Deck 11: Learning and Cognition in the Content Areas

Question 1

Pedagogical content knowledge refers to comprehensive knowledge about content of a particular discipline.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

As long as a teacher possesses expert knowledge in a particular subject area, she will be an effective teacher in transferring content information.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Most persons who are avid readers indicate that they have at least one other person to talk with about reading and what to read next.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Many parents of at-risk students have their own reading difficulties as well as difficulties in obtaining books.

Question 5

The phonics approach to reading emphasizes decoding skills and therefore reflects the social constructivist view of reading.

Question 6

The whole-language approach to reading focuses on becoming immersed in the natural world of print and should be integrated with other skills and subjects.

Question 7

Metacognitive functioning in mathematics is facilitated when the focus is on whether students' answers are right or wrong.

Question 8

Phonology, the sound system of a language, plays a minor role in the early development of reading skills.

Question 9

Social constructivist approaches to writing emphasize that writing is best understood as being internally generated rather than culturally embedded.

Question 10

From the social constructivist perspective, it is important that students participate in a writing community to understand author/reader relationships.

Question 11

Planning, problem solving, revising, and metacognitive strategies are important to enhancing students' writing skills according to the cognitive approach to writing.

Question 12

If teachers want to effectively incorporate writing into the curriculum, they should focus on free- writing assignments and forgo more formal assignments, as students may get overwhelmed.

Question 13

In the Curriculum Standards for Mathematics, it is recommended that calculators be used in middle school and high school, but not elementary school.

Question 14

In grades 3 through 5, mathematics instruction should address multiplicative reasoning, equivalence, and computational fluency.

Question 15

Constructivist teaching in science emphasizes the learning of facts and concepts.

Question 16

Some critics of the constructivist approaches in science argue that too much attention is given to inquiry skills and not enough is given to discipline-specific information.

Question 17

Recent research (Chiu, 2007) shows that science achievement is linked to a student's family support and access to resources.

Question 18

"People, places, and environments" is an instructional theme proposed by the National Council of the Social Sciences.

Question 19

Which of the following terms refers to excellent knowledge about the content of a specific discipline?

A) Expert knowledge
B) Pedagogical content knowledge
C) Reciprocal teaching
D) Transactional understanding

Question 20

Which of the following is true?

A) All teachers need to master is those effective teaching practices that extend across all subjects.
B) Most effective teaching practices do not extend across all subjects.
C) While many effective teaching practices extend across subject areas, teachers also need basic understanding of content knowledge exclusive to a given subject area.
D) The most effective teachers focus on content knowledge specific to their subject area.

Question 21

After leaving school, Ms. Crandall catches another colleague in the parking lot. She expresses to him that while she can explain any of the concepts focal to teaching fourth-grade science, she is having trouble reaching her students. She just can't get them to see the link between the content matter and real-world application; therefore, she is having trouble keeping them motivated and on-task. In which area is Ms. Crandall experiencing difficulty?

A) Reciprocal teaching
B) Transactional instruction
C) Expert knowledge
D) Pedagogical content knowledge

Question 22

Ryan has just received his first teaching position. After a celebratory dinner with his wife, he sits down to plan his first lesson unit. As images of multiple activities, materials, and projects start to run rampant, he tries to focus on the content of the first lesson. As he glances at the topic, only vague principles come to mind, so he looks down his list of lesson units for the school year. He realizes in all his enthusiasm over diverse and effective teaching methods and materials, he has lost sight of the heart of the matter: the scientific content! Which of the following areas is Ryan questioning his abilities in?

A) Reciprocal teaching
B) Transactional instruction
C) Expert knowledge
D) Pedagogical content knowledge

Question 23

According to recent research (Mayer 2004, 2008), which of the following are the three key cognitive processes a child needs to go through in order to read a printed word?

A) Expert knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge, and assessment knowledge
B) Awareness of sound units in words, decoding words, and accessing word meaning
C) Phonology, morphology, and syntax
D) Phonics, decoding, translation

Question 24

Which of the following is an example of how teachers can help students become better readers?

A) Provide a print-rich environment.
B) Read what students are reading.
C) Talk about the most interesting parts of books and show excitement during discussions.
D) All of these

Question 25

In the developmental model of reading, which stage refers to the point individuals begin reading by learning to sound out words, and finalize their learning of letter names and sounds?

A) Stage 0
B) Stage 1
C) Stage 2
D) Stage 3
E) Stage 4

Question 26

In the developmental model of reading, which stage refers to the point where individuals are fully competent readers and have developed the ability to understand written material from multiple perspectives?

A) Stage 1
B) Stage 2
C) Stage 3
D) Stage 4

Question 27

Reading instruction that emphasizes paralleling children's natural learning of language and the use of meaningful reading material refers to which approach to reading?

A) Phonics approach
B) Whole-language approach
C) Cognitive approach
D) Social constructivist approach

Question 28

Reading instruction that emphasizes strategy instruction, particularly metacognitive strategies, refers to which of the following approaches to reading?

A) Phonics approach
B) Whole-language approach
C) Cognitive approach
D) Social constructivist approach

Question 29

Research has concluded that children from welfare homes receive how much language experience in their early years?

A) Nearly 30% of the amount of that found among professional families
B) Nearly 50% of the amount of that found among professional families
C) Nearly 70% of the amount of that found among professional families
D) The same amount of that found among professional families

Question 30

Mary has become good at remembering specific words and basic reading skills. However, she still has not mastered the concept of learning from reading. This is because she must devote all her attention to the mechanical aspect of reading. Which developmental stage of reading would you say Mary is in?

A) Stage 1
B) Stage 2
C) Stage 3
D) Stage 4

Question 31

Ms. Daniels is discussing Reggie's paper with him after class. Ms. Daniels notices that while Reggie has grasped the plot of Moby Dick, his paper does not meet the criteria of addressing the book's dilemma from the different viewpoints of the main characters. Which developmental stage of reading would you say Reggie is in?

A) Stage 1
B) Stage 2
C) Stage 3
D) Stage 4

Question 32

Students have just arrived in class, and the teacher has written the week's reading assignment on the board. Students are to read one section of The Post each day and develop a personal reaction paper to world events. Which approach to reading does this relate to?

A) Phonics approach
B) Whole-language approach
C) Cognitive approach
D) Social constructivist approach

Question 33

Ridgebrook Elementary's approach to reading instruction focuses on teaching students reading skills that involve the following: establishing the gist of material before reading, monitoring comprehension, and adjusting the pace of reading to account for the material's difficulty. Which approach to reading does this relate to?

A) Phonics approach
B) Whole-language approach
C) Cognitive approach
D) Social constructivist approach

Question 34

Students get into their groups before receiving their reading assignment. The teacher reminds students of the three rules of group reading in her classroom: help each other, share your opinions, and ask peers or the teacher questions if you don't understand. Which approach to reading does this relate to?

A) Phonics approach
B) Whole-language approach
C) Cognitive approach
D) Social constructivist approach

Question 35

While faculty members at Southwood Elementary fully endorse effective reading instruction methods, they sincerely believe that the parents of their children should and can be active participants in reading instruction. Therefore, strategies geared at parent literacy are principal components of the school improvement plan. Which approach to reading does this relate to?

A) Phonics approach
B) Whole-language approach
C) Cognitive approach
D) Social constructivist approach

Question 36

At which age can children usually reproduce letters and copy several short words?

A) 1 year
B) 2 to 3 years
C) 5 years
D) Elementary ages

Question 37

Which approach to writing emphasizes planning, problem solving, revising, and metacognitive strategies?

A) Cognitive
B) Social constructivist
C) Whole-language
D) Phonics

Question 38

The belief that writing is culturally embedded and social constructed is emphasized in which approach to writing?

A) Cognitive
B) Social constructivist
C) Whole-language
D) Phonics

Question 39

Which of the following is not an effective strategy to incorporating writing into the curriculum?

A) Nurture positive attitudes toward learning.
B) Foster student engagement through authentic writing tasks.
C) Provide a supportive context for writing.
D) Avoid formal writing assignments.

Question 40

In order to provide a supportive context for writing, teachers should provide what type of goals?

A) Those that are simple so students are willing to try
B) Those that are hard so students benefit from high teacher expectations
C) Those of moderate difficulty so they are challenging yet realistic
D) There is no one right way to determine effective goals.

Question 41

Which of the following does not represent a core element of integrating cultural diversity into the school context in order to enhance students' writing skills?

A) Understanding of how knowledge is taught in ethnically diverse households
B) An after-school laboratory that incorporates information familiar from students' neighborhoods
C) Parent volunteering in classroom
D) Classroom connections to the after-school laboratory

Question 42

Which of the following assignments is most consistent with the social constructivist approach to writing?

A) Writing a book report about a novel read aloud during class
B) Creating an outline to summarize main events studied during history class
C) Writing a term paper about a topic studied during science class
D) Writing an essay about a recent significant personal event

Question 43

Which of the following assignments is the best example of "free-writing"?

A) After studying a topic in life science, students are asked to write a summary of the main ideas and to develop examples.
B) After students are presented with an idea for a topic, they are asked to write whatever they want about it.
C) After students are given a chance to reflect on a recent event, they are asked to write a poem or short story about it.
D) After proposing a controversial topic for debate, students are asked to generate logical arguments supporting one side or the other.

Question 44

Ms. Davis outlines her approach to writing instruction for the upcoming school year. Last year students had such a hard time acquiring basic writing skills that Ms. Davis has developed a systematic approach that teaches students skills in the areas of time management, problem solving, monitoring, and revising. Which approach to writing does this match?

A) Cognitive
B) Social constructivist
C) Whole-language
D) Phonics

Question 45

Lydia's writing performance has significantly improved since her friend Cecile shared advice on how she approaches writing assignments. When Cecile receives a writing assignment, she first estimates how long it will take to complete the assignment. Then she sketches out a brief outline of the elements she wants to include before beginning the actual writing. Which strategy of the cognitive approach to writing does Cecile suggest?

A) Planning
B) Problem solving
C) Revising
D) Monitoring

Question 46

The Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics emphasizes the importance of all of the following, except which one?

A) Solving meaningful math problems
B) Making math socially interactive
C) Making connections to prior knowledge
D) Practicing computations repeatedly

Question 47

Early mathematics assessments should be focused on what goal?

A) Inform teaching practices
B) Group students into appropriate math tracks
C) School district archives
D) Norm-referenced testing

Question 48

A recent study used videotapes of eighth-grade math classrooms to examine how math is taught in different countries. The study showed that Japanese teachers let students spend _______ minutes on average struggling to solve a math problem compared to only ______ minutes on average for U.S. teachers.

A) 21; 5
B) 20; 2
C) 15; 5
D) 5; 15

Question 49

The current controversy in math involves whether math should be taught using a cognitive approach or a computational approach. The cognitive approach emphasizes ___, whereas the computational approach emphasizes ___.

A) speed and automaticity; developing concepts
B) developing concepts; speed and automaticity
C) technology usage; memorization and practice
D) memorization and practice; technology usage

Question 50

It is important for students to learn effective, efficient, and established computing methods. Which theme in mathematics instruction does this refer to?

A) Multiplicative reasoning
B) Equivalence
C) Computational fluency
D) Everyday mathematics

Question 51

Mrs. Williams reviews the math assignment and asks students to "debug" their wrong answers. She asks them to find the error, figure out why it is an error, and correct it. Mrs. Williams is engaging students in which of the following?

A) Drill and practice
B) Metacognitive strategies
C) Applying mathematical concepts in contexts outside of mathematics
D) Numerical operations

Question 52

Which of the following is not one of the constructivist principles for teaching mathematics?

A) Make math realistic and interesting.
B) Consider students' prior knowledge.
C) Focus on innovative math projects.
D) Focus on individualized math projects to allow for student choice.

Question 53

A group of teachers has just met at the local coffee shop following their department's faculty meeting. The faculty in the math department is concerned about students' recent performance on the math portion of the state's mandated achievement test. Over coffee, the teachers start to pose possible avenues to pursue to enhance their math instruction. Which of the following suggestions might not be an effective strategy?

A) Establish a Web page on their school's Web site that offers suggestions for supporting students' learning in math.
B) Examine the budget to explore the possibility of updating computers and providing enough calculators for each student in each classroom.
C) Hold a family night to communicate to parents about math instruction and how parents might aid mathematical learning in the home.
D) Cut out the recent budget to include innovative math programs that will distract the focus of instruction from basic math skills.

Question 54

Mr. Grammatica has made a pointed effort to gauge students' prior knowledge of how to calculate percentages. He has had the repeated experience of students holding onto prior schemes despite their inaccuracy. So on the first day of class he passes around a worksheet to gauge their understanding. Which effective strategy of mathematics instruction is Mr. Grammatica focusing on?

A) Making math realistic
B) Considering students' prior knowledge
C) Making math activities social
D) Incorporating innovative programs

Question 55

It is Reginald's first day at school, and he is on his way to algebra class. While he is nervous about the algebra class given his past math grades, he is distinctly more anxious about next year's foray in geometry. Without knowing anything else, what grade level is Reginald most likely to be in?

A) Pre-kindergarten through grade 2
B) Grades 3 through 5
C) Grades 6 through 8
D) Grades 9 through 12

Question 56

How might teachers use students' underlying concepts to facilitate science education?

A) As support for the argument of a deficiency of positive science experiences in the home
B) By pointing out ineffective study strategies
C) As scaffolds for learning
D) As ideas for structuring assessment

Question 57

Best practices for teaching science include all of the following, except which one?

A) Guiding students in developing inquiry skills
B) Constructing scientific knowledge independent of science content
C) Exploring everyday science problems
D) Monitoring students' misconceptions about science

Question 58

Scientists and educators argue that schools need to guide students in learning how to use science skills, which include all of the following except which one?

A) Making careful observations
B) Collecting, organizing, and analyzing data
C) Using misconceptions as a centerpiece for scientific inquiry and fact
D) Knowing how to apply their knowledge to solve problems

Question 59

Mrs. Schwartz teaches science. This year, her students created models of the solar system, wired a doll house, and built racing cars. Which of the following terms best describes this teacher's approach to teaching science?

A) Interactive demonstration strategy
B) Seatwork-based instruction
C) Direct instruction
D) Constructivist instruction

Question 60

Critics of constructivist approaches to teaching science repeatedly emphasize what argument?

A) Not enough attention is given to discipline-specific information.
B) Constructivist approaches have not been supported by enough research studies.
C) More lecture-oriented models of teaching have proven to be more significantly linked to science achievement.
D) Constructivist approaches focus on the memorization of facts, which does not promote critical thinking about scientific principles.

Question 61

In order for students to learn both inquiry skills and science content, which of the following should occur?

A) Teachers should carefully structure initial investigations.
B) Students should plan and conduct subsequent investigations.
C) Teachers should extensively monitor students' independent investigations.
D) All of these

Question 62

The field of social studies seeks to promote which type of competence?

A) Civic competence
B) Interpersonal skills
C) Cooperative learning
D) Altruism

Question 63

Which is not a theme for social studies instruction proposed by the National Council for the Social Sciences?

A) Time, continuity, and change
B) Individual development and identity
C) Science, technology, and society
D) Focus on American social concerns

Question 64

Which themes address how each person is shaped by culture, groups, and institutions?

A) People, places, and environments
B) Individual development and identity
C) Power, authority, and governance
D) Culture

Question 65

Which theme addresses the relationship of people to their environment and engages students in learning that promotes understanding of global perspectives?

A) People, places, and environments
B) Individual development and identity
C) Power, authority, and governance
D) Culture

Question 66

Which theme addresses cultural similarities and differences?

A) People, places, and environments
B) Individual development and identity
C) Power, authority, and governance
D) Culture

Question 67

Which of the following is not a constructivist approach to teaching social studies?

A) Traditional manner of using a single textbook and complementing lectures with question-and-answer discussions
B) Emphasis on using multiple sources of information
C) Peer collaboration
D) Critical thinking about values

Question 68

Although Ms. Liang likes the class textbook, she frequently uses other resources to supplement what students are learning from the text. Which of the following resources is least likely to provide information that differs from the textbook?

A) Websites
B) Magazine articles
C) Primary documents and artifacts
D) Lecture

Question 69

Mr. Littleton is a new teacher at Southpoint Academy. If his teaching centers on civics and cultural diversity, and includes such disciplines as economics, geography, and psychology, which content area does he teach in?

A) Social studies
B) Science
C) Philosophy
D) Sociology

Question 70

Miss Brazelton begins her social studies discussion with an introduction that emphasizes the importance of understanding McCarthyism as an important historical event within the larger human story. Which social science theme does this best refer to?

A) Time, continuity, and change
B) Individuals, groups, and institutions
C) Power, authority, and governance
D) Civic ideals and practices

Question 71

Martin brings up a valid question in his social studies class. He feels that if contributing to society is such an important goal for each individual, how can one person go about making a difference? Which social science theme does Martin's question best pertain to?

A) Time, continuity, and change
B) Individuals, groups, and institutions
C) Power, authority, and governance
D) Civic ideals and practices

Question 72

Meeting with a colleague after school, Marta ponders the best way to get her students actively involved in meaning-making. She is creating a lesson plan that centers on the importance of responding to world hunger and is unsure how to best go about developing it. In response to Marta's pondering, what might be a constructivist strategy offered by her colleague?

A) Create a handout that outlines each wonderful benefit of charitable organizations.
B) Expose students to a slide presentation of underdeveloped countries where humanitarian aid is ongoing. Student questioning will naturally be prompted.
C) Have students write a paper on the importance of humanitarian aid using the points covered in class.
D) Develop a lecture that is systematically organized around the most critical concepts.

Question 73

Compare and contrast expert knowledge with pedagogical content knowledge.

Question 74

Defend why both expert knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge are so important to effective teaching.

Question 75

Describe the three main goals of reading instruction according to Stahl.

Question 76

Describe what is meant by a "transactional strategy instruction approach" to reading.

Question 77

Give examples of metacognitive strategies that you can use to improve your reading.

Question 78

Imagine you are using reciprocal teaching groups for an upcoming reading activity. Within the context of a specific example, outline the important strategies that should be present within the activity.

Question 79

The connections among the school, family, and community are integral to the social constructivist approach to reading. Unfortunately, some students do not get positive early experiences with language because their parents may be struggling with their own literacy. Outline some suggestions that a school might engage in to combat this unfortunate state of affairs.

Question 80

Describe the four types of strategies that the cognitive approach to writing emphasizes.