Quiz 6

A teacher licensure student taking a college class with you says, "I don't get the difference between the terms 'authoritarian' and 'authoritative.' Can you explain them to me?" Which of the following responses is the most accurate?

"Authoritarian teachers rely on traditional and bureaucratic authority, while authoritative teachers tend to demonstrate more charismatic and expert authority."

Which of the following announcements does the best job of communicating to students the fact that a new classmate will be joining them in the middle of the year?

"I've learned we're going to be getting a new class member. They're probably nervous, and they won't know how things work here. Let's all be friendly and helpful so they feel welcome."

Ms. Lavender comes into your room at the end of the first day of school. "Hot dog! I taught a lot of procedures, and my students did so great! My professors were right; students do really need to practice doing things the way I want them done. Today went so well. That means that tomorrow I can start focusing fully on content." Which of the following responses you might say in your head best reflects the principles from the text?

"It's not really necessary to teach procedures directly. Letting them evolve naturally establishes a much more positive classroom climate."

Mr. Bryson is telling you about his first day of school, and he says, "On Day One, I'm all about establishing myself as an authority figure and making sure that students understand my behavioral expectations. I don't particularly concern myself with their feelings or their attitudes." Which of the following responses would the text authors be most likely to give to Mr. Bryson?

"Making sure students behave appropriately doesn't mean that teachers can't also consider student feelings and attitudes."

Which statement best illustrates the concept of legitimate authority in the classroom?

The presence of legitimate authority helps students feel safe because they know that the teacher is in charge.

Ms. Martin plans to use small groups for a major project later in the school year. She regards good performance on this project as essential for her objectives. According to the guidelines for beginning school, it will probably be best for her to

delay using the groups until students have learned appropriate behavior in whole class activities.

Mr. Brunson begins his Algebra class each day by greeting the students as they enter the room, giving them a problem to work on while he takes attendance, going over homework, and then introducing new concepts/skills. Mr. Brunson's sequence is

effective because it helps students make the transition into his classroom in an orderly manner.

On the first day of class, Ms. Brown allowed students to choose their own seats and then proceeded to introduce herself and the classroom rules and some major procedures. Students were given an overview of course content and a preview of some alternative projects they might later choose to work on. Students were then required to complete a short worksheet reviewing some basic concepts from the previous year's work in the prerequisite course, and were dismissed by Ms. Brown when the bell rang. According to guidelines and examples in the text, Ms. Brown

had an acceptable first day plan.

After a run-in with her student Mia's parents, Ms. Maloney uses her classroom computer to write a frustrated email to another teacher in her school. In the email, Ms. Maloney explains the whole story and makes some unkind statements about Mia's parents. This sort of interaction is

inadvisable because all email sent on a school-owned computer is part of public record and can be subpoenaed.

Ms. Porcaro is a teacher whose students view her as a warm demander with an engaging, interactive style. Which form of authority is Ms. Porcaro demonstrating?

Charismatic

Ms. Nicholson says, "I tell my students that I am the captain of the ship and that they can either comply with my expectations or go to the office and explain why they're not complying." Which type of authority is Ms. Nicholson most exhibiting?

traditional authority

At the beginning of the year, teachers must make sure students clearly understand classroom rules and procedures. Which of the following actions should middle school and ninth-grade teachers take in communicating their expectations?

Give a rationale for and describe the expected behaviors, then utilize them and give the students feedback on their performance.

Which of the following teacher behaviors is most likely to have a positive impact on the academic performance of Tia, a new student arriving at school in February?

Giving Tia a few weeks to settle in before expecting her to do work at the level expected of other students

Mr. Kapur always gives his students a lengthy content pre-assessment on the first day of class. This multiple choice and essay assessment includes questions that reflect the content that will be covered in Mr. Kapur's class during the school year. For obvious reasons, students do not typically score well on it. Which of the following statements is most accurate in this case?

Giving a lengthy content pre-assessment on day one is likely to cause significant student anxiety and take the place of other activities that should occur.

Which of the following academic activities might be best for Miss Tigerfish to do with her Spanish II students on the first day of school?

Having students take a beginning-of-year pre-test that assesses what they remember from Spanish I

At his middle school's back-to-school night, Mr. Carter is pleased to see that almost every student is there with at least one family member. Mr. Carter wants to know which of his students will have home access to a computer. What is the best way for him to get this information?

He should use a written questionnaire that asks about preferred means of contact and about technology availability at home.

Which of the following is the development of positive parent-teacher relationships most likely to accomplish?

Higher academic and social growth rates in students

During the first week of classes, the teacher should plan lessons that

use mainly a whole-class format.

Ms. McGuire has been hired to teach eighth grade and sets up a web page as the primary means of communication with parents. How would you evaluate this decision?

Mr. McGuire's decision is ineffective because it assumes that all parents will have access to the web site.

Mr. Whittaker creates an account for his class on a popular social media platform. On it he posts funny memes, updates about what the class has been doing, and pictures of the students engaged in activities. The students love the site and post to it frequently. All of the following statements are likely accurate in this situation except:

Mr. Whittaker should carefully consider student privacy as he posts.

Which of the following teachers is demonstrating an authoritarian style?

Ms. Lucas frequently ends up in power struggles with her students and sends them to detention because of their failure to follow the rules.

Where should the teacher be when the bell rings to start class on the first day?

Near or immediately outside the classroom door

Michaela is a new student in Ms. Little's class. Of the following seating choices, which would be the best place to put Michaela?

Near wherever Ms. Little spends most of her time during the class period

During the first day of school, Mrs. Chen's class is responding well to her teaching and reinforcement of rules and procedures. Max, however, seems to be having some difficulty controlling his impulse to talk when others are talking. How should Ms. Chen correct Max's behavior?

She should remind him of the rule that he is breaking and communicate a gentle but clear expectation that he follow it.

Ms. Young works in a school that serves a linguistically diverse student population. She wants to write a letter home to her students and their families before the school year begins. What recommendation do you have for her regarding this process?

Start early looking for people who can translate her letter into the languages spoken by her students' parents.

On the first day of school, Mr. Haddad told his 9th grade classes, "You are in high school and old enough to know right from wrong. As long as you behave, we can have a lot of fun in this class. I plan to allow many opportunities for interaction and games. I don't have a list of rules, but I do expect that you will behave yourselves. If you have any questions about how to behave, just raise your hands now and I'll answer questions." (Pauses.) "OK, let's get started looking at our course. I will hand out my course description and go over my grading criteria and course requirements." A potential difficulty with Mr. Haddad's beginning is that

a, b, and c are all correct.

Mr. Hennessey, in trying to anticipate the needs of a student who might arrive after the school year has started, would be least likely to do which of the following?

Let the new student work independently until group assignments change at the end of the marking period, then integrate him into a group.

What is the most notable benefit when parents are highly involved in their children's school experiences?

When parents are highly involved, students see them as models of the importance of a commitment to education and other achievement-oriented behaviors.

It is the first week of school. Which activity(ies) would be appropriate to undertake?

a and d only

Authoritarian leadership invites challenges, while authoritative leadership invites

cooperation.

Mr. Fenigor exhibits charismatic authority. Which of the following behaviors would you most expect to see from him?

planning lessons that engage students, delivering lessons with an interactive style, and communicating effectively

Behaviors exhibited by authoritative teachers include

providing a predictable structure, identifying and punishing instances of student non-compliance, and helping students develop a thick skin.

Which of the following recommendations LEAST reflects principles from this chapter about how to structure students' entry into your classroom on the first day of school?

require students who enter the room in an unacceptable manner to repeat their entrance properly