Running Head: LEARNER ANYLYSIS

Learner Analysis
Ashley Castellana
Georgia Southern University

LEARNER ANALYSIS
Introduction

My teaching and learning is taking place in my social studies classroom at Bay

Springs Middle School. Bay Springs is a Title-I public school located about 45 miles west of
Atlanta, in a rural area. My learners range between the ages of 11-13 and are all considered 7th
grade students. The instructional time I am allotted with my group of learners is 50 minutes a
day. The standard I am basing our instruction around is from the Georgia Performance
Standards: SS7E8 The student will analyze different economic systems.

Demographics

According to my interview with the students, they mildly range in difference of socioeconomic statuses. I found this information out through asking vague questions that only carried
meaning for myself. According to Appendix-A, question numbers 4 and 5 give me an idea of a
household income. Question 4 is a more obvious approach to my research, while question 5 is
referring to a Carroll County program called FERST Foundation that gives 5 brand new books
per month to a low-income household for grades K-5. Both of these questions are great in
determining income without me having to do invasive research. I also asked questions about
their age and race so I understood where a learning gap could possibly exist or already is present.
The data received from the interview is readily available to you in Appendix-A.
Entry Skills and Prior Knowledge
I gave my students a pre-test in a survey format as well as looking at past CRCT-scores in
this particular subject, in order to determine their prior knowledge to this standard. According to
my data, there seemed to be a decent amount of knowledge of the standard when taking the

LEARNER ANALYSIS
CRCT in 6th grade, however, the pre-test I gave over the 7th grade standard showed otherwise.
This tells me that knowledge of the standard was not fully retained, and/or the standard from last
year does not have to be taught to the same caliber it needs to be in the 7th grade. My conclusion
of their prior knowledge would be that there is a foundation of the standard due to previous
CRCT scores but no real concept due to the pre-test. The pre-test and CRCT scores are located in
Appendix-B.
Academic Motivation
The motivation of this standard is some to be blamed on the fact it is not being retained
and is such a hard concept to be learned. Economies are not the easiest concept to relate to at the
age of 12. I have learned over the past four years that the motivation for this standard is very
apathetic. When the students apathy starts to surface, I tend to become very discouraged as I
teach the standard making me also wonder if my discouragement is hindering me from teaching
it correctly. In appendix-A, I asked questions in a survey format to see how motivated they were
to learn new topics in my class and then got specific and asked about how motivated they were to
learn the topic of economics. Results were surprising. Many were motivated to learn a new topic,
but only about half were eager and motivated to learn about economics, until I re-worded the
question and asked if they would be more motivated if they found out how economics were
related to their future.
Motivational Strategies
I plan to use John Kellers motivational model using activities and assignments to gain
their attention, promote relevance, ensure confidence, and give feedback for satisfaction
purposes. The essential question is what activities will best be used to make sure this model is

LEARNER ANALYSIS
used correctly. I want to start by arousing their interest in giving the class money, monopoly
money of course, and telling them that they can spend the money in my treasure chest which I
have for the class. This should make all of the students perk up. The will be a big but! They
will have to belong with a chosen group and be hands on in replicating a type of economy we are
learning about once I teach them. When choosing the economy, they can create a business they
would like to run at the school which will be something they can relate to such as a school
supply store, a bake sale, etc.. If they represented the economy appropriately, then they will not
have to pay a fine with the monopoly money and they will get to use it in the treasure chest box.
There are many more activities and strategies I am brainstorming through. I am not set on one
quite yet.
Learner Characteristics
I wanted to first gather data on how my learners learn best. I looked online to find the
best assessment to give to my students that could help them as well as me as to see what type of
learners they were. I used a website located in Appendix C which contained an assessment to
find a persons learning style. This test was printed off and administered. I told them I would
help them with wording and reading if they just answered the statements honestly. I explained to
the target learners that it will be beneficial for them to know how they learn best because it will
make education easier for them to know their strengths. I noticed I do have a range of different
races and ethnicities within my classroom. Some may include problematic learning situations
when it comes to some vocabulary or come from homes where very little real world experience
is present for them to concept money and how a business should work. I gathered some articles
that give me excellent tips to help in meeting specific learners needs. Some ideas already
confirm that my ideas are on the right track. References are listed below.

LEARNER ANALYSIS
Accomodations
Many times accommodations are separated among those that need them and those that do
not. I like to make my accommodations vague, so students do not always realize that something
is different within their group. I will have laptops readily available for ALL students for their
assignment so they may either type notes or look up information on the given topic which is
something that usually places interest on the topic. I will also place the learner with disabilities in
a high achieving group so they may learn more from them. I might even place the special ed
student with a specific task in the group according to their learning style knowing that is where I
will see the most achievement. I have attached references of journal articles with a list of great
strategies that I plan to utilize throughout this lesson. Some of these articles give great ideas in
order break the learning gap.

LEARNER ANALYSIS
References
Christensen, Douglas D. and Team of Writers. (1996). Teaching strategies for students with
diverse learning needs. Nebraska social studies framework. Retrieved from
http://www.nebraskasocialstudies.org/pdf/tsfswdln.pdf
Davis, Barbara G. (1993). Tools for Teaching. Diversity and Complexity in the
Classroom:
Considerations of Race, Ethnicity, and Gender. San Francisco,
JosseyBass Publishers.
McGrail, Laura. (1998). Modifying Regular Classroom Curricula for High-Ability Students.
Gifted Child Today, 21(2).
Ripley. Suzanne. (1997). Teaching students with special needs. Retrieved from
http://www.teachervision.fen.com/special-education/new-teacher/48460.html?page=1
Rodriguez, Brenda. (1998). Critical Issue: Meeting the Diverse Needs of
Young Children.
http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/students/earlycld/ea400.htm
Willoughby, Jennipher. (2005). Teaching Today. Differentiating Instruction: Meeting Students
Where They Are. Retrieved from
http://www.glencoe.com/sec/teachingtoday/subject/di_meeting.phtml

Appendices
Appendix A: Student Survey:
(Questions asked individually on paper)
1.What is your name? _________________________________________________ _
2.How old are you? _____________________________________________________
3.What is your race? Circle one:

Hispanic
African American
Caucasian
Asian
Pacific Islander

LEARNER ANALYSIS
Native American
Other
4.Do you receive free or reduced lunch? ____________________________________
5.Have you ever received FERST foundation books at any given time? ________________
6. On a scale from 1-5, how motivated are you to learn a new topic in my class? 1 being not interested and 5 being extremely
interested.

Circle one:

1 2 3 4 5

(three students chose 4, one student chose 2, and nine students chose 5)
7. On a scale from 1-5, how motivated are you to learn about economies as a new topic in my class? 1 being not interested and
5 being extremely interested.

Circle one:

1 2 3 4 5

(six students chose 2, three students chose 1, two students chose 4, one chose 5)
8. On a scale from 1-5, how motivated are you to learn about economies as a new topic in my class if you find out how it will
affect the rest of your life? 1 being not interested and 5 being extremely interested.

Circle one:

(four students chose 2, four students chose 3, three students chose 4, two students chose 5)

Appendix- BPre/Test not included in appendix

(The 6TH Grade CRCT numbers are only received through information regarding the standard)
Student 1 - Pre-test 2/10

CRCT- 4/8

Student 2- Pre-test 1/10

CRCT- 2/8

Student 3- Pre-test 8/10

CRCT- 7/8

Student 4- Pre-test 3/10

CRCT 6/8

Student 5- Pre-test 4/10

CRCT- 7/8

Student 6- Pre-test 5/10

CRCT- 5/8

Student 7- Pre-test 3/10

Student 8- Pre-test 7/10

CRCT- 3/8
CRCT -7/8

Student 9- Pre-test 2/10

CRCT-1/8

Student 10- Pre-test 4/10

CRCT-2/8

Student 11- Pre-test 2/10

CRCT 7/8

1 2 3 4 5

LEARNER ANALYSIS
Student 12- Pre-test 3/10
Student 13 Pre-test 2/10

CRCT 7/8
CRCT 6/8

Appendix C
Learning Style Assessment- Gardners Multiple Intelligences

Learning Styles Self-assessment

Score each statement in the columns below by giving yourself the appropriate number:
1 - Not Like Me
2 - A Little Like Me
3 - Like Me
4 - A Lot Like Me
Write Letters 1-4 that beside the statement.
1. I feel the best way to remember something is to picture it in my head
2. I follow oral directions better than written ones
3. I often would rather listen to a lecture than read the material in a textbook
4. I am constantly fidgeting (e.g. tapping pen, playing with keys in my pocket)
5. I frequently require explanations of diagrams, graphs, or maps
6. I work skillfully with my hands to make or repair things
7. I often prefer to listen to the radio than read a newspaper
8. I typically prefer information to be presented visually, (e.g. flipcharts or chalkboard)
9. I usually prefer to stand while working
10. I typically follow written instructions better than oral ones
11. I am skillful at designing graphs, charts, and other visual displays
12. I generally talk at a fast pace and use my hands more than the average person to communicate what I want to say
13. I frequently sing, hum or whistle to myself
14. I am excellent at finding my way around even in unfamiliar surroundings

LEARNER ANALYSIS
15. I am good at putting jigsaw puzzles together
16. I am always on the move
17. I excel at visual arts
18. I excel at sports
19. I'm an avid collector
20. I tend to take notes during verbal discussions/lectures to review later
21. I am verbally articulate and enjoy participating in discussions or classroom debates
22. I easily understand and follow directions on maps
23. I remember best by writing things down several times or drawing pictures and diagrams
24. I need to watch a speaker's facial expressions and body language to fully understand what they mean
25. I frequently use musical jingles to learn things
26. I often talk to myself when alone
27. I would rather listen to music than view a piece of art work
28. I need to actively participate in an activity to learn how to do it
29. I frequently tell jokes, stories and make verbal analogies to demonstrate a point
30. I frequently touch others as a show of friendship and camaraderie (e.g. hugging)

Conclusion: After gather this assessment I have much more visual/spatial learners in
my class than any other intelligence and definitely more vs. auditory/ learners. I have
more interpersonal learners vs. intrapersonal learners. I had no erythematic/musical
learners in my group but I did have a few students that ranged under the
bodily/kinesthetic intelligence and a couple more students that leaned more toward
the mathematical/logical intelligence. This goes to show I am working with a wide
variety of intelligences and need to format my assignments to somehow accommodate
each one.

LEARNER ANALYSIS

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

0
Gardner

Does not identify

differences among
learners

0
Special
Needs

Culture/Et
hnicity

Does not include

special needs
information

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

1
Identifies special
needs of learners, but
does not describe
accommodations for
those learners.

Does not include

culture or ethnicity
information

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.

Score

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

Score

Utilizes Gardner's multiple

intelligences to describe
learners' intelligence
preferences and strengths;
includes instrument and
original data from students.
2

Score

Identifies special needs of

learners. Cites at least 3
references for specific
methods of meeting
learners' needs.
2

Score

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

Score

LEARNER ANALYSIS
Motivation

Does not include

motivation
information

0
Form

Poorly organized
report

Section headings
provided were not
used

Several spelling
and grammar
errors that
distracted the
reader

Includes motivation
information, but does
not list strategies for
motivation

1
Some section headings
provided were
addressed

Includes motivation
information and strategies
for motivation
Uses ARCS terminology or
structure
2

Score

Well organized report

Provided section headings

were addressed
More than three
spelling or 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

APA Style not

applied to
reference list
Total (Max 15)

/
15