Exam 13: Sociocultural Theory and Other Contextual Perspectives

Three of the following are potential disadvantages of a cooperative learning activity. Which one has not been identified as a disadvantage?

In three of the following situations, interactions with peers might promote considerable learning. In which situation is an interaction with an adult (rather than with peers) more likely to be beneficial?

Three of the following are strategies that good readers use to enhance their comprehension. Which one is not?

Communities of learners often create conceptual artifacts as they study a topic. Which one of the following is the best example of such an artifact?

Which one of the following alternatives is the best example of service learning?

Three of the following are typical elements of effective cooperative learning sessions. Which one is not typical of such sessions?

Which one of the following is the best example of dynamic assessment?

Three of the following are possible reasons why classroom dialogues help students better understand classroom subject matter. Which one is not necessarily a benefit of classroom dialogues?

Nine-year-old Ricky has recently learned how to solve long division problems, and he still struggles with especially difficult problems. At his mother's request, he helps his 8-year-old sister Lucy with the simple long division problems she must do for her math homework. From the perspective of Vygotsky's theory, which one of the following is most likely to result?

In Vygotsky's theory, three of the following would be considered lower mental functions. Which one would be considered a higher mental function?

From Vygotsky's perspective, why do cultural differences exist in people's cognitive abilities?

Vygotsky and contemporary Vygotskian theorists have proposed that children's and adolescents' cognitive development is promoted when they work within their zone of proximal development and that scaffolding enables them to do this successfully. a. Explain the two concepts in italics, and give a concrete example of each one. b. Choose a topic or skill you might teach someone else, and explain how you would: (1) scaffold the learner's efforts, and (2) modify the scaffolding over time.

Eight-year-old Julie lives in a rural area where many people are farmers or in some other way make their living through agriculture. After a lengthy summer drought, it begins to rain heavily one day in late July. "Thank goodness!" Julie hears her father exclaim. "Our prayers have finally been answered!" Julie makes a mental note of the cause-effect relationship her father has implied-in particular, that prayer can lead to rain. This situation illustrates Vygotsky's belief that:

Three of the following are potential drawbacks to instructional techniques that depend heavily on student discussion. Which one is least likely to be a drawback?

Central to Vygotsky's theory of cognitive development is the idea that children increasingly make better sense of their world:

Sociocultural theory suggests that with development, children acquire many cognitive tools of their culture. Which teacher is most clearly applying this idea?

Students in a fourth-grade reading group are reading a passage about snakes. Their teacher asks, "Who can think of a good title that summarizes what this passage is about?" After hearing several good suggestions, the teacher says, "The author says that snakes are helpful to farmers. What evidence does she give to support her statement?" If we consider Vygotsky's concept of internalization, we might predict that such a discussion will:

Three of the following are benefits of peer interaction in the classroom. Which one is not a typical benefit of peer interaction?

Which one of the following cooperative groups is using the jigsaw technique?

Three of the following are definite examples of scaffolding. Identify the situation in which no scaffolding is described.