Learning media assessment

Questions

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1. Who is Learning Media Assessment aimed at?

2. Can LMA be used with a secondary school learner or is it only valid when it is used from an early age?

3. Is the LMA process the same for late beginners as with a young learner?

4. What are the forms used for?

5. Who can carry out LMA?

6. When should Learning Media Assessment be carried out?

7. What is the difference between "learning media" and "literacy media"?

8. What is Diagnostic Teaching and how is it used in LMA?

9. What are the typical profiles of print and braille users?

Answers

Learning Media Assessment is designed to be used with children as young as three and throughout the school years.

The benefit of a comprehensive, ongoing examination of learning media is that it promotes access to the most efficient and effective means of accessing and passing on information for children and young people with visual impairment.

The process also helps the education team around the child to benefit from the process of gathering information to gain a clear picture of child's changing media needs over time, allowing them to consider all factors necessary for appropriate decision-making. Yes the LMA can be used with learners with vision impairment of all school ages.

It can be useful in a range of ways with older learners even if they haven't had a previous assessment. You can refer to the case studies to see how the LMA supports learners across a range of ages. Basically yes, although it is likely that the learner will probably already have an established literacy medium or media.

You can refer to the case studies to see how the LMA supports an older pupil and refer to the strategy relating to transferring from print to braille. Learning Media Assessment contains a variety of forms that are used to guide the educational team through the process of data collection, and will inform their decision regarding learning media for a particular pupil.

It is important to understand that the forms to be used should be chosen based on the information that the educational team deems necessary for each pupil. It is not appropriate to use all forms for a single pupil since the forms are related to the pupil's phase and the assessment goals of the team (refer to the LMA process for more information). Learning Media Assessment should be guided by a qualified teacher of pupils with vision impairment and supported by other members of a pupil's educational team (including, when appropriate, the pupil him or herself). Learning Media Assessment should be carried out yearly following the first assessment. In Learning Media Assessment, the term "media" is used to refer to the wide range of means that an individual uses to access information.

The term "learning media" does not just refer to written information, it covers the information received from expressions, gestures and demonstrations, information from verbal communication as well as information from classroom materials (such as displays and whiteboards). It also covers signs in the environment (eg exit, toilet, room numbers), and information needed for independent living (eg labels on canned food, poison notices on cleaning supplies).

The term "literacy media" refers to the means that are used to access books and other reading materials such as magazines or professional periodicals. While auditory information is included in both "learning media" and "literacy media" it is assumed that for educational purposes literacy media refers primarily to braille and/or print. Diagnostic teaching combines assessment and instruction in a process of decision making that allows the educational team to "test" changes to a learner's media prior to making a decision about the effectiveness of the change.
The process of diagnostic teaching is guided by the following principles:
- Instruction and assessment cannot be separated in effective teaching
- Pupils learn and develop as individuals, not as a group
- Information gathered from assessment should be used immediately to change instruction to make learning more efficient
- Systematic problem-solving techniques can be employed to explore areas in a child's development that are unknown.

(Koenig & Holbrook, 1989 p. 297).

Typical profiles of print users

Uses vision efficiently to complete distant and near vision tasks
- identifies elements in pictures
- identifies name in print
has stable eye condition
has intact central field
shows steady progress in developing visual skills

Typical profiles of braille users

explores environment using touch
uses touch to identify small objects
has unstable eye condition/ reduced central field
shows steady progress in developing tactile skills

Learning media assessment

Implementation - Frequently asked questions

Questions

Answers

Typical profiles of print users

Typical profiles of braille users