Final Exam
34. How can serious behavior problems be prevented?
Provocation 1. Highlighting Ability Differences- not highlight them. 2. Grading practice work - Grading practice work provokes students to resist academic effort and mis behave as a way of distracting us and others from their insecurities. mistakes will be punished. Dont grade em. 3. Establishing fake norms - Be respectful will cause students to misbehave because being respectful is different for every student. Engage your students and their families in determining what is meant by words like respectful, caring, kind, polite, appropriate, and mindful. Negotiate the meaning of such terms, collaborate with students and community members to generate examples and counterexamples, and frequently revisit and revise whatever behavioral norms you decide on as the year progresses. 4. Letting students choose their seats. - open seating is a form of abandonment for students. Give assigned seats. 5. Using tired, old scripts. - avoid things like rules are rules.
17. Explain this expectancy theory: Motivation (M) = Perceived probability of success (Ps) x Incentive value of success (Is). What are the implications for education?
Expectancy Theory People's Motivation to Achieve Something Depends on the Product of their Estimation of their Chance of Success. Atkinson Developed Expectancy -Valence Model: Motivation (M) = Perceived Probability of Success (Ps) x Incentive Value of Success (Is). Students Belief in ONESELF + Value Academic Success = Success. Achievement Motivation—Strive for Success and Select Success/Failure Activities. In the Early Years of Education, Achievement Motivation is Affected by Family Experience. In the Upper Grades, Success and Motivation Cause Each Other—nothing succeeds like success.
41. What are the major themes and arguments that Kardaras proposes in his work Glow Kids? What might be the implications of his premises for education?
He focuses on the tech effects on children. He argues that children are glow kids, or zombies who are addicted to tech and should not be addicted, take a break and enjoy the world and nature around them. He is not arguing that they should pull the plug on tech because he loves tech himself like driving but he believes that tech use should be moderated.
35. Referring to Laurie Boyd's (2012) article, "5 Myths about Student Discipline," what are the myths about student discipline and what are the realities?
1) If your lessons are engaging, you won't have discipline problems. - no learning activity is guaranteed to engage 100 percent of students, every minute of every class period, every day of the school year. 2) Teachers need to find their own style of discipline. - fear of conflict results to (1) addressing the behavior of a few disruptive students through general comments to the entire class; (2) overlooking incessant side conversations or interruptions because the teacher claims to have a "higher tolerance" for noise than other teachers; (3) grinning and joking to decrease tension in the confrontation about misbehavior; and, when the teacher finally gets fed up, (4) disciplining the whole class for the misbehavior of a few. When the teacher does not take charge, it is not uncommon for an intimidating student or group of stu- dents to take over. A management "style" that results in a psychologically threatening environment is not an acceptable style. 3) Effective teachers do not have power struggles with students. - Fear of con ict that results in relin- quishing one's authority is, at its root, a sel sh stance for a teacher. It is more important that every student gets what he or she needs, including discipline, than for the teacher to feel liked and accepted by every student. 4) A school leader's attention needs to be on instruction, not discipline. - If a school lacks a coherent system of discipline that all adults enforce, it becomes more likely that teachers will experience problems with student behavior. 5) The school code of conduct is an adequate building discipline system. - it does not full support the work of teachers. It supports the work of administrators, those in positions with the power to assign office-level con- sequences. But one assistant adminis- trator monitoring hundreds of students' behavior will never be an effective school discipline system.
15. Summarize the CARS checklist for Research Source Evaluation.
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16. Define Maslow's concepts of deficiency needs and growth needs. What are the implications of Maslow's theory for education?
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18. How can homework be a valuable tool for student learning? How has homework been misused?
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20. One of IDEA's provisions is the Least Restrictive Environment for special needs students. What does the LRE provision mean for general education classroom teachers?
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22. An instructional objective has three basic parts: Performance, Conditions and Criterion. Define each of these three parts. Create two instructional objectives that could be used in teaching a lesson.
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23. Define the terms formative assessment and summative assessment. How would formative and summative evaluations be useful for classroom instruction? How would Norm-referenced and Criterion-referenced interpretations be useful for looking at student performance?
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24. Criticisms of standardized tests often center on bias. Describe two specific examples of test bias.
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25. What is the constructivist model of education? How do cooperative learning approaches fit a constructivist model for education? What are some examples of cooperative learning strategies?
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26. What are the strengths and weaknesses of using cooperative learning strategies and activities in the classroom? In other words, what are the values and cautions for students working together on an assignment?
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27. Life is full of situations that call for creative problem solving. One way we can teach creative problem solving is through the strategies of incubation, suspension of judgment, appropriate climates and analysis. Define and discuss each of the four strategies and demonstrate how you would teach your students this process with an example of a problem to which they could relate.
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28. The tracking of students is an emotionally charged issue in education today. Define the following concepts related to tracking: between-class and within class ability grouping. Why are between-class groupings seen as ineffective? What types of within class ability groupings are seen as beneficial to student learning and why?
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30. What is the impact of time on learning?
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31. What practices contribute to effective classroom management?
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33. How is applied behavior analysis used to manage more serious behavior problems?
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36. Define and explain the following motivational theories: behavioral, human needs, attribution, and expectancy theory.
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40. Common Core Standards are being implemented in a majority of U.S. States. What are reasons given for the introduction of Common Core Standards? What do proponents claim to be the benefits and what to critics see as limitations?
A huge change in testing and accountability is taking place in most states: the widespread adoption of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in 2010 state assessments based on the Common Core due to be rolling out in 2014-2015 The purpose of the Common Core standards is to have all American students and schools working toward similar objectives similar to those used in European and Asian countries that routinely score better than the United States does on international assessments. Part of the focus is eliminating the substantial differences from state to state in standards and in criteria for proficiency on state tests.
6. Teachers can ask many questions of students in the classroom. Discuss five types of questioning strategies that Slavin considers to be "pitfalls" and should be avoided.
AVOID leading Questions Always asking the same students Asking All Factual Questions Engaging one student at length leaving others with nothing to do Failing to Correct Answers Ignoring Answers Asking Yes-No Questions and Unclear Questions
14. What is differentiated instruction? How might differentiating instruction work in the teaching of a history class on the biography of Martin Luther King, Jr.?
As a teacher, you will encounter the problem of providing all students with appropriate levels of instruction. Differentiated instruction is an approach to teaching that accommodates the different needs of diverse students in regular classes by adapting the: content level pace products of instruction Techniques for differentiated instruction: Peer tutoring: an approach where one student teaches another. Cross-age tutoring: the tutor is several years older than the student being tutored. Tutoring by teachers: one of the most effective instructional strategies known.
8. Explain Slavin's four key principles which are grounded in Vygotsky's theories and inform modern constructivist thought: social learning, zone of proximal development, cognitive apprenticeship and mediated learning. Why would drill and practice not be considered an acceptable strategy for a constructivist educator?
Cognitive apprenticeship is a theory that emphasizes the importance of the process in which a master of a skill teaches that skill to an apprentice. Social Learning Theory, theorized by Albert Bandura, posits that people learn from one another, via observation, imitation, and modeling. The zone of proximal development, commonly referred to as ZPD, is an important principle of Vygotsky's work. ZPD is defined as the range of tasks that a child can perform with the help and guidance of others but cannot yet perform independently In assisted learning or mediated learning, the teacher is the cultural agent who guides instruction so that students will master and internalize the skills that permit higher cognitive functioning. slavin: scaffolding - assisted learning self regulated learner - has knowledge of effective learning strategies and knows when to use them discovery learning - learn on their own peer interaction Constructivism theories have been used to support classroom instructional methods that emphasize cooperative learning, project-based learning, and discovery. however, drill and practice is repetative and does not allow cooperative learning for the child to learn and discover
10. Explain the concept of Student Teams-Achievement Divisions (STAD). How is it comprised and how does it function for successful learning to take place?
Cooperative learning programs such as Student Teams-Achievement Divisions (STAD) are successful because they reward both group and individual effort and improvement and because groups are responsible for the individual learning of each group member. STAD groups are mixed in: performance level gender ethnicity
13. What is critical thinking? Identify three critical thinking skills Beyer suggests that students might use in understanding claims, arguments or information.
Critical thinking is the process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating information to reach an answer or conclusion. According to Beyer (1995) critical thinking means making clear, reasoned judgments. It is important for teachers to help students build their critical thinking skills through well established structures and routines that require students to analyze information and provide evidence for their answers or conclusions. Inquiry is the act of asking questions. Both critical thinking and inquiry are essential for student engagement and rigor, and both skills should be explicitly taught by the teacher at all levels.
5. Define meaning a learning probe in the classroom. Give examples of the use of a learning probe in a lesson.
Effective teaching requires you to be constantly aware of the effects of your instruction. In this stage you conduct learning probes. The term learning probe refers to any of a variety of ways of asking for brief student responses to lesson content. To conduct a learning probe you will pose questions to students to assess their level of understanding and correct misconceptions.
37. Two important pieces of the IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) Public Law 101-476 (1990) are the concept of Least Restrictive Environment and the Individual Education Plan (IEP). Explain the meaning of LRE and its components. What is an IEP and what important information should the IEP contain?
IDEA: Individuals with Disabilities Education Act LRE: Least Restrictive Environment - Children with disabilities are educated with children who do not have disabilities as much as possible. IEP: Individualized Education Program - All children served in special education must have an Individualized Education Program. An important requirement of IDEA is that every student with a disability must have an Individualized Education Program (IEP). The IEP describes a student's problems and delineates a specific course of action to address these problems. An important aspect of an IEP is a special-education program that is appropriate to the student's needs in the Least Restrictive Environment. (see following slide) Every school district offers children with special needs an array of services intended to be flexible enough to meet the unique needs of all. Pre-Referral - Teachers attempt to remediate problems in general education. Family is notified this is happening. Referral - Student referred for evaluation. Family must provide written consent for this. Assessment - Student assessed once written consent is received. Committee Meets - Special Education professionals meet with family to discuss relevant information and determine if general education is sufficient for the student. Individual Education Plan (IEP) Meeting - Intervention plan for the student is officially written out. Family must provide written consent for these services to begin. Annual Review - IEP is reviewed every year by family and special education professionals to determine the next steps. A statement of the specific special-education and related services to be provided as well as the extent to which the student will participate in general education programs. The IEP might specify, for example, that a student would receive two 30-minute sessions with a speech therapist each week. The projected date for the initiation of services and the anticipated duration of services. Once the IEP has been written, the student must receive services within a reasonable time period. Students may not be put on a waiting list; the school district must provide or contract for the indicated services. Evaluation criteria and procedures for measuring progress toward goals on at least an annual basis. The IEP should specify a strategy for remediating the student's deficits. The IEP should state the objectives the student is to achieve and how those objectives are to be achieved.
12. What is the Jigsaw strategy? Through the use of an example, discuss how it works and the learning benefits of this strategy.
Jigsaw (teaching technique) ... The jigsaw technique is a method of organizing classroom activity that makes students dependent on each other to succeed. It breaks classes into groups and breaks assignments into pieces that the group assembles to complete the (jigsaw) puzzle. cooperative learning: the class is split into 6 groups and each group masters a specific part of the problem. e.g. PEMDAS- each group becomes an expert on each mathematical strategy. Then the group members get changed around so new groups are formed with one expert from each group. they re-teach each other on how to do all the problems of the worksheet.
7. Discuss some strategies schools can implement to help reduce the dropout rate.
Keep schools open to serve as community hubs in the summer When schools stay open, students are encouraged to keep their minds sharp, which can prevent them from falling behind later. "Summer offerings for students provide additional options for them to recover credits, get ahead or increase their specific skills," Dr. Bruening said. "Summer camps that incorporate learning as well as fun can also enhance students' skills, keeping them fresh for the start of another school year." Traditionally, summer school has been about cramming curriculum into the brains of students who'd rather be just about anywhere else. The best summer programs make learning engaging by providing more student choice, project-based curriculum, and individualized goals. When students enjoy their school's environment, they'll want to participate and stay in school. "A positive school culture, meaningful relationships with adults, and engaging instruction are all ways to motivate students to want to be in school," Dr. Bruening said. See if members of your community would like to contribute to your school culture by participating in events, donating supplies, or opening up their businesses for field trips or internships. Talk to community centers about how you can partner together to ensure at-risk students have a place to be during the entire day and into the summer.
11. What is reciprocal teaching? Through the use of an example, discuss how it works and for whom it benefits most?
Reciprocal teaching: the teacher works with small groups of learners and models the types of questions students should ask themselves while reading.
9. Discuss the strategy of scaffolding. In your discussion, provide an example of how it would work in a content course lesson plan of your choice.
Scaffolding is a practice based on Vygotsky's concept of assisted learning. According to Vygotsky, higher mental functions, including the ability to direct memory and attention in a purposeful way and to think in symbols, are mediated behaviors. In assisted learning or mediated learning, the teacher is the cultural agent who guides instruction so that students will master and internalize the skills that permit higher cognitive functioning. Ex: Modeling or demonstrating a lesson and then stepping back to see them do it and assisting them when needed. Like how to solve a long division problem. You show them, then step back, and help when they get stuck.
39. What is the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act? What are some criticisms of NCLB? What are the impacts of NCLB?
The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation was the main education policy of the George W. Bush Administration. NCLB is currently being substantially revised or replaced and will certainly have a new name once revisions are passed; check ed.gov for updates. As of this writing, NCLB is still in effect, but most states have waivers that exempt them from many NCLB provisions. Annual testing. Under NCLB, all states had to test students in reading and math. Before NCLB, most states tested children for accountability purposes only in selected grades. Disaggregated reporting of scores. Under NCLB, states had to report test scores for each school according to each subgroup in the school: each ethnic group students in special education students living in poverty limited English proficient students. Adequate yearly progress. All subgroups in all schools were expected to make adequate yearly progress (AYP) on all state assessments. This was defined differently in each state. Consequences for not meeting AYP. Schools with one or more subgroups not meeting their state's AYP standards were subject to various consequences under NCLB, depending on how many years they failed to meet AYP.
1. Be familiar with the components of developing and implementing an effective lesson plan.
The general lesson structure takes vastly different forms in different subject areas and at different grade levels. The sequence of activities in direct instruction flows along a logical path: arousing student interest presenting new information allowing students to practice their new knowledge or skills assessment This orderly progression is essential to direct instruction lessons at any grade level and in any subject, although various components look different for different subjects and grades.
2. What is direct instruction? How can direct instruction be effective in teaching lessons to students?
The term direct instruction is used to describe lessons in which you transmit information directly to students, structuring class time to reach a clearly defined set of objectives as efficiently as possible. Direct instruction is particularly appropriate for teaching a well-defined body of information or skills that all students must master.
3. Research suggests that seatwork or in-class independent practice is both overused and misused? How so? What might be some strategies that teachers could use to make effective the use of independent practice time?
The term independent practice refers to work students do in class on their own to practice or express newly learned skills or knowledge. In this step of the lesson you will give students an opportunity to practice new skills or use new information on their own. Independent practice is most critical when students are learning skills, such as mathematics, reading, grammar, composition, map interpretation, or a foreign language. Some strategies to make independent practice effective is to use it during assessment and feedback. Every lesson should contain an assessment of the degree to which students have mastered the objectives set for the lesson. You should assess the effectiveness of the lesson and give the results of the assessment to students as soon as possible. Steps in this process: review independent practice work or give a quiz give feedback on correct answers reteach skills if necessary. Practice or review spaced out over time increases retention of many kinds of knowledge. Steps in this process: assign homework to provide distributed practice on the new material in later lessons, review material provide practice opportunities to increase the chances that students will remember what they learned and also be able to apply it in different circumstances.
38. Standardized testing has received much criticism in recent years. In response to this criticism, educators have proposed the use of portfolio and performance assessments for evaluation of student progress. What are some of these criticisms of standardized testing? What are portfolio and performance assessments and how are they seen as effective for evaluating student learning?
The term standardized describes tests that are uniform in: content administration scoring Standardized tests allow for the comparison of results across classrooms, schools, and school districts. Standardized tests are often used to select students for entry or placement in specific programs: college entrance special programs for students who are gifted and talented special-education programs High schools may use standardized tests in deciding which students to counsel into: college preparatory general vocational programs. Standardized tests are often used to diagnose individual students' learning problems or strengths: For example, a student who is performing poorly in school might be given a battery of tests to determine whether he or she has a learning disability or mental retardation. Sophisticated assessments can help you determine students' cognitive styles and the depth of their understanding of complex concepts.
42. What is meant by the concept of "digital literacy?" How has technology and social media impacted the teaching of reading? How has technology and social media altered the role of reading in education?
To assess the credibility of the information they find online, students shouldn't start with a close reading of the given website. Rather, they should turn to the power of the web to determine its trustworthiness. Middle school students mis- took advertisements for news stories. High schoolers were unable to verify social media accounts. College students blithely accepted a website's description of itself. The reaction to our report was immediate and overwhelming. Journalists, librarians, professors, tech executives, and educators from around the world contacted us. State legislatures across the United States have proposed and, in some cases, passed legislation to support media literacy instruction for students (Media Literacy Now, 2017).
4. What does "transfer for learning" mean? Give an example of how the "transfer for learning" concept would work?
Transfer of learning from one situation to another depends on two factors: - the degree to which the information or skills were learned in the original situation - the degree of similarity between the situation in which the skill or concept was learned and the situation to which it is to be applied. Examples: Initial learning and understanding: One of the most important factors in transfer of a skill or concept from one situation to another is how well it was learned in the first place. Learning in context: the ability to apply knowledge in new circumstances depends on the variety of circumstances in which we have learned or practiced the information or skill.
32. What are some strategies for managing routine misbehavior?
Use teaching strategies that engage students actively in lessons. Students with learning disabilities are particularly unlikely to learn from long lectures. Use effective classroom management methods. Many students with learning disabilities experience a great deal of frustration in school and respond by engaging in minor (or major) misbehavior. Effective classroom management methods can greatly reduce this misbehavior. Coordinate supplementary services with classroom instruction. Many students with learning disabilities will need some sort of supplementary services, such as small-group tutorials, resource teachers, one-to-one tutoring, or computer-assisted instruction.
29. What is an effective learning environment?
least restrictive environment. Placement of students in the general education classroom is only one part of their integration into that environment. These students must be integrated socially as well as instructionally. As the classroom teacher, you play a critical role in this process. Much has been written about the effects of teacher expectations on student achievement and behavior. In the case of students with disabilities, your attitude toward these students is important not only for teacher- student interactions but also as a model for the students without disabilities in the classroom.
19. Define the principle of least intervention in managing routine student misbehavior. How might a teacher prevent behavior problems in the classroom? When routine misbehavior occurs, what are three procedures a teacher could use to address the misbehavior?
pay attention to triggers, Find Out About Students Before School Starts, Understand Children's Developmental Stages, So often, students misbehave because we are asking them to do something beyond their developmental stage, observe student's individual learning style, notice relationship building skills, learn some details of their daily lives.
21. What is Response to Intervention (RTI) or now known as Multi-Tier System of Supports? Explain the three tiers to this approach.
tier 1 - daily intervention intensive individual intervention/ targeted students, tier 2- strategic intervention - targeted small group/ targeted at risk students, tier 3- customized learning intervention - classroom instruction/ all students
