Exam 10: The Learning Sciences and Constructivism

Mr.Holland claims to use cooperative learning.He groups students,gives them math assignments in the book,and allows them to decide whether they work with group members or work independently.Mr.Holland needs your help to understand true cooperative learning and revise his practice to achieve it. Describe how Mr.Holland should set up his groups for cooperative learning. What does Mr.Holland need to do to turn his math assignments into true cooperative learning? Be sure to include all five elements of cooperative learning in your answer.

Nicole excitedly describes her group activity to her mentor teacher.She explains that students will get into groups of three and take turns calling out new vocabulary words to the others in the group.They will earn points for spelling the word correctly,defining it,and using it in a sentence.What kind of group work is Nicole describing?

Ms.Angelo provided support students needed to get started on a multifaceted assignment.She circulated,answering questions,making suggestions,and encouraging students to review the instructions.On the second day,she monitored students as they continued to work on the project.Now she is certain that everyone is on the right track.At this point,what level of scaffolding is appropriate?

Butterfly defect is a phenomenon that occurs when students "flutter from one enticing link on the Internet to the next,often forgetting what they are researching." They may begin with a homework assignment in which they research examples of a specific economic downturn.They begin a search by entering keywords into Google.An hour later,they have not completed their search or succeeded in finding examples. Create a draft for the content of a lesson plan that deals with "butterfly defect" in a high school classroom.Use a constructivist approach to address the problem.

Teachers often assign roles for students to perform in their cooperative groups.Which role is typically responsible for explaining concepts and helping the group understand academic content?

Mrs.Warner believes that students need to learn to respect one another and build skills that will help them relate to others throughout life.In general,what kind of assignments will help her students gain these skills?

You are teaching a unit that includes a large amount of information the students need to understand.The material is not complex,but students should have working knowledge and be able to apply it in future lessons.Rather than lecturing to present the information,you want to use some form of cooperative learning for students to encounter the information.Which of the following strategies fits your goal in this situation?

According to cognitive science,which conditions are most likely to result in deep learning?

The interdisciplinary science of learning is based on research from many fields that study learning.Despite their different perspectives,experts in the learning sciences agree on some basic assumptions.One basic assumption is that experts have deep conceptual knowledge.Another is that learning comes from the learner. Describe at least two practices in traditional classrooms that seem inconsistent with these assumptions.

Mr.Reese conducted a concept lesson in math and assigned a challenging task.He expected some of his students to grasp the concept and complete the task with moderate effort,but he knew other students would not.He monitored their progress,stopping to ask prompting questions or drop hints to help students connect prior learning with this new concept.Mr.Reese was providing: