Exam 11: Learning and Cognition in the Content Areas

Describe the three main goals of reading instruction according to Stahl.

Social constructivist approaches to writing emphasize that writing is best understood as being internally generated rather than culturally embedded.

Mr. Grammatica has made a pointed effort to gauge students' prior knowledge of how to calculate percentages. He has had the repeated experience of students holding onto prior schemes despite their inaccuracy. So on the first day of class he passes around a worksheet to gauge their understanding. Which effective strategy of mathematics instruction is Mr. Grammatica focusing on?

Early mathematics assessments should be focused on what goal?

At which age can children usually reproduce letters and copy several short words?

Examine best practices for teaching mathematics and provide an example of each.

Compare and contrast expert knowledge with pedagogical content knowledge.

Determining students' prior knowledge is an important strategy for mathematics instruction. What are ways that teachers can measure prior knowledge?

Martin brings up a valid question in his social studies class. He feels that if contributing to society is such an important goal for each individual, how can one person go about making a difference? Which social science theme does Martin's question best pertain to?

Which of the following is an example of how teachers can help students become better readers?

Lydia's writing performance has significantly improved since her friend Cecile shared advice on how she approaches writing assignments. When Cecile receives a writing assignment, she first estimates how long it will take to complete the assignment. Then she sketches out a brief outline of the elements she wants to include before beginning the actual writing. Which strategy of the cognitive approach to writing does Cecile suggest?

Evaluate the constructivist approach to teaching science. Outline the advantages and disadvantages you perceive about this approach.

Meeting with a colleague after school, Marta ponders the best way to get her students actively involved in meaning-making. She is creating a lesson plan that centers on the importance of responding to world hunger and is unsure how to best go about developing it. In response to Marta's pondering, what might be a constructivist strategy offered by her colleague?

Ms. Davis outlines her approach to writing instruction for the upcoming school year. Last year students had such a hard time acquiring basic writing skills that Ms. Davis has developed a systematic approach that teaches students skills in the areas of time management, problem solving, monitoring, and revising. Which approach to writing does this match?

Planning, problem solving, revising, and metacognitive strategies are important to enhancing students' writing skills according to the cognitive approach to writing.

Defend why both expert knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge are so important to effective teaching.

Give an example of an effective math activity that incorporates technology in the learning experience.

You are putting together your weekly lesson plan and would like to allow for time to explore everyday science problems. What are some topics you might build into your lesson plan?

Some critics of the constructivist approaches in science argue that too much attention is given to inquiry skills and not enough is given to discipline-specific information.

Ridgebrook Elementary's approach to reading instruction focuses on teaching students reading skills that involve the following: establishing the gist of material before reading, monitoring comprehension, and adjusting the pace of reading to account for the material's difficulty. Which approach to reading does this relate to?