Learner Personas

Support Learning

Expectations

Challenges

Motivations, Goals, Learning Styles

Demographics

Support Learning

Expectations

Challenges

Motivations, Goals, Learning Styles

Demographics

Learning

Persona 2

Highlights motivations and expectations of learning experience.

Learning

Proposed strategies and methods

Support

Proposed strategies and methods

Support

Highlights motivation and expectations of learning experience.

"The Competitive Collaborators"

Persona 1

Subgroups of Algebra with Geometry

Learner Personas

The course I will be focusing on is Algebra with Geometry, an accelerated freshman-level math course that prepares them to eventually take an AP level math course their senior year. I will be referring to a subgroup of my 1st period Algebra with Geometry class, composed of 4 freshman boys; "The competitive collaborators." Our classroom is on the second floor with windows, creating a physically bright environment. Naperville North High School's course sequence flow chart can be seen on the left.

Demographics - The Competitive Collaborators

Expectations from the Learning Experience

1) This group expects regular, meaningful feedback on how they can improve their understanding regarding the math content. This is true with homework assignments, in-class activities, and assessments. 2) These students thrive when given the chance to explore topics, rather than receiving direct instruction. For example, they may want to build a model to show how a specific math concept works in the context of one of their interests. 3) These students have come to expect real-world applications of most, if not all of the math concepts they are learning about.

Motivations, Goals, Learning Styles

Motivations (Extrinsic): This group of boys have many extrinsic motivations within my classroom. To start simply, for review-type lessons, this group is motivated by physical awards, such as candy or chips. Due to their friendships being formed many years ago, and due to their competitive nature, completing an assignment first over the other groupmates is a daily endeavor. (Intrinsic): As I said above, these boys are very competitive. For assessments, their motivation is being the one who receives the highest score. They do not like receiving grades below an A. Goals & Learning Styles: Their learning goals are to enhance their problem-solving speed and accuracy, specifically in preparation for standardized tests such as the SAT and ACT. They also need a collaborative and exploratory learning environment to stay engaged throughout the entire lesson.

Instructional Strategies to Support Student Learning

1) Goal-setting and progress tracking: Provide self-assessment opportunities, with programs such as Desmos or Formative, to help students monitor their improvement and take accountability for their learning.2) Collaborative problem-solving: Incorporate open-ended, exploratory activities that foster small-group and whole-class discussions. 3) Gamification: Utilize competitive review activities, timed challenges, and problem-solving games to promote a higher sense of student engagement.

Motivations, Goals, Learning Styles

Motivations (Extrinsic): With this subgroup of students, there do not exist many observable extrinsic motivators. As a reference, many of my lessons within this class require students to work at one of the vertical whiteboards around the room. When giving all of my students tasks to work on at one of these boards, this subgroup consistently finishes first, which seems to motivate them through more challenging tasks.(Intrinsic): Intrinsically, these students thrive when given challenging tasks. They work hard to receive near-perfect grades on homework assignments and assessments. Furthermore, they truly want to understand the "why" behind math concepts. Goals & Learning Styles: This group is focused on developing practical mathematical skills that will help them make connections to other disciplines and career paths. This group needs challenging, thought-provoking tasks in which have them explore mathematical concepts.

1) Due to the collaborative learning environment, they are expected to engage in small-group, and whole-class discussion regarding math problems. 2) To receive relevant, real-world applications that connect the material to other disciplines. 3) Opportunities for competition and recognition, such as small-group classroom challenges, team-based problem-solving activities, and leaderboards.

Expectations from the Learning Experience

Instructional Strategies to Support Student Learning

1) Project-based learning: Encourage students to undergo projects that require problem-solving and math application. For example, using geometric transformations, students can create tessellations within a small-group and then present their work to the whole class.2) Peer collaboration: These students work well in groups where they can discuss and solve problems together. For example, giving students an in-class activity where they design a survey, collect data, and analyze it using a particular sampling method. 3) Dynamic Software: Students can explore different mathematical concepts using dynamic softwares, such as GeoGebra and Desmos. These tools serve as a way for students to use online manipulatives, creating a more hands-on learning environment.

Challenges

Similar to my first learner persona, this group, even with their strengths, come with some challenges: 1) Consistently questioning the relevancy of the material. 2) Pacing seems to be an issue with this group as they finish tasks much earlier than others. 3) When not presented with a student-driven learning environment, this group becomes disengaged and distractable.

Demographics - The Practical Problem Solvers

Still focusing on my 1st period Algebra with Geometry class, this next subgroup consists of three freshman boys, ages 14-15 years old. This group takes part in the robotics club and STEM club at Naperville North High School. They are my most vocal participators in class, and thrive when their learning feels applicable, or practical. Based on personal opinion, and based on their current grades, all ranging from 98 percent to 100 percent, these students could thrive in an even higher-level math course, such as Honors Geometry.

Challenges

As brilliant as this group is, they do pose the following challenges: 1) Easily distractable due to being in class with many of their close friends 2) Balancing academics with extracurricular commitments, primarily varsity wrestling and JV basketball, often results in rushed and incorrect homework. 3) This group becomes frustrated or disengaged when mathematical solutions are not immediately apparent.