Principles of LMA
The process of Learning Media Assessment helps education teams to collect relevant data to inform decisions about general learning media and the media used for reading and writing. The data that are collected may vary according to the unique characteristics of each pupil, but there are some key principles that can be applied to the LMA process in all circumstances. They are:
- LMA is based on objective data collected over time and examined closely by all members of a pupil's educational team (including the pupil when appropriate)
- The evidence used for each decision related to a learner's literacy media should be clearly documented and regularly updated (ie every year)
- A key purpose of Learning Media Assessment is to enable the team around the child to design and target instruction that will meet the individual media needs of children
- The process for decision-making should be transparent
- There is no assumption that print is inherently superior to braille (or vice versa). The choice of one medium over the other is based entirely on the medium's ability to support the individual needs of the child
- LMA is an ongoing process of evaluation and the pupil's teaching and learning goals should be modified regularly to accommodate changes in, or additions to, the learning media needs and options identified by the process
Strength of the team process
Learning Media Assessment is conducted as a team process. Providing all members of a pupil's educational team (including the pupil him or herself) with an opportunity to have input into the data that will inform media decisions allows for the broadest perspective and therefore the most comprehensive examination of the factors influencing the decision. It is important, for example, to consider the parents' preferences and the classroom teacher's perception of the pupil's success in using vision, hearing and/or touch to gain access to information in an educational setting. Using a team process supports LMA by:
- providing opportunities for diverse perspectives across home, school and community settings
- allowing all voices to be heard when discussing
- involving key stakeholders in the decision so that subsequent buy-in for implementation of learning media instruction may be more easily attained.