S. Wade Bradt – EME 5603
Learner Analysis Report[1]
Background:
I am designing this instructional unit to facilitate the following goal statement:
Students will correctly determine and select those shutter speed and aperture settings that will demonstrate their ability to produce photos showing shallow and deep depths of field, and freezing and blurring of subjects in motion.
Setting:
To that end, I conducted two learner interviews [1a] at Lawton Chiles High School on Tuesday, 6 October, 2009. The subjects selected for this analysis were representative of the target audience (10th – 12th Grade Students), and interviewed one-on-one in a semi-private setting. [1b] Subject number one was a white male by the name of Adam. Adam is a Sophomore at Chiles HS. Subject number two was a black female by the name of Rebecca. Rebecca is a Junior at Chiles HS.
Interview:
When I arrived at Ms. Childers’ classroom, she informed me that she had informed her students of this study the day before and that she had asked for volunteers. Adam, a white male, was the first student interviewed. [2] I began by shaking his hand and introducing myself, before we exited the classroom to proceed downstairs to the commons area. Chiles HS has a covered outdoor eating area with plenty of tables and benches and as we took a seat I began by informing him that I was developing instruction for how to create special effects with cameras.
I asked him if he liked photography, and what kind of photos he thought were cool. He responded that one of his favorite photos was one his brother took of him while twisting the camera body. It created a blurred image. I told Adam that in developing this instruction, I wanted to make sure it would be effective before I got “too far downstream.” He liked that analogy. Adam stated that he liked photographs that were bright, with good color and that made him feel happy. He expressed an interest in photographs about football and soccer, and stated that he’d like to be able to post “cool special effects” photos on Facebook™.
I employed similar actions in the interview with Rebecca where she informed me that she liked photographs that had “lots of color” or that were focused on fashion or landscape subjects. She frequently posts photographs to Facebook, and Flickr™.
In preparation for these interviews, [3] I wanted to make sure I could collect some general characteristics (beyond age, sex and grade level) that would be representative of the target audience. I did this by including several questions designed to explore ability with regard to photography and general attitudes towards this content. I asked the subjects what kinds of photos they liked, for what they used photos, and other questions of that nature in order to get the “big picture” (see Appendix 1 “Special F/X Questions” for all questions asked).
I did not pursue data regarding subject attitudes towards potential media and instructional methods. I will be utilizing a pen-and-paper approach to this unit. With regard to the homogeneity of the audience, I collected no data, but observation of those students in Ms. Childers’ class showed me a mix of race and gender. The class is an elective that serves multiple grade levels (9-12), so there will be a broader range of entry level skills and knowledge, but all students in this class are working on the same Photoshop Illustrator project, so there should be some leveling of ability based on shared requirements.
In order to assess whether these subjects had any [4] prior knowledge in the subject area, I asked a number of questions related to those skills I had identified as procedural and subordinate (see questions 4 – 10 of Appendix 1). To all questions, Adam responded with answers that communicated that he had no prior experience with these skills. When I interviewed Rebecca, she indicated that she owned a Canon Rebel SLR (Single Lens Reflex) and that she did use its manual settings. After some follow-up questions, I determined that although she was selecting the “manual” mode (rather than “automatic”), she did not actually understand the concepts of shutter speed, aperture, or even the concept of exposure.
Learner Characteristics:
The following is a summary of characteristics [5a] that should be indicative of the target audience:
· 9th to 12th Grade students at Lawton Chiles High School
· Range in age from 15 – 18 years old
· Both male and female
· Racial diversity including Caucasian, African-American, Latino, Asian-American[2])
· Subjects are all participating in an elective class which focuses on using computers, with an emphasis on graphic arts
· Most subjects will have had experience with taking photographs
· Some subjects will have had experience using cameras, like an SLR, with manual settings
· Few subjects have the requisite knowledge or experience to use a camera’s manual settings
· Few, if any, subjects would be able to use shutter speed and aperture settings to achieve the skills set forth in the Goal Statement
Instructional Strategy Changes:
Based on this Learner Analysis, [5b] I have revised my Task Analysis slightly. Initially, I believed that the Concept of Exposure (4.1.1.1) would be an entry-level skill. However, in consultation with these two subjects, I have determined that it is unlikely that a significant portion of the target audience will understand this concept. To wit, Rebecca was able to “work it out” after asking a few questions, but could not fully articulate the concept. Adam had no idea. Therefore, I will be modifying my instructional strategy to incorporate instruction on that concept as well.
In addition to revising what content will be included, I also decided that the instructional unit will be heavy on photos and graphic images. Because of the range of concepts that will need to be covered, photographs will be necessary in order to facilitate quicker concept acquisition.
Unexpected Results:
Something of note that I discovered during my interview with Rebecca [6] was her confusion with the term “Frozen motion.” In class, we have frequently used that term to represent settings that will freeze an object in motion without any blur. However, when I asked Rebecca to explain this concept, she described, at two different times, an image of a bird with its wings “blurred in motion.” I was able to determine that the term “frozen motion” communicated to her the motion of the bird would be visible via a slight blurring of the wings. Because of this discovery, I will need to explore a better way to communicate this term.
Special F/X Questions
Q1: What kinds of photos to you like?
Q2: How do you use photos?
Q3: What kind of cameras have you used before?
Q4: Have you ever used a camera to make special effects? How?
Q5: Have you ever used a camera’s manual settings?
Q6: Would you like to be able to create special effects?
Q7: What kind of special effects do you like?
Q8: Can you tell me what an “aperture” is? What does it do?
Q9: Can you tell me what “shutter speed” is? What does it do?
Q10: Describe how shutter speed and aperture settings work together.
Q11: Describe what a photo looks like if its object “is frozen in motion.”
Q12: Describe what a photo looks like if its object “is blurred in motion.”
Q13: Describe what a photo looks like if it has a “shallow depth of field.”
Q14: Describe what a photo looks like if it has a “deep depth of field.”
Q15: What is meant by the term photographic “exposure”?
Wade: This is an excellent report. I am likely to use it as a model for students in future years. Great work! Grade : A
October 12, 2009
[1] The numbers included within this text (e.g., [1]) are intended to demonstrate the match between this content and the “Grading Criteria for Learner Analysis Report.” Okay!
[2] Specific nationalities unknown.