Deck 9: Student Teachers and Families

Question 1

Most teachers are trained in communication techniques that help them work with parents.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Most preschools, child care centers, and elementary schools welcome parent volunteers in the classroom.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Student teachers should always defer to their cooperating teachers in any parent-teacher conference.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Centers and schools usually have the exact same philosophy and attitude toward parents and family.

Question 5

Family surveys and interviews can be used to gather information that assesses the need for improved relationships between families and teachers.

Question 6

Collaborating with families is easy and comes naturally to most teachers.

Question 7

Teachers may find it difficult to involve families due to family member work commitments.

Question 8

Teachers are obligated to ensure that individual families, no matter how diverse, are accepted and included in center-family interactions.

Question 9

Nonverbal communication often says less than verbal communication.

Question 10

Most parents want to be informed about their child's progress on a regular basis.

Question 11

First impressions communicate informally to parents thinking about enrolling their children in a child care facility or school.

Question 12

The most frequent interaction between teachers and families occurs when people bring and pick up children from the center or school.

Question 13

Most interactions between a parent and a teacher or student teacher are formal.

Question 14

Building authentic relationships with families requires putting a high priority on family needs.

Question 15

Working cooperatively with families supports the best interest of the children.

Question 16

Most interactions with parents or family members are informal.

Question 17

Student teachers project their professionalism by their actions, appearance, and demeanor.

Question 18

All centers and schools have the same philosophy and attitudes toward parents and families.

Question 19

Comparing one child with another is recommended in a parent-teacher conference.

Question 20

Face-to-face contact with parents and family members is more common in elementary schools than in early childhood programs.

Question 21

Many centers and schools base their partnership efforts on the assumption that parents are children's first and primary teachers.

Question 22

One piece of family information that is important to early childhood educators is their past experiences with education institutions.

Question 23

When conducting family meetings, avoid sharing anecdotes and classroom stories.

Question 24

Many centers and schools base their partnership efforts on the assumption that congruence between home and school is essential to a child's school success.

Question 25

Family friends are rarely key players in a child's life.

Question 26

Cooperating teachers have probably communicated to families what their role as a mentor and your role as a student teacher is in the classroom.

Question 27

Family relationships may become strained when young children become "insiders," comfortable operating within a new culture.

Question 28

Families may be concerned that a student teacher may not maintain confidentiality or be able to handle challenging behaviors in the classroom.

Question 29

A student teacher should memorize which adults have clearance to remove which children at the end of the day.

Question 30

If you decide that you, as the student teacher, feel comfortable helping families, you should take the initiative and contact the family.

Question 31

Nearly one of every nineteen people in the United States spoke a foreign language at home in 2007.

Question 32

Educators should never assume when planning family meetings that the family members can understand English or read advanced take-home announcements.

Question 33

Home visits should have an extensive agenda and, unfortunately, don't often leave the opportunity to thoroughly respond during the visit to issues the family may raise.

Question 34

Families may consider student teachers to be experts and may quiz them on child development issues.

Question 35

One piece of family information that is important to early childhood educators is their ability to converse or read English.

Question 36

If a parent asks you about a concern in the classroom, answer immediately as positively as possible.

Question 37

Generally, the more public funding a program has the less parent involvement is mandated.

Question 38

Families may be suspicious of a teacher wanting to conduct a home visit if the practice is unfamiliar to them.

Question 39

New guidelines promote that preschool programs be developed in collaboration with families.

Question 40

Educators should never assume when planning family meetings that the family members are available for the times scheduled or have reliable transportation.

Question 41

Parent volunteers may

A) help in the classroom.
B) provide snacks when asked.
C) develop curriculum.
D) All of these answers.
E) help in the classroom or provide snacks when asked.

Question 42

Many centers and schools base family partnership efforts on which of the following assumptions?

A) Parents are children's first and primary teachers.
B) Clear messages are necessary in both oral and written communication.
C) Regardless of diversity, parent support of their child's education is influential.
D) All the above. All of these answers are correct.
E) Parents are children's first and primary teachers and clear messages are necessary in both oral and written communication.

Question 43

Staff trained in family engagement would take classes that discuss topics like

A) how to recognize learning disabilities.
B) developing creative classroom projects on a budget.
C) developing biased communication.
D) using constructive problem solving that avoids casting blame.
E) All of these answers are correct.

Question 44

Examples of informal parent-teacher communications include

A) scheduled conferences.
B) school newsletters.
C) telephone calls.
D) greeting parents when children arrive and depart.
E) telephone calls and greeting parents when children arrive and depart.

Question 45

Assisting families in setting up home conditions to support learning is an example of

A) being too involved.
B) a process required by the NAEYC.
C) a time consuming process that is required by many schools and yet yields only minor results.
D) a type of home/school family partnership activity program.
E) what Montessori schools always do.

Question 46

Profit-making centers

A) rarely seek or depend on family input on administrative decisions.
B) are more likely to have mandated parent involvement than any other program type.
C) always use parent advisors.
D) don't follow NAEYC guidelines.
E) do not have to adhere to student-teacher ratios.

Question 47

One recommended guideline for teacher-parent conferences is

A) to begin the conference with the negative topics so that you can end with the positive.
B) be vague in your descriptions of classroom behavior so that it can be more easily applied to what parents are seeing at home.
C) put the family at ease by providing a comfortable place to sit and something to eat or drink.
D) to conduct the meeting on a whim as pre-planning just causes anxiety in the family.
E) None of these answers are correct.

Question 48

Outside observers may struggle to identify different roles of teachers, student teachers and volunteers

A) but the student teacher should understand that the cooperating teacher is ultimately responsible for the children and the planned program.
B) so the student teacher should wear a large name tag clarifying their role in the classroom.
C) so it is easy for the cooperating teacher to shift blame as necessary.
D) so the cooperating teacher should identify herself as frequently as possible.
E) because everyone does the same job and has the same responsibilities.

Question 49

Involving families in decision making through participation in advisory or other school operations is an example of

A) what Montessori schools always do.
B) a type of home/school family partnership activity program.
C) a time consuming process that is required by many schools and yet yields only minor results.
D) a process required by the NAEYC.
E) All of these answers are correct.

Question 50

A list of possible heads of families that care for and parent young children can include

A) grandparents.
B) incarcerated parents.
C) immigrant parents.
D) All of these answers are correct.
E) grandparents or immigrant parents.

Question 51

Church associated, parent cooperative and non-profit programs

A) are more likely to have mandated parent involvement than any other program type.
B) frequently use parent advisors.
C) rarely seek or depend on family input on administrative decisions.
D) don't follow NAEYC guidelines.
E) do not have to adhere to student-teacher ratios.

Question 52

Staff trained in family engagement would take classes that discuss topics like

A) developing creative classroom projects on a budget.
B) developing anti-biased communication.
C) how to recognize learning disabilities.
D) using constructive problem solving to cast blame accurately.
E) All of these answers are correct.

Question 53

Examples of formal parent-teacher communications include

A) parent-teacher conferences.
B) school newsletters.
C) telephone calls.
D) greeting parents when children arrive and depart.
E) parent-teacher conferences and school newsletters.

Question 54

"Traveling toys" are

A) toys with wheels.
B) play items that a teacher brings to a home visit that go with the teacher at the end of the visit.
C) toys that are sent home with a different family each week.
D) used in small child care centers that have one room for all ages.
E) played with during meals.

Question 55

To help with separation anxiety, a student teacher may be asked to

A) pay special attention to the child at the time of separation.
B) provide patient support to the child and the family member.
C) try to interest the child in a center activity.
D) provide comfort to the child.
E) All of these answers are correct.

Question 56

Examples of nonverbal communication may include

A) what is actually said in a conference.
B) the tone of voice used in a conference.
C) gestures and facial expressions.
D) All of these answers.
E) the tone of voice used in a conference and gestures and facial expressions.

Question 57

If a student teacher finds herself in the middle of a political issue at her placement site

A) she should broach the matter quickly with the cooperating teacher and college supervisor.
B) she should broach the matter quickly with her college supervisor.
C) she should broach the matter quickly with the cooperating teacher.
D) she should avoid addressing the issue if possible.
E) All of these answers are correct.

Question 58

Publicly funded programs

A) rarely seek or depend on family input on administrative decisions.
B) always use parent advisors.
C) do not have to adhere to student-teacher ratios.
D) are more likely to have mandated parent involvement than any other program type.
E) don't follow NAEYC guidelines.

Question 59

Teachers are the most influential link in school-home collaboration and

A) parents never appreciate their contributions.
B) the children are usually the biggest barrier.
C) parents always appreciate their contributions.
D) the parents are the biggest barrier.
E) communication is usually the biggest barrier.

Question 60

A list of major home/school partnership activities might include

A) providing information on child development and helping parents strengthen parenting skills.
B) collaborating with the community and other local resources.
C) increasing and encouraging school-to-home and home-to-school communications.
D) All of these answers are correct..

Question 61

Important developments during the day

A) are mentioned at pick-up time.
B) should always be written down.
C) should never be written down.
D) should be shared only if the person picking the child up is the primary caregiver.
E) should never be shared in front of the child.

Question 62

Formal communication

A) does not exist until a child attends an elementary classroom.
B) includes home visits and conferences.
C) includes greeting parents in the morning.
D) includes greeting parents at the end of the day.
E) All of these answers are correct.

Question 63

Families with children with disabilities

A) often have needs that go further than the routine support given all families.
B) drain teacher resources.
C) are not allowed assistance from classroom teachers that is any different than what every other child receives.
D) often have needs that go further than the routine support given all families but cannot be accommodated.
E) None of these answers are correct.

Question 64

When a student teacher is observing a cooperating teacher's attention to teacher-family relationships

A) she should interject questions as she has them.
B) she should note specifically what communications and actions were effective.
C) she will see that most teacher-family relationships are the same.
D) she should ask the parents if they like the way that the cooperating teacher communicates with them.
E) she should learn from what she does well and just ignore what she does poorly.

Question 65

Separation anxiety is

A) abnormal and indicates that the child should seek counseling.
B) emotional difficulty experienced by some children when leaving their primary caregiver.
C) experienced by most children when leaving their primary caregiver.
D) usually an isolated event.
E) best handled by the parent unless he or she indicates she would like the teacher to intervene.

Question 66

If a child is dawdling or obstinate at pick-up

A) the teacher should ignore the behavior to avoid encouraging it.
B) the teacher should focus on the children remaining in the classroom and take advantage of the new ratio.
C) it is up to the parent to indicate if they need help.
D) the teacher should admonish the child so the parent doesn't have to.
E) the teacher should step in and help the parent.

Question 67

Parent education programs may include classes about

A) current events.
B) discipline and specific areas of curriculum.
C) managing finances.
D) None of these answers are correct.
E) All of these answers are correct.

Question 68

A teacher's primary goal for pick-up

A) is to get time alone with each parent.
B) is that it be as smooth of a transition as possible.
C) is that it go as quickly as possible.
D) is to get the parent out of the classroom before the other children see the parent.
E) is that the child's reaction to going home, positive or negative, doesn't detract from the activity that you are conducting with the rest of the class.

Question 69

Teachers attempt to gain insight

A) regarding a family if the parents seem willing to collaborate.
B) regarding children's home cultures if they appear drastically different from their own.
C) by studying children's home cultures and histories.
D) if they have time, but otherwise rely heavily on the family to provide needed information about the child's history.
E) All of these answers are correct.

Question 70

If you are considering meeting with families that don't drive

A) you must rely on them to choose the location.
B) you should plan a phone conference.
C) the meeting place should be accessible by public transportation or carpools should be arranged.
D) you are required to pick them up in your personal vehicle and take them back home again.
E) it is reasonable to assume that it will be too much of a hassle to meet, so you shouldn't even try to schedule it.

Question 71

Clear messages are

A) almost impossible to deliver in the chaos of a classroom environment.
B) necessary in oral communication.
C) necessary in written communication.
D) necessary in oral and written communication.
E) best delivered to the parents through the children.

Question 72

The first impression of a child care facility can include

A) the outside area.
B) the lobby.
C) sounds and smells.
D) staff demeanor.
E) All of these answers are correct.

Question 73

Married parents

A) is always the best for children.
B) is becoming the exception rather than the norm.
C) care more about their children than single parents.
D) have children that are more emotionally stable than children of unmarried parents.
E) are less focused on their children than single parents.

Question 74

If Father's Day activities are planned

A) children that do not have a father figure in their lives should be excluded from the activities to avoid making them feel bad.
B) children that do not have a father figure in their lives can celebrate other primary care providers.
C) children that do not have a father figure in their lives can have extra individual time with the teacher.
D) the families of children that do not have a father figure in their lives shouldn't be told about father's day events.
E) None of these answers are correct.

Question 75

Program handbooks usually

A) are only available for staff members.
B) are written for staff members but must be provided to families on request.
C) express the educational philosophy of the institution so that parents will ask fewer questions.
D) invite and plan family involvement.
E) are designed to be read to the children.

Question 76

If the written materials that you receive do not articulate the classroom philosophy and policies clearly

A) be observant and watch for clues as to what is important in the classroom.
B) assume the information isn't important.
C) ask your cooperating teacher and other staff questions.
D) ask your college supervisor to explain the classroom philosophy and policies.
E) ask the children what the classroom philosophy and policies are.

Question 77

A planned family orientation meeting may include

A) meeting other families.
B) explaining the center's curriculum, procedures and policies.
C) meeting other families and explaining the center's curriculum, procedures and policies.
D) explaining the classroom layout and equipment.
E) All of these answers are correct.

Question 78

When discussing a child's behavior with a parent

A) be specific.
B) avoid generalities.
C) use written accounts to support your observations.
D) observe the behavior for multiple days if possible.
E) All of these answers are correct.

Question 79

A school newsletter could be used to

A) All of these answers are correct.
B) identify parents who have not contributed time or money recently in the hopes of encouraging them to do so.
C) acknowledge parents who contributed time or money to the center in the hopes of encouraging others to do so also.
D) address discipline issues in the classroom.
E) share a calendar of upcoming events.

Question 80

Teacher anxiety about families generally center around

A) defending curriculum and teaching practice.
B) involving families in their child's education.
C) deciding how much family participation they want in their classroom.
D) communicating children's problems and weaknesses.
E) All of these answers are correct.