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Latosha Bacon
Learner Analysis

Learner Analysis

Instructional Design

FRIT 7430

Dr. Hodges

Georgia Southern University

June 14, 2010

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Latosha Bacon
Learner Analysis
Introduction
The intended purpose of this learner analysis is to teach eighth grade students at a

public middle school in Southwest Georgia. The goal is for students to recognize and

develop sentences of various structures (simple, compound, complex, and compound-

complex). The goal reflects Georgia Performance Standard ELA8C1-The student

demonstrates understanding and control of the rules of the English language, realizing

that usage involves the appropriate application of conventions and grammar in both

written and spoken formats. The student: b. Analyzes and uses simple, compound,

complex, and compound-complex sentences correctly, punctuates properly, and avoids

fragments and run-ons.

Demographics
The upcoming eighth grade students selected to participate in the survey because

represent the target learners for whom the lesson will be developed. The data below

reflects the information provided by the students on the Learner Analysis Survey. The

students were to answer the questions honestly and without fear of the data being

associated with their names.

Number of Students Surveyed 8

Males 5
Females 3
Race 100% African American
Free or Reduced lunch 62.5%
Previously Retained 37.5%
Average age 13.8 (16-1, 15-1, 14-2, 13-4)

Entry Skills and Prior Knowledge

Prior to learning to identify and develop various sentence structures, students need

to know the two parts of a complete sentence. Of the eight students surveyed, four could

name the subject and the predicate as the two parts of a sentence. However, when asked
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Learner Analysis
to identify the subject and verb in sentences provided, five students completed the task

correctly. One student only correctly identified the subjects but could not locate the

verbs. When asked to list the three ways run-on sentences are corrected, only one student

could correctly list them. None of the students could name the sentence structures.

Student Gender Age Grade Name Three Identify Identify

Repeated two Ways to Four subjects
parts of correct Sentence and
a a run on Structures verbs
sentence sentence
1 Male 14 No 0 0 both
2 Female 13 Yes 3 0 both
3 Male 13 No 0 0 no
4 Female 13 No 1 0 subject
5 Male 15 5th No 0 0 no
6 Female 13 Yes 0 0 both
7 Male 16 6th Yes 2 0 both
8 Male 14 6th Yes 1 0 Both

Academic Motivation
Based on the survey, which was rated on a scale of one to five where five was

very true as it pertained to the student, the students average a rate of 3.75. Overall, the

students are fairly interested and motivated to learn what is taught in their language arts

classes. However, there was one student whose motivation rated a mere 2.8. This

particular student does not even view passing the CRCT and the writing assessment as

important. On the opposite end of the spectrum, one student rated a 5 on the motivational

survey.

Motivational Strategies
In an effort to motivate my students I would use John Keller’s ARCS framework.

I will gain the attention of students by beginning the lesson with interesting (humorous)

examples of the sentence structures.

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Learner Analysis
Examples:

I am in shape. Round is a shape. (simple)

I bought some powdered water, but I don’t know what to add. (compound)

Because my parents made me who I am, I’m thinking of suing. (complex)

If everything seems to be going well, you have obviously overlooked something, or you

simply don’t know how to fix it. (compound-complex)

To maintain their attention, I will use something they all enjoy, technology. Using

Promethean board I will present a variety of web-based and teacher created resources to

deliver the instruction. Learning will be perceived as relevant if students are reminded of

the importance of identifying the correct sentence structure on the CRCT and varying

sentence structure on the 8th grade writing assessment. They will also be made aware of

the need to write coherent sentences for high school, college, and potential careers. On

the learner analysis, many students expressed confidence in their ability to do well in the

language class. To maintain there confidence, they will be taught in small chunks so that

they may experience success. Students will be given authentic feedback and

reinforcement for motivation.

Learner Characteristics
All children are different. In an effort to teach each child according to his/her

strengths, educators need to be aware of the various ways in which children learn.

Though it could prove quite difficult to fully understand and teach each child according

to his/her learning styles, it essential for teachers to employ teaching strategies that

address the intelligences represented in the class. The students completed an adapted

version of Walter McKenzie’s Multiple Intelligences Survey. The survey shows

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Learner Analysis
existential, the pondering of how life works, as the highest rated intelligence of the

students as five students rated a perfect score (50) in that area. Five students also exhibit

a high level of self understanding, intrapersonal intelligence, making it a close second

with a score of 40. Logical and musical strengths were in third place with five students

scoring a thirty on those sections of the survey.

The greatest cultural influence the target students may face when attempting to

learn about structure is their excessive use of a type of American English known as

African American English. The Center for Applied Linguistics defines African American

English (AAE) as a dialect of American English used by African Americans in certain

settings and circumstances. (CAL, 2010) Many students use AAE in all settings and

circumstances. Thusly, they have not mastered the use of Standard English and do not use

it often enough for it to become common practice. Applying the skills necessary to vary

sentence structure may prove difficult for students who are out of practice using Standard

English.

Accomodations
It is known that all students do not learn in the same manner and at the same rate.

To allow equal opportunities for success, students will be given tiered assignments. The

use of these assignments will give students a chance to work towards the understanding

of a concept and develop a product that expresses their understanding of the information

that has been presented. (Lee) Using varied media formats such as www.brainpop.com

and http://streaming.doscoveryeducation.com engages students who are overwhelmed by

text-only materials. (Kilbane) The videos, colors, and characters on the websites provide

an exciting way to learn what struggling learners may consider difficult. Finally students
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Learner Analysis
may collaborate or work individually on webquests created by the teacher. Webquests

provide opportunities to problem-solve and/or process information. (Lincoln Park)

Using various strategies to instruct African-American students on areas of the

English language where they are deficient is critical for their understanding. The simple

use of a word processor will promote the correct use of verbs for varying sentence

structure. (NCREL) Students can also play a game of Jeopardy translating African

American English to Standard American English. (PBS) In an activity called

Grammarcise students may work collaboratively or independently to create a multimedia

presentation for the four sentence structures. (Kodak)

Peer Review Feedback

Based on the feedback received from a peer, only one area needed to be

addressed. As suggested, blank pages inside the document were deleted. Without the

peer review, there would have been several blank pages embedded in the text. This

correction was necessary as it might have impeded the reader’s interest in the information

being presented.
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Resources
Balzarini, S. and Ferraro. M. (n.d.). Grammarcise. Kodak Lesson Plans. Retrieved
from
http://www.kodak.com/global/en/consumer/education/lessonPlans/lessonPlan
067.shtml

Carr, A. and Carr, C. (2000). ARCS-Motivational Theory.

http://ide.ed.psu.edu/idde/ARCS.htm

Center for Applied Linguistics. (2010). Dialects. Retrieved from

http://www.cal.org/topics/dialect/aae.html

Honey, M., Culp, K., and Spielvogel, R. (2005). Critical Issue: Using Technology to
Improve Student Achievement.
http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/methods/technlgy/te800.htm#type

Kilbane, C. (n.d.) Technology Support for Differentiated Instruction. Retrieved from

http://www.otterbein.edu/home/fac/ckilbane/stateconf

Lee’s Summit, M.O. R-7 School District. (n.d.). Technology Integration

Differentiated Instruction. Retrieved from
http://itsleesummitt.k12.mo.us/different.htm

Lincoln Park Public Schools. (2010) For Teachers: Differentiated Instruction,

Webquests, and Problem-Based Learning. Retrieved from
http://www.lincolnparkboe.org/webquests_PBL.htm

McKenzie, W. (1999) Multiple Intelligences Inventory. Retrieved from

http://surfquarium.com/MI/inventory.htm

PBS. (2005). Do You Speak American? Retrieved from

http://pbs.org/speak/seatosea/standardamerican/#
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Appendix A
Learner Analysis Survey
Demographics
1. Indicate your race:
__Caucasian __African-American __Hispanic __Other, please name________
2. Indicate your gender: __Male __Female
2. Do you eat free or reduced lunch? __Yes __No
3. How old are you? ____
4. Have you ever repeated a grade? Yes No
If yes, what grade(s)? ___________
Entry Skills and Prior Knowledge
1. Name the two parts of a sentence.
______________________
______________________
2. List three ways to correct a run-on sentence.
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
3. Identify the four sentence structures.
________________________
________________________
________________________
________________________
Circle the subject and underline the verb(s) in the sentences below:
4. The movers lost several valuable items.
5. My parents called the company for a refund.
Academic Motivation
Please rate the following items based on your beliefs about yourself and your behavior in
classes. Your rating should be on a 5 point scale where 1=not at all true of me to 5
=very true of me.
____1. I prefer class work that is challenging so I can learn new things.
____2. Compared with other students in this class I expect to do well.
____3. I like what I learn in language arts.
____4. I expect to do very well in my language arts class.
____5. Compared with others, I think I’m a good student.
____6. I think that what I am learning in school is useful for me to know.
____7. Compared with other students in class I think I know a great deal about the
subject.
____8. I know that I will be able to learn the material for this class.
____9. Understanding language arts is important to me.
____10. Learning about sentence structure is important to me.
____11. Using sentences correctly when writing is important to me.
____12. Identifying sentence structures will help me perform well on the CRCT.
____13. Meeting the standards on the CRCT is important to me.
____14. Meeting the standards on the Eighth Grade Writing Assessment is important to
me.
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____15. I work hard to get a good grade even when I don’t like a class
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Appendix B
Multiple Intelligences Inventory
Copyright 1999 Walter McKenzie,
The One and Only Surfaquarium
Adapted by Latosha Bacon, 2010

Note: This is not a test - it is a snapshot in time of an individual's perceived MI preferences.

Part I

Complete each section by placing a “1” next to each statement you feel accurately describes you. If you do not identify with a
statement, leave the space provided blank. Then total the column in each section.

Section 1

_____ I enjoy categorizing things by common traits

_____ Classification helps me make sense of new data
_____ I enjoy working in a garden
_____ Animals are important in my life
_____ I enjoy studying about plants and animals
_____ TOTAL for Section 1

Section 2

_____ I easily pick up on patterns

_____ Moving to a beat is easy for me
_____ Concentration is difficult for me if there is background noise
_____ Listening to sounds in nature can be very relaxing
_____ Remembering song lyrics is easy for me
_____ TOTAL for Section 2

Section 3

_____ I am known for being neat and orderly

_____ Step-by-step directions are a big help
_____ I can complete calculations quickly in my head
_____ Structure is a good thing
_____ I enjoy troubleshooting something that isn't working properly
_____ TOTAL for Section 3

Section 4

_____ It is important to see my role in the “big picture” of things

_____ Religion is important to me
_____ I like traveling to visit inspiring places
_____ Learning new things is easier when I see their real world application
_____ It is important for me to feel connected to people, ideas and beliefs
_____ TOTAL for Section 4

Section 5

_____ I learn best interacting with others

_____ I value relationships more than ideas or accomplishments
_____ I am a “team player”
_____ Friends are important to me
_____ I dislike working alone
_____ TOTAL for Section 5
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Section 6

_____ I learn by doing

_____ I enjoy making things with my hands
_____ Sports are a part of my life
_____ Demonstrating is better than explaining
_____ I love to dance
_____ TOTAL for Section 6

Section 7

_____ I enjoy reading books, magazines and web sites

_____ Word puzzles like crosswords or jumbles are enjoyable
_____ Taking notes helps me remember and understand
_____ It is easy for me to explain my ideas to others
_____ I write for pleasure
_____ TOTAL for Section 7

Section 8

_____ My attitude effects how I learn

_____ I learn best when I have an emotional attachment to the subject
_____ Fairness is important to me
_____ Working alone can be just as productive as working in a group
_____ When I believe in something I give more effort towards it
_____ TOTAL for Section 8

Section 9

_____ Rearranging a room and redecorating are fun for me

_____ I remember better using graphic organizers
_____ Charts, graphs and tables help me interpret data
_____ A music video can make me more interested in a song
_____ I can visualize ideas in my mind
_____ TOTAL for Section 9
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Part II

Now carry forward your total from each section and multiply by 10 below:

Total Forward Multiply Score

Section
X10
1
X10
2
X10
3
X10
4
X10
5
X10
6
X10
7
X10
8
X10
9

Part III

Now plot your scores on the bar graph provided:

Part IV
50 Key:

40 Section 1 – This reflects your Naturalist strength

Section 2 – This suggests your Musical strength
30 Section 3 – This indicates your Logical strength
Section 4 – This illustrates your Existential strength
20 Section 5 – This shows your Interpersonal strength
Section 6 – This tells your Kinesthetic strength
10 Section 7 – This indicates your Verbal strength
Section 8 – This reflects your Intrapersonal strength
0 Section 9 – This suggests your Visual strength
Sec Sec Sec Sec Sec Sec Sec Sec Sec
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Copyright © 1999 Walter McKenzie, The One and Only
This survey may be printed, used and/or modified by educators as long as the copyright tag remains in tact.
http://surfaquarium.com/MI/inventory.htm