Melissa Brown Learner Analysis Introduction The follow leaner analysis project was conducted in a third grade classroom

in an elementary school in Augusta, Georgia. The school is located within a public school system and serves grades P4-5. The following standard will be key in assessing student knowledge and learning patterns: M3N3 - Students will further develop their understanding of multiplication of whole numbers and develop the ability to apply it in problem solving.

Demographics This school is a predominately white school that is considered low income since most of the schools 500+ students qualify for free or reduced lunch. The eight students randomly chosen to participate in this study come from an EIP third grade classroom. Most of these students are from low income, single-parent homes and many have special needs. The students are in this class are below grade level, and struggle with reading and math skills. (Information obtained from School Improvement Plan, CRCT scores and School Website)

Gender Student #1 Student #2 Student #3 Student #4 Student #5 Student #6 Student #7 Student #8 Female Male Male Male Male Female Female Male

Ethnicity Black White White White Bi-Racial White Black White

Demographic/Other Low Income ADHD Low income, ADHD, SPED Low income, Single parent home Low income, Single parent home

Single parent home ADHD, Single parent home, low income

Entry Skills & Prior Knowledge In order to determine the students prior knowledge pertaining to the chosen standard, I administered a timed test with multiplication problems and the results are charted below (see Appendix A). This test was approved by the teacher of the class and deemed grade-level appropriate

Skill Level Student #1 Student #2 Student #3 Student #4 Student #5 Student #6 Student #7 Student #8

Below Average

Average X

Above Average

X X X X X X

Academic Motivation In order to motivate students to do their best, I simply asked the students to try their absolute best and explained to them that this test was simply to determine strengths and areas that needed improvement. My motivational speech told students that I was trying to keep them from learning the same things over and over because that would just be BORING! They really seemed to enjoy my enthusiasm, and I believe that most of them really tried their best.

Motivational Strategies To obtain the students attention, I will first show them the DVD Schoolhouse Rock: Multiplication. Visual and music aids are always successful at obtaining student interest. To show relevance, I will use money to teach students that multiplying makes keeping track of money so much easier than adding. For example, if you receive $5 per week in allowance, how much would you have after six weeks? It would be much easier to just know that 5 x 6 equals 30, than adding 5 + 5+ 5+ 5+ 5+5. This real-world situation makes multiplication suddenly relevant! To boost student confidence, we will learn that not only is multiplication easier, it is also faster. Many students are competitive by nature, and any way to achieve victory faster is always encouraging. As satisfaction, we will have a banana split party. For each section of the time tables learned correctly, a new section of the banana split is earned.

Learner Characteristics To assess learner characteristics, I decided to use a survey (see Appendix B). Linguistic Math/ Logic Student #1 Student #2 Student #3 Student #4 Student #5 Student #6 Student #7 Student #8 X X X X X X X X X Music Spatial Body/ Kinesthetic X X X Intrapersonal Interpersonal

Most of these students come from low income, single parent households, and most of the students that are struggling are boys. This notion is supported in the article by Krein and Beller which states that Empirical findings show that the negative effects of living in a single-parent family (1) increases with the number of years spent in this type of family, (2) is greatest during the preschool years, and (3) is larger for boys than girls. They authors go on to say that singleparent households leads to deprivation of resources, which in turn, affects education. Most single-parent households are headed by women, thus boys lack a male role model. Mueller and Coopers article states that young males raised primarily by single mothers tend to have lower educational, occupational, and economic attainment. Bumpass and Sweet contend that for most children in a single-parent household it is not a brief, transitory situation, but only 36 percent of those children will become part of a two-parent family within five years. This cultural situation within the school will make learning and achievement more difficult for these students. A mentor program to help counteract this problem would be beneficial to the school, as a whole, but would not really be applicable to my project. To reach these learners, time, patience, and understanding seems to be to best approach.

Accommodations In order to accommodate the students in the class that are below grade average, pairing them in groups may be beneficial. Group work is always a fun way to learn and Mevarech suggests in his article on Math Acheivement that results show higher achievement gains for pupils exposed to STML (Student Team Mastery Learning). The authors of Peer-Assisted Learning Strategies also conclude that students in peer tutoring classrooms demonstrated

greater success. Furthermore, peer learning can be enhanced by incorporating technology, according to Cooper.

References:
Burnpass, L., & Sweet, J. (1989). Children's Experience in Single-Parent Families: Implications of Cohabitation and Marital Transitions. Family Planning Perspectives , 21 (6), 256-260. Cooper, S. M. (2002). Classroom Choices for Enabling Peer Learning. Theology into Practice , 41 (1), 53-57. Fuchs, D., Fuchs, L. S., Mathes, P., & Simmons, D. (1997). Peer-Assisted Learning Strategies: Making Classrooms More Responsive to Diversity. American Educational Research , 31 (1), 174-206. Krein, S. (1986). Growing up in a Single Parent Family: The Effects on Education and Earnings of Young Men. Family Relations , 35 (1), 161-168. Mevarech, Z. (1985). The Effects of Cooperative Mastery Learning Strategies on Mathematics Acheivement. The Journal of Educational Research , 78 (6), 372-377. Milne, A., Myers, D., Rosenthal, A., & Ginsburg, A. (1986). Single Parents, Working Mothers, and the Educational Achievement of School Children. Sociology of Education , 59 (3), 125-139.

Appendix A Name:

Multiplication Facts to 10: How Many Can You Do In 1 Minute?

1. 7 3 = 21 2. 5 2 = 10 3. 4 8 = 32 7. 3 6 = 1 11. 9 8 = 72 15. 1 6 = 6 19. 8 9 = 72 23. 8 5 = 40 27. 1 5 = 5 31. 4 2 = 8 35. 7 1 = 7 39. 3 1 = 3 43. 6 8 = 48 47. 1 2 = 2 51. 2 4 = 8 55. 4 4 = 16 59. 10 9 = 90 4. 9 3 = 2 8. 5 6 = 30 12. 1 8 = 8 16. 1 3 = 3 20. 1 4 = 4 24. 8 3 = 24 28. 3 5 = 15 32. 4 6 = 24 36. 10 6 = 6 40. 4 7 = 2 44. 3 7 = 21 48. 2 1 = 2 52. 4 5 = 2 56. 4 3 = 12 60. 6 5 = 30

7
5. 2 8 = 1 9. 3 2 = 13. 7 7 = 49 17. 7 9 = 63 21. 8 6 = 48 25. 2 5 = 10 29. 6 6 = 36 33. 5 5 = 25

6 6. 2 3 = 6 6 10. 5 3 = 15
14. 0 7 = 0 18. 6 4 = 24 22. 0 9 = 0 26. 7 6 = 42 30. 9 4 = 36 34. 9 5 = 45 38. 10 2 = 20 42. 0 4 = 0 46. 10 4 = 40 50. 8 7 = 56 54. 8 2 = 16 58. 7 4 = 28

0
37. 8 8 = 64

8
41. 0 2 = 0 45. 7 5 = 35 49. 5 4 = 20

0
53. 6 2 = 12 57. 7 2 = 14

Appendix B

MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES TEST Where does your true intelligence lie? This quiz will tell you where you stand and what to do about it. Read each statement. If it expresses some characteristic of yours and sounds true for the most part, jot down a "T." If it doesn't, mark an "F." If the statement is sometimes true, sometimes false, leave it blank. 1. _____ I'd rather draw a map than give someone verbal directions. 2. _____ I can play (or used to play) a musical instrument. 3. _____ I can associate music with my moods. 4. _____ I can add or multiply in my head. 5. _____ I like to work with calculators and computers. 6. _____ I pick up new dance steps fast. 7. _____ It's easy for me to say what I think in an argument or debate. 8. _____ I enjoy a good lecture, speech or sermon. 9. _____ I always know north from south no matter where I am. 10. _____ Life seems empty without music. 11. _____ I always understand the directions that come with new gadgets or appliances. 12. _____ I like to work puzzles and play games. 13. _____ Learning to ride a bike (or skates) was easy. 14. _____ I am irritated when I hear an argument or statement that sounds illogical. 15. _____ My sense of balance and coordination is good. 16. _____ I often see patterns and relationships between numbers faster and easier than others. 17. _____ I enjoy building models (or sculpting). 18. _____ I'm good at finding the fine points of word meanings.

19. _____ I can look at an object one way and see it sideways or backwards just as easily. 20. _____ I often connect a piece of music with some event in my life. 21. _____ I like to work with numbers and figures. 22. _____ Just looking at shapes of buildings and structures is pleasurable to me. 23. _____ I like to hum, whistle and sing in the shower or when I'm alone. 24. _____ I'm good at athletics. 25. _____ I'd like to study the structure and logic of languages. 26. _____ I'm usually aware of the expression on my face. 27. _____ I'm sensitive to the expressions on other people's faces. 28. _____ I stay "in touch" with my moods. I have no trouble identifying them. 29. _____ I am sensitive to the moods of others. 30. _____ I have a good sense of what others think of me.

MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCE SCORING SHEET Place a check mark by each item you marked as "true." Add your totals. A total of four in any of the categories A through E indicates strong ability. In categories F and G a score of one or more means you have abilities as well.
A Linguistic B LogicalMathematical C D E BodilyKinesthetic F G

M usical Spatial

IntraInterpersonal personal

7 ___ 8 ___ 14___ 18 ___ 25 ___ Totals: ____

4 ___ 5 ___ 12 ___ 16 ___ 21 ___ ____

2 ___ 3 ___ 10 ___ 20 ___ 23 ___ ____

1 ___ 9 ___ 11___ 19___ 22___ ____

6 ___ 13 ___ 15 ___ 17 ___ 24 ___ ____

26 ___ 28 ___

27 ___ 29 ___ 30 ___

____

____

The Seven Multiple Intelligences in Children

Children who are strongly: Linguistic

Think in words

Love reading, writing, telling stories, playing word games, etc. experimenting, questioning, figuring out puzzles, calculating, etc. designing, drawing, visualizing, doodling, etc.

Need books, tapes, writing tools paper diaries, dialogues, discussion, debate stories things to explore and think about, science materials, manipulatives, trips to the planetarium and science museum art, LEGOs, video, movies, slides, imagination games, mazes, puzzles, illustrated books, trips to art museums role play, drama, movement, things to build, sports and physical games, tactile experiences, handson learning sing-along time, trips to concerts, music playing at home and school, musical instruments friends, group games, social gatherings, community events, clubs, mentors/apprenticeships secret places, time alone, selfpaced projects, choices

Logicalby Mathematical reasoning in images and pictures through somatic sensations

Spatial

dancing, running, Bodilyjumping, building, Kinesthetic touching, gesturing, etc. singing, whistling, via rhythms humming, tapping feet Musical and and hands, listening, melodies etc.. by leading, organizing, bouncing relating, manipulating, Interpersonal ideas off mediating, partying, other etc. people deeply setting goals, Intrapersonal inside meditating, dreaming, themselves being quiet,

Obtained from: http://www.spannj.org/BasicRights/appendix_b.htm#test

Scoring Rubric for Learner Analysis

Learners 0 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 5 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 Utilizes Gardner's multiple intelligences to describe learners' intelligence preferences and strengths; includes instrument and original data from students. 2 Identifies special needs of learners. Cites at least 3 references for specific methods of meeting learners' needs. 2 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 Includes motivation information and strategies for motivation Uses ARCS terminology or structure 2 Well organized report Provided section headings were addressed Few, if any, spelling and grammar errors that distracted the reader APA Style applied to reference list Score

Gardner

0 Does not identify differences among learners 0 Does not include special needs information 0 Does not include culture or ethnicity 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. 1 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. 1 Includes motivation information, but does not list strategies for motivation 1 Some section headings provided were addressed More than three spelling or grammar errors that distracted the reader APA Style attempted

Score

Score

Special Needs

Score

Culture/Ethni city

Motivation

0 Does not include motivation information 0 Poorly organized report Section headings provided were not used Several spelling and grammar errors that distracted the reader APA Style not applied to reference list

Score

Score

Form

Total (Max 15)

/15