the scientific basis for the art of teaching

8/9/2019 The Scientific Basis for the Art of Teaching

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Test Items for Chapter 1

The Scientific Basis for the Art of Teaching Multiple Choice Questions

1. “Best practice” in teaching consists of those practices that:

A. are firmly grounded in other professions, such as law.B. are based on nurturing attitudes toward children.

C. are based on the common sense and traditions of experienced teachers.D. have been shown to produce student learning.

Answer: D

2. When Nathaniel Gage talks about the “art of teaching,” he is using the word art todescribe:

A. the beauty that can be observed when skillful teachers are teaching well.

B. the teacher who is creative in an artistic sense, as when designing bulletin boards.C. the way teaching departs from formulas and includes moment-by-moment

considerations.D. the way creative teachers include principles from the arts in their approach to

teaching.Answer: C

3. Role expectations for teachers changed between the nineteenth and twentieth

centuries. This statement is:

A. true, because student needs and school goals changed.B. true, because basic skills are more important now.

C. false, because teachers still must teach large numbers of children.D. false, because the teaching profession is still dominated by women.

Answer: A

4. Working effectively with twenty–first-century student populations will requireteachers to:

A. learn a second language, probably Spanish.B. master a larger repertoire of strategies than was needed formerly.

C. obtain additional certification in special education.D. cope with fewer students who find the curriculum difficult or irrelevant.

Answer: B

5. The National Academy of Education recommended which of the following aboutwhat teachers should know and be able to do?

A. understand how social systems work.


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B. be able to understand and use data.

C. foster meaningful learning and creativity in students.D. all of the above.

Answer: D

6. Which of the following graphs best depicts minority population projections forschools in the United States in the twenty-first century?

Answer: C

7. Which of the following does not represent one of the several current trends in

relation to teaching?

A. Extended schooling for teachers.B. Easier access into teaching.

C. Required testing for certification.D. Demonstrated knowledge of pedagogy.

Answer: B

8. When the word accountability is used in relation to teachers and their teaching, it

means:

A. teachers are responsible for knowing and using best practice.

B. teachers are responsible for every student who does not learn.C. teachers are responsible for school drop-outs.

D. teachers are responsible for doing the best they can.Answer: A


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9. Which of the following does not represent one of the important attributes effective

teachers should possess?

A. Effective teachers should have a repertoire of best practices.

B. Effective teachers should be actively engaged in research on teaching.C. Effective teachers should take a reflective, problem-solving stance towardteaching.

D. Effective teachers should consider learning to teach a lifelong process.Answer: B

10. The scientific knowledge base for teaching:

A. provides guidelines for teaching that can be universally followed.

B. is very weak and cannot be relied on for guidance on how to teach.C. provides guidelines to support the art of teaching.

D. gives us a complete picture of the uniqueness of each student.Answer: C

11. A teacher’s repertoire of practices should ideally consist of:

A. a diverse number of models, procedures, and techniques.B. a few methods that have been proven by research to be superior.

C. inductive and deductive methods.D. methods which complement the teacher’s intuition and teaching style.

Answer: A

12. A reflective, problem-solving teacher is one who has:

A. a command of the knowledge base on teaching.B. a rich repertoire of reflective teaching strategies.

C. the ability to think about and deal with unique teaching situations.D. the ability to work with learning disabled students.

Answer: C

13. Teachers must establish procedures for effective motivation and coordinate theactivities of students. These activities are called the:

A. organizational aspects of teaching.

B. interactive aspects of teaching.C. leadership aspects of teaching.

D. administrative aspects of teaching.Answer: C

14. The day-by-day instruction of students is labeled the:


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A. organizational aspects of teaching.

B. interactive aspects of teaching.C. leadership aspects of teaching.

D. administrative aspects of teaching.

Answer: B

15. Actions that teachers perform as members of the complex school-work environment

are termed the:

A. organizational aspects of teaching.B. interactive aspects of teaching.

C. leadership aspects of teaching.D. administrative aspects of teaching.

Answer: A

16. Sally Chin, a new P.E. teacher, is involved in a first-of-the-year department meeting.The purpose of the meeting is to set the after-school activity duty roster for the

semester. In which aspect of teaching is Sally engaged?

A. Organizational.

B. Interactive.C. Leadership.

D. Administrative.Answer: A

17. After thinking through an especially trying day with his third-graders, Dale Woodley

settles on a plan for improving the situation. He decides to move the desks of themore troublesome students away from the high-traffic areas of the room. In which

aspect of teaching is Dale engaged?

A. Organizational.B. Interactive.

C. Leadership.D. Administrative.

Answer: C

18. Lavon Blaisdell is in the midst of a concept attainment lesson. Concept attainment isone of the teaching models in the information-processing family. In which aspect of

teaching is Lavon engaged?

A. Organizational.B. Interactive.

C. Leadership.D. Administrative.

Answer: B


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19. A model of teaching can best be described as a:

A. teaching technique shown to be effective through research.

B. family of teaching and learning theories that facilitate student learning.C. philosophy and value system of teaching.D. theoretically based pattern of teaching for helping students learn specific kinds of

knowledge, attitudes, or skills.Answer: D

20. Which of the following is not a feature of standards-based education:

A. Every child should be expected to meet specified standards

B. Standards should be established that are flexibleC. Teachers should use evidence-based practices

D. Student learning should be assessed to ensure accountability.Answer: B

21. Which of the following statements cites a major finding coming from Lortie’s studyof teaching and others like his since that time?

A. Effective teachers are born, not made.

B. Conceptions of teaching are influenced by parents and teachers.C. Effective teachers decide on a teaching career at a very early age.

D. Conceptions of teaching are formed during the first year of teaching.Answer: B

22. What is one of the major findings of the “The Good Teacher and Good Teaching”

study?

A. It confirms that young children have little knowledge about what teachers do.B. It confirms that beginning teachers are fully knowledgeable about good teaching.

C. It confirms that belief systems about teaching begin at an early age.D. None of the above findings were confirmed.

Answer: C

23. Barbara is a beginning teacher at a large, urban middle school. She is very anxiousabout an upcoming classroom visit by her department chair. Yesterday the students

were very restless and noisy, and she hopes they act more settled during today’svisit. She isn’t sure of her standing in her chair’s eyes; he said, “Good morning” to

her earlier that day, but he didn’t smile, making her wonder if he feels her performance is adequate. How would you categorize Barbara’s stage of

development?

A. She is at the survival stage.


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B. She is at the teaching situation stage.

C. She is at the student concerns and mastery stage.D. She is at the assessment stage.

Answer: A

24. What might Barbara, in question #23 above, do to move herself to a higher level?She might:

A. take assertiveness training to help her cope with her department chair.B. take a course in classroom management to help her gain confidence in classroom

control.C. take a course in her subject area to help her increase her students’ achievement.

D. ignore her worries and push forward.Answer: B

25. Which of the following criticism exist in regard to for-profit education?

A. For-profit schools have shown to be mainly ineffective.

B. For-profit schools have been successful only in middle class neighborhoodsC. Reliance on for-profit schools will lead to different types of educational

experiences.D. Reliance on for-profit schools will lead to lack of support of the public school

system.Answer: D

26. Some of the factors that characterized changes in schools throughout the twentiethcentury include:

A. most states passing laws requiring students to be in school until age 18.

B. immigration patterns slowing and allowing for less extensive literacy instruction.C. much of the responsibility for helping youth to make the transition from family

to work falling to the schools.D. all of the above.

Answer: C

27. The study of the art and science of teaching is called:

A. the art of teaching.B. best practice.

C. scientific knowledge.D. pedagogy.

Answer: D

28. The ultimate purpose of teaching is:


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A. to ensure that the majority of students taught are able to function in the “real

world.”B. to help students become independent and self-regulated learners.

C. to ensure that the majority of students taught have an understanding of the basic

academic skills that our society deems important.D. to help students become proficient in the skill areas that are useful in our society.Answer: B

29. The perspective of teaching that holds that teachers are expert in a particular

discipline, and that this knowledge is passed on to students in the form of facts,concepts, and principles is called:

A. the objectivist perspective.B. the constructivist perspective.

C. the academic learning perspective.

D. best practice.Answer: A

30. Dina Perez is a biology teacher at New City High School. Although she has amaster’s degree in her subject area, Dina worked throughout the weekend planning

a fairly simple unit on dissection and got little sleep due to recurring dreamsinvolving the students running wild in her classroom. Dina is most likely in what

stage of development?

A. Survival stage.B. Teaching situation stage.

C. Pupil concern and mastery stage.D. Mastery stage.

Answer: A

True or False Questions

31. Standards for teachers in the nineteenth century emphasized the conduct

of their personal lives over their professional abilities.A. True

B. FalseAnswer: True

32. School buildings as physical structures are likely to be eliminated early on in the

twenty- first century due to technological advances that will allow and ease the useof remote instruction.

A. TrueB. False

Answer: False


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33. A lesson plan is the collection of methods, strategies, and processes that teachers use

to teach.A. True

B. False

Answer: False

34. The existing knowledge base on teaching has been badly conceived.

A. TrueB. False

Answer: False

35. Teachers cannot be dismissed for performing organizational aspects of teaching poorly.

A. TrueB. False

Answer: False

Short Answer and Essay Questions

36. Describe the meaning of the “scientific basis for the art of teaching,” and discussways both science and art contribute to effective teaching.

0–5 points: 1 for correct, concise description, and 2 each for discussion of their contributions to

effective teaching

37. List and define attributes of the effective teacher described in Learning to Teach.

Discuss why these are important for effective teaching.

0–12 points: 1 each for naming, 1 each for correct definitions, and 1 each for providing appropriate

rationale

38. It has been posited that effective teachers have command over a specialized

knowledge base that informs teaching. Discuss three strengths and three limitationsof this knowledge base.

0–6 points: 1 for each strength; 1 for each limitation

39. Teachers’ work can be conceptualized around three important functions or aspects.

List these three functions or aspects, and give examples of work associated witheach.

0–6 points: 1 for each function; 1 for each example

40. Several theorists have described the developmental stages teachers go through inthe process of learning to teach. Describe the idea of developmental stages, and

discuss the implications these ideas have for a person learning to teach.


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0–10 points: 5 for correct, concise explanation of a developmental theorist and 5 for implications

41. The research by Murphy, Delli, and Edwards shows the importance of experiencesas students have for influencing our conceptions of teaching, and that our beliefs

about teaching develop at a fairly early age. Discuss both the positive and negativeimplications of these findings.

0–4 points: 2 each for positive and negative implications

the scientific basis for the art of teaching

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