPS: ELA7W3—The 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 Population
Student Gender Race Age Exceptionality First Lunches
Number Language

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
 Learner Characteristics of Target Population

Student Gender Race Learning Favorite Least Social Favorite

Number Preference Subject Favorite Preference Genre of
Subject 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 first
language. 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, and
2 students are auditory learners. The teacher should incorporate a variety of learning
opportunities 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 of
assessing student’s 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
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 preferences
among 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 be
made 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.

 2. A student survey was administered to determine the learner characteristics of the target learners (Gardner’s multiple
intelligences). 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
Student
Number Nature Number/ Word Music Picture Body People Self
Smart Logic Smart Smart Smart Smart Smart Smart Smart
(Naturalist (Mathematical) (Verbal) (Muscial) (Visual) (Kinesthetic) (Interpersonal) (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 X
11 X X X
12 X

X --Indicates the highest scores on the Survey

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
 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 enjoy
working 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 which
trees 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.

Student STAR Reading CRCT Special Needs, Emotional,

Number Reading CRCT Scoring Psychological, Physical
Level Score Criteria Handicaps
1 12.1 850 exceeds
2 4.5 824 meets
3 1.4 no data available n/a very limited English;
struggling reader
4 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
  Special Needs: 1 (struggling reader)
Gifted: 1

Accommodations: One student was identified as ESOL, which requires

accommodations 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 Teaching Strategies that will How will the strategy be
Diversity be implemented?
Utilized
ADD—Attention Direct Instruction;  Ask student to repeat
Deficit Disorder Summarize information; directions to ensure all oral
PowerPoint presentations directions are understood.
Students 4, 8  Use graphic organizers
when appropriate.
 Summarize information
using power point
presentations.
 Use a variety of visual and
auditory teaching strategies.
 Provide hands-on activities
when possible.
Struggling Repetition; Use pre-reading  Read literature twice; use
Readers strategies; Provide a variety of tape recorder to play stories
reading materials in the on audio.
Student 3 classroom library.  Provide material that
Provide visual images of matches the learning level of
material. the student.
 Allow students to use
highlighters to highlight key
terms and ideas.
Gifted Students Higher Level Questioning;  Use the “buddy-system” to
Provide a variety of reading allow gifted students guide
Student 12 materials in the classroom others through complex
library. learning tasks.
 Supply a variety of reading
materials.
 Ask higher-level questions
that promote critical
thinking skills.
 4. Culture and Ethnicity of Learners:
This class is made up of a diverse group of students. The target group
consists 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 because
he 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 doesn’t have
additional 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 8th grade.

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

backgrounds:

 Dolch Word Lists—Over 50-75% of the most commonly used words can be
found 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, provide
reading material that corresponds to the students’ reading level. Picture books for
ESL 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 Strategies

The 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
 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 they
can 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. The
teacher 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 and
are ready to apply their knowledge to further real-world applications.
 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)