Deck 10: The Learning Sciences and Constructivism

Question 1

The way that we think about and represent information reflects that fact that we need to interact with the world.This theme is referred to the theory of _____________ within the field of cognitive sciences.

Answer 1

embodied cognition

Question 2

Sociological constructivists are concerned primarily with how

A)cognition creates culture.
B)cultural context explains learning.
C)individuals create knowledge.
D)public knowledge is created.

Answer 2

public knowledge is created.

Question 3

When pre-service teachers engage in a student teaching or capstone experience they are learning with the support and guidance of an expert teacher,which is based on that knowledge and skills are best learned in the context in which they will be later used in the real world setting.This model of teacher preparation emphasizes ________ learning.

Answer 3

situated

Question 4

The principal characteristics of constructivist teaching are complex,real-life learning environments and

A)guided discovery and feedback.
B)inquiry methods and discovery strategies.
C)social negotiation and shared responsibility.
D)testing hypotheses and forming conclusions.

Question 5

A structure for teaching,developed by Jerome Bruner,that introduces the fundamental structure of all subjects during the early school years and then revisits the subjects in increasingly more complex forms over time,is called what type of curriculum?

A)Advanced
B)Cultural
C)Spiral
D)Vicarious

Question 6

Which one of the following statements is an assumption of the learning sciences?

A)Novices have a wide range of procedural knowledge.
B)Prior knowledge does not impact learning as much as earlier researchers believed.
C)Novices have deep conceptual knowledge.
D)Learning is more than receiving information from teachers and texts.

Question 7

Regarding negotiation and joint construction of meaning,a commitment to build shared meaning by finding a common ground and exchanging interpretations is called a(n)________ attitude.

Question 8

Martha strongly believes that the world was in fact flat prior to Christopher Columbus's journal of the world.Martha's teacher does not correct Martha's construction of this knowledge because she wants to validate Martha's current understanding of the world.In this example,the teacher is most aligned with ________ constructivist teaching perspectives.

Question 9

Collaboration with others in learning is believed by many constructivists to involve working together to co-construct meaning through ________.

Question 10

The alternative conception of learning based on the view that students actively create their own knowledge through their interactions with tasks and resources is the ________ perspective.

Question 11

Vygotsky's notion that learning is inherently social and embedded within a particular cultural setting is consistent with ________.

Question 12

Constructivist views of learning are grounded in the research of

A)curriculum designers.
B)Gestalt psychologists.
C)many psychologists and educators.
D)Piaget and Vygotsky primarily.

Question 13

Two major characteristics of constructivist teaching are complex learning environments and ________.

Question 14

Vygotsky's approach to learning is an example of what type of constructivism?

A)Both externally and internally directed
B)Externally directed
C)Internally directed
D)Logically directed

Question 15

Which one of the following ways of learning an applied skill is most consistent with a constructivist approach?

A)Have the teacher "walk" the students step-by-step through the process.
B)Provide well-constructed worksheets with which students can practice individually.
C)Use simplified,artificial materials in order to make the task easier for students.
D)Use realistic materials and a group format to provide support for individuals.

Question 16

Social constructivist theorists view learning as occurring within a specific ________.

Question 17

Constructivist views of learning are grounded in the research of

A)curriculum designers.
B)Gestalt psychologists.
C)many psychologists and educators.
D)Piaget and Vygotsky primarily.

Question 18

Vygotsky's notion that learning is inherently social and embedded in a particular cultural setting is consistent with

A)guided learning.
B)relativistic learning.
C)situated learning.
D)sociological learning.

Question 19

Bruner's notion of teaching,in which more complex forms of learning build upon fundamental concepts taught early in the school years,is called the ________ curriculum.

Question 20

Piaget's approach to learning is an example of what type of constructivism?

A)Both externally and internally directed
B)Externally directed
C)Internally directed
D)Logically directed

Question 21

Embodied cognition is based on the assumption that cognitive processes develop from ___________ interactions between humans and their environment.

Question 22

Which one of the following elements does NOT define a true cooperative learning group?

A)Collaborative skills
B)Homogenous grouping
C)Individual accountability
D)Positive interdependence

Question 23

In cooperative learning groups,the role of the student who makes certain no one dominates the group is called the

A)checker.
B)coach.
C)gatekeeper.
D)taskmaster.

Question 24

Marible was assigned the role of making sure her group understands the learning task.Her role is referred to as the

A)reflector.
B)quiet captain.
C)checker.
D)gatekeeper.

Question 25

Constructivists that place great emphasis on the social and cultural sources of knowing are in the group of theorists referred to as ________________.

Question 26

In their writing group,Aron has become the expert on how to write an introductory sentence.When students teach other students about the part in which they have expertise,they are engaged in what type of cooperative learning structure?

A)Jigsaw
B)Group work
C)Reciprocal questioning
D)Service learning

Question 27

The externally-directed constructivist view emphasizes that learners construct their own knowledge by means of transforming and reorganizing their existing cognitive structures.

Question 28

Jigsaw,an early format for cooperative learning,emphasizes what relationship among group members?

A)High dependence
B)High interdependence
C)Low dependence
D)Low interdependence

Question 29

Many constructivist theories are grounded in the work of _____________.

Question 30

The guided inquiry model developed by Magnusson,Palincsar,and their colleagues involves both firsthand investigations and

A)discovery methods.
B)pattern investigations.
C)secondhand investigations.
D)sequences of inquiry.

Question 31

In using cooperative learning,it is recommended that teachers

A)do not assign any roles in advance.
B)assign roles only to one or two students.
C)use the assignment of roles as a way to encourage participation.
D)grade students based on how well they performed their role.

Question 32

Cooperative learning involves the following:

A)Elaboration,interpretation,and argumentation
B)Shared values,lack of conflict,and creativity
C)Cognitive flexibility,competition,and self-respect
D)Extrinsic rewards,elaboration,and autonomy

Question 33

Which one of the following students is playing the role of reflector in a cooperative learning group?

A)Amanda makes certain that the questions of all group members are asked and answered.
B)Gary makes sure that the group is aware of its progress or lack of progress toward the group goal.
C)Helen is responsible for keeping the noise level of the group at a reasonable pitch.
D)Lawrence solicits equal participation of group members and restrains dominance by any group member.

Question 34

Which one of the following behaviors is one of the teacher's roles in problem-based learning?

A)Avoid assisting groups and independent investigations.
B)Demonstrate the steps in scientific investigations.
C)Discourage students to conduct experiments.
D)Help students to reflect on their investigations.

Question 35

The five elements of cooperative learning listed by David and Roger Johnson (1994)include positive interdependence,individual accountability,group processing,collaborative skills and

A)group grading.
B)large groups of 10 or more students.
C)single sex groups.
D)face-to-face interactions.

Question 36

In a cooperative learning situation,the role of the encourager is to

A)encourage all students to participate.
B)encourage the group to monitor its progress.
C)encourage the group to use all of its resource materials.
D)encourage the group to develop a concrete plan.

Question 37

Locating the source of knowledge in the interaction between learners and their environment is the internally-directed constructivist view of learning.

Question 38

Ms.French would like to have her students,while experimenting with their own structured materials,discover some key principles of gravity.Which one of the following teaching methods should be most appropriate for this purpose?

A)Discussion
B)Inquiry
C)Lecture
D)Reciprocal learning

Question 39

Research findings suggest that students who tend to benefit most from cooperative learning experiences are those who

A)are active in explaining things to others.
B)are shy or introverted.
C)have high goal expectations.
D)receive individual tutoring from others

Question 40

In organizing cooperative learning groups,Woolfolk suggests that it is best to

A)balance the number of boys and girls in each group.
B)group students of similar backgrounds together.
C)keep groups together for at least half the year.
D)make shy or introverted students the group leader.

Question 41

One of the goals of service learning is to encourage students to reflect upon their own role in ________.

Question 42

When the teacher provides students with question stems and then asks students to answer the questions in pairs,he/she is involving the students in ________.

Question 43

In the Key School (Indianapolis,Indiana),students of different ages work side by side in a "pod" as part of a program called cognitive ________.

Question 44

Cognitive apprenticeships are appropriate for nearly all subject areas,but are not appropriate for learning mathematics.

Question 45

Once effective cooperative learning groups are established for problem-based learning activities,the teacher's role is primarily that of observer.

Question 46

According to McCaslin and Good (1996),the advantages of group learning are so superior to individual learning approaches teachers do not need to question the possible disadvantages of group learning.

Question 47

Inquiry teaching methods are very similar to expository teaching methods.

Question 48

The quiet captain in a cooperative learning group is responsible for maintaining the ________.

Question 49

A teaching strategy in which the teacher presents a problem and students ask yes/no questions to gather data and test hypotheses is called ________ learning.

Question 50

In cooperative learning,students interact ________.

Question 51

William is charged with making sure introverted students participate in his cooperative learning group.William was assigned the role of the ________.

Question 52

Although there are many cognitive apprenticeship models,they all share the feature of conceptual scaffolding that is gradually reduced as students become more competent and proficient.

Question 53

Service learning focuses on academic learning and students' personal and ________.

Question 54

The ________ format requires each member of a cooperative learning group to teach their other members one section of the material.

Question 55

Based on a Vygotskian perspective,the ideal size for a cooperative learning group is ________ students.

Question 56

When students are confronted with real situations that have meaning for them,the learning is ________.

Question 57

The role of the ________ in a cooperative learning group is to explain concepts when needed.

Question 58

When all students are required to participate,this is referred to as ________.

Question 59

If a cooperative learning group is functioning at a high level and support each other,they are said to have ________.

Question 60

According to Woolfolk,group work and cooperative learning are simply different terms used for the same instructional approach.

Question 61

Ms.Constantine has always identified as an athlete.She was a competitive athlete in her youth and she still competes in age group competitive athletic events.She is proud of the fact that she has designed her sixth-grade classroom around competitive events and activities.All individual and group activities in her class involve a "winning" person or team.She spends a great deal of time finding valued prizes to give as rewards for her competitive activities.What concerns might educators,who call for the creation of learning communities,have with Ms.Constantine's approach?

Question 62

Describe the major elements of inquiry and problem-based learning.Describe how you could implement these ideas in planning a lesson in your subject area.How could you know that your efforts were successful?

Question 63

One of the goals of service learning is to encourage students to reflect upon their own role in ________.

Question 64

Teachers who want to encourage dialog in reciprocal questioning should not begin sentences with the word "why."

Question 65

A class involved in creating an electronic newsletter for a social service agency is involved in ________,which is a type of service learning.

Question 66

According to Woolfolk,cooperative learning should be limited to learning situations that involve routine tasks.

Question 67

What are some of the disadvantages of group learning?

Question 68

Embodied cognition is based on the assumption that cognitive processes develop from ___________ interactions between humans and their environment.

Question 69

Service learning focuses on academic learning and students' personal and ________.

Question 70

You plan to implement a middle-school mathematics unit on the personal costs of cell phone use.You have decided to teach this curricular unit using cooperative learning.How will you arrange your cooperative learning groups and what factors will you consider in regards to group assignments and membership.

Question 71

One of the reasons Mr.Brakefield assigns students to cooperative learning groups is so that he can rotate leadership roles and opportunities amongst his students.Mr.Brakefield's rationale for assigning groups is a valid one.

Question 72

Mr.Schwab's class engaged in a week-long project to pick up trash around the school grounds.This activity is an example of service learning.

Question 73

What are some of the challenges and dilemmas related to teaching from a constructivist perspective?

Question 74

In the Jigsaw method,one student leader is responsible for teaching the material to the group.

Question 75

The way that we think about and represent information reflects that fact that we need to interact with the world.This theme is referred to the theory of _____________ within the field of cognitive sciences.

Question 76

Discuss at least three of the six features that comprise the cognitive apprenticeship model of learning.

Question 77

In cooperative learning groups,the primary role of the materials monitor is to select the material to be studied.

Question 78

Service learning refers to problem-based learning projects which are outside of the student's curriculum.

Question 79

According to McCaslin and Good (1996),one of the potential disadvantages of group learning is that status differences among students may be increased rather than decreased.

Question 80

Teachers with only one computer in their classroom are encouraged to

A)create "trained experts" to help with the one computer.
B)not use the computer at all to avoid competition and hurt feelings.
C)avoid using adult volunteers (i.e. ,parents,etc. )because they probably do not have good computer skills.
D)limit each student's computer use to five minutes of time.