1. Learner Analysis 1 of 1
FRIT 7430- Instructional Design
Lisa Witteman
September 30, 2012
Learner Analysis Assignment

2. Learner Analysis 2 of 2
Introduction
The learners analysis research took place at an average population sized, Title I, Southwestern Georgia
K-5 elementary school. Eight students from a multi-grade level, Autistic self-contained classroom were the
focus group of the research. The research goal focused on finding a common strand between kindergarten
and first grade language art standards to introduce kindergarteners to story elements and to review/challenge
first graders prior knowledge of story elements, focusing on descriptive details for both groups. The
common core standards employed were;ELACCKRL3: With prompting and support, identify characters,
settings, and major events in a story.ELACC1RL7: Use illustrations and details in a story to describe its
characters, setting, or events.
Demographics
The eight students, with a diagnosis of autism (7 males – average age 6 years 9 months – 1 Caucasian
kindergartener, 1 Hispanic first grader and 5 African-American first graders, and 1 African-American female
– age 5 years and 7 months – kindergartener) are the only reported demographic. Because of the placement
uniqueness of the eight students, they are currently not involved or included in the demographic and test
driven data required by the government for A.Y.P. (Annual Yearly Progress) and the socio-economically
driven data for Title I. Therefore, reporting school wide data would be statistically skewed, if not null in
significance.
Entry Skills & Prior Knowledge
Entry skills and prior knowledge to story elements are demonstrated in the following chart. It should be
noted that the teacher “looped up” with the first grade males and has prior knowledge of learning styles and
what standards they have been exposed to. The information was collected through N.E.T (natural
environment) data on chart paper, during an interactive large group story element lesson, employing a
familiar story, “Big Pumpkin”. Learning styles of all the students are V.A.C.K (Visual, Auditory, Cognitive,
and Kinetic) and are common to the disorder. Half of the students display severe delays in both expressive
and receptive language processing and utilize PECS (a picture exchange communication system) virtually
and with individualized communication book that holds tangible pictures and statement strips that correlate
with the lesson. The other half, are verbal and appear to comprehend simple “wh” questions. These students
exhibited less reliance on virtual pictures and more on cognitive logical order of questioning as it pertained

3. Learner Analysis 3 of 3
to the events of the story. The kindergarteners displayed no prior knowledge of story elements without direct
instruction, which is indicative of their age and grade level.
NET Data to assess Prior Knowledge
Student, grade
and learning
style
AC-1st
VACK
non-verbal
PECS
CA-1st
VACK
KD-KDG
VACK
non-verbal
PECS
ZG-1st
VACK
EH-1st
VACK
PECS
UM-KDG
VACK
PECS
PM-1st
VACK
KT-1st
VACK
Story Elements
characters 5/5 5/5 0 5/5 5/5 0 5/5 3/5
setting ½ 2/2 0 2/2 ½ 0 2/2 2/2
Sequence of
events 4/6 6/6 0 6/6 6/6 0 6/6 5/6
Answers “wh”
questions 5/7 7/7 0 6/7 5/7 0 6/7 6/7
Prior
knowledge 72% 100% 0 96.5% 80% 0 96.5% 82%
Academic Motivation
It is my educated experience as a seasoned Special Education teacher thatinformation review, “mere
exposure” theory and “putting thought or picture to paper” through sensory project work are recognized
motivators that can assist student’s metacognition
Reviewing the story on an interactive board with repetitive emphasis on story elements vocabulary and
descriptive characteristics as a lesson activatormotivates through “mere exposure” theory. This creates
visual and auditory priority cueing for application of knowledge for the student when they needto retrieve
information from long term memory to working memory storage. This motivator is useful for both groups
for vocabulary growth and a solid foundation for associative skills.
As the lesson progresses, the kindergarten students and language delayed students start to employ their
burgeoning cognitive skill set to look for predictable patterns and identifiable cues. Employing strategic
“wh” questions and recording individual responses creates solid data for progression toward the standard.
Also, another successful motivator can be combining virtual story elements and a sensory hands-on
project where the student re-creates their favorite character or event in the story.Theoretically, this
initiates/increases metacognition by building on each student’s strengths and weaknesses. In this instance,

4. Learner Analysis 4 of 4
the first grade student’s ability to apply knowledge through higher order thinking and attention to detail can
be observed and graded.
Motivational Strategies
Attention is paramount in the acquisition of knowledge, finding interconnections, information retrieval, and
ultimately applying knowledge. So how did I ignite perceptual arousal? I started with a very loved and
familiar book and turned it into a slide show. I introduced the standards and lesson (in kid friendly terms)
wearing a witches hat and a cackling voice. I proceeded to stimulate inquiry and prediction by reintroducing
a story prop box (I call it the mystery box). The box contains significant items that trigger events in the
story, but I appear puzzled and think aloud “why is this here?”. Generally, most students start yelling out the
answers. It is very funny to see them wrapped up in my character portrayal, but it is extremely validating for
me to watch them dissect and detail the “whys” for the confused character. To maintain attention, I involve
the students with sequencing contents of the mystery box and role playing with the interactive story and
sound track. I encourage them to act out the verbs and emotions of the characters. These differentiated
attention activators provide students relevance to the standard and assist them to relate to goals by motive
matching common story element threads for their learning styles and developmental stages by employing
active learning through engaged participation. At closing group, I subtly touch on familiarity employing text
to self and pose questions, “Have you ever felt mad like the witch”? “Have you ever felt like the bat?”. This
not only ties the instruction to the learners’ experience, but provides essential insight and data for myself and
the student that meaningful learning has taken place which can instill confidence for both parties. This can
empower the learner with the belief that they controlled their success. This self-satisfying success is even
sweeter and more motivating, when it is followed by confirmation utilizing powerful feedback and peer
praise.
Learner Characteristics
In my unique sample population, learning characteristics, by nature of the processing disorder, vary
between predictable to episodic. These features are dependent upon intrinsic and extrinsic variables that are
causing stress to the individual or they are over stimulating. As demonstrated in the multi-intelligence chart,
the participants predominantly utilized the following learner characteristics as detailed in their literacylesson:
visual, auditory presentations, logical mathematical, musical, kinesthetic and naturalist.
Multi-Intelligence Data - Based on Literary Lesson
Student, AC- CA- KD- ZG- EH- UM- PM-1st
KT-1st

5. Learner Analysis 5 of 5
grade and
learning style
1st
VACK
non-
verbal
PECS
1st
VACK
KDG
VACK
non-
verbal
PECS
1st
VACK
1st
VACK
PECS
KDG
VACK
PECS
VACK VACK
Multiple
Intelligence
Linguistic X Y X Y X Y X X
Musical
Y Y X Y Y Y Y Y
Logical-
mathematical Y Y Y Y Y Y Y X
Spatial X Y X X X Y Y X
Kinesthetic Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
Intrapersonal Y X Y X X X X X
Interpersonal X Y X Y X Y Y X
Naturalist Y Y Y Y X X Y X
The cultural and ethnic influence
It cannot be denied that culture (including socio-economic factors) and ethnicity impacts learning for
students with autism, tasks (especially verbal communication) and learning situation (Trembath, Balandin, &
Rossi, 2005). In their 2009 research, Tincani, Travers, and Boutot reported that multi-ethnicchildren had
waited an average of one and a half years for testing and diagnoses as compared to their white counterparts.
All special needs instructors have had educational trainingon the necessity of early intervention to close the
developmental “gap”. Characteristically, without the earliest of early intervention, these minority student’s
academic skills will stagnate, more importantly, can havebearing on the student’s self-efficacy, and the ripple
effects to their families. These statements are reiterated by Morrier, Hess, and Heflin in their 2008 ethnic
disproportionality study. In this study, the authors explore the many reasons why special education
placement appears to be delayed. They point out the parents lack the knowledge of the disorder and not
wanting themselves or their child to be stigmatized. These factors affecttheir willingness to follow through
with doctor appointments (which are reported to be three times the visit as white students), paperwork and
school meetings. One of the most interesting statistics from the article was that male minorities were more
likely to be placed in a self-contained classroom as compared to inclusive settings.

6. Learner Analysis 6 of 6
Accommodations
The following is a list of current accommodations for the eight, study participants as directed in their
IEP.:
Listening accommodations:visuals, picture symbols, verbal and/or gestural cuespreferential seating,
teacherproximity, breaking directions into smaller steps, the use of verbal prompts, and modeling.
Speaking accommodations: AT solutions currently availableboardmaker picture symbols, statement strips
and communication book. Others include gesturing/manding and sign language
Writing accommodations: highlighting for tracing, dotted lines and letters for writing. Pre-made sentence
strips andworksheets, decreased length ofassignment/number of responses, a format of assignment changed
to meet need of student(multiple choice, matching word banks, fill-in-the-blank, short answer) and concept
mapping orwebbing strategies.
Math accommodations:reducing the number ofproblems, a format of assignment changed to meet need of
student(multiple choice, matching word banks, fill-in-the-blank, short answer and number line or work
mat)to reinforce strategies.
After reviewing and analyzing accommodations, I proceeded to research Promethean Planet’s website for
academic flipcharts and the Adaptive Learning website to search for pre-made interactive lessons on story
elements. I loaded all visual cues and prompts into the computer and converted them into a PDF format,
Power Point, or a BoardMaker Activity Template depending on the action tools of the program. They are
now ready to be activated and utilized on my interactive ActivBoard. After I finished with visual prompts, I
created speaking texts for pictures, calendars, and academic flip charts to assist and engage my non-verbal
participants (Rao& Gagie, 2006; Parette, Jr., Hourcade & Blum, 2011).I proceeded to correlate relevant
technology, English language arts accommodations and reading comprehension skill setby adding virtual
reading apps to the room’s iPad and DSi for center rotation and independent work during the students
literacy block (Simpson, Spencer, Button & Rendon, 2007).This guided practice gives students the
opportunity to reduce cut, color, and paste frustration, make connections with lesson and gain confidence
while staying on task.

7. Learner Analysis 7 of 7
References
Parette, H. Jr., Hourcade, J., & Blum, C. (2011). Using Animation in Microsoft PowerPoint to
Enhance Engagement and Learning in Young Learners with Developmental Delay
TEACHING Exceptional Children, 43(4), 58-67. Retrieved September 30, 2012 from
http://www.galileo.usg.edu
Michael, J. M., Kristen, L. H., & L, J. H. (2008). Ethnic disproportionality in students with autism
spectrum disorders. Multicultural Education, 16(1), 31-38.http://www.galileo.usg.edu
Rao, S. (2006). Learning Through Seeing and Doing: Visual Supports for Children With Autism.
Teaching Exceptional Children, 38(6), 26-33. Retrieved September 30, 2012 from
http://www.galileo.usg.edu
Simpson, C. G., Spencer, V. G., Button, R., Rendon, S. (2007). Using guided reading with students
with autism spectrum disorders. TEACHING Exceptional Children Plus, 4(1-9).
Retrieved September 30, 2012from http://www.galileo.usg.edu
Tincani, M., Travers, J., Boutot, A. (2009). Race, Culture, and Autism SpectrumDisorder:
Understanding the Role of Diversityin SuccessfulEducationalInterventions. Research &
Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities, 34, (81–90).Retrieved September 30, 2012
from http://www.galileo.usg.edu
Trembath, D., Balandin, S., Rossi, C. (2005). Cross-cultural practice and autism. Journal of
Intellectual & Developmental Disability, December 2005; 30(4): 240–242. Retrieved
September 30, 2012 from http://www.galileo.usg.edu
Scoring Rubric for Learner Analysis

8. Learner Analysis 8 of 8
0 3 5 Score
Learners Selected a group of
learners that is not
an appropriate
target sample
Selected a group of
learners that is
appropriate; sample
size is less than or equal
to 8
Identifies demographics
of learners
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.
0 1 2 Score
Gardner Does not identify
differences among
learners
Identifies differences,
but does not use
Gardner's MI theory.
Utilizes Gardner's multiple
intelligences to describe
learners' intelligence
preferences and strengths;
includes instrument and
original data from students.
0 1 2 Score
Special
Needs
Does not include
special needs
information
Identifies special needs
of learners, but does not
describe
accommodations for
those learners.
Identifies special needs of
learners. Cites at least 3
references for specific
methods of meeting
learners' needs.
0 1 2 Score
Culture/Eth
nicity
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.
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.
0 1 2 Score
Motivation Does not include
motivation
information
Includes motivation
information, but does
not list strategies for
motivation
Includes motivation
information and strategies for
motivation
Uses ARCS terminology or
structure
0 1 2 Score

9. Learner Analysis 9 of 9
Form 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
Some section headings
provided were
addressed
More than three
spelling or grammar
errors that distracted the
reader
APA Style attempted
Rubric not included
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
Rubric included
Total (Max 15) /15