Deck 13: Creating a Productive Learning Environment

Question 1

Students are most likely to follow classroom rules if they understand the reasons behind the rules.Below are four possible ways through which we might help students learn why we establish certain rules for classroom behavior.Which one is most consistent with recommendations offered in the textbook?

A)Let the class operate without rules for the first week or two.
B)Describe what a classroom with no rules and procedures would be like.
C)If students are capable of abstract thought, explain how the classroom is in many respects a democracy.
D)Have students discuss problems that arise in the classroom and develop possible ways of solving them.

Answer 1

Have students discuss problems that arise in the classroom and develop possible ways of solving them.

Question 2

Which one of the following teacher statements is most consistent with the recommendation that classroom rules and procedures should be presented in an informational rather than controlling)manner?

A)"When you write your compositions, remember that I can read what you've written more easily and can give you more useful feedback if you write clearly."
B)"You should always do your math homework on wide-ruled paper and make sure your answers are lined up in rows that are easy for me to grade."
C)"Remember to do your own work on this assignment.This is not like the cooperative activity we did yesterday."
D)"Tomorrow you should bring in a newspaper or magazine article about one of the countries we are studying in current events this week."

Answer 2

"When you write your compositions, remember that I can read what you've written more easily and can give you more useful feedback if you write clearly."

Question 3

Which one of the following does the textbook suggest as a strategy teachers can use to demonstrate that they care for and respect their students?

A)Greet each student with a smile as he or she enters the classroom at the beginning of the day or class period.
B)Give every student at least three compliments every day.
C)Take students aside individually at least once a week and ask them how things are going at home.
D)Remind students periodically that if they need someone to talk to, they should feel free to make an appointment to see the school counselor.

Answer 3

Greet each student with a smile as he or she enters the classroom at the beginning of the day or class period.

Question 4

Which one of the following statements is consistent with the textbook's recommendation regarding how to deal with students' feelings about classroom assignments and activities?

A)"I know you won't mind sitting quietly for an hour this morning while we have a guest speaker."
B)"I'm sure you won't mind staying in from recess today to finish this assignment.It's too hot to play baseball anyway."
C)"It isn't always fun to rewrite something you've already written once, but practice in editing will help you become better writers."
D)"If you think about it, you'll certainly realize that doing your homework is a better way to spend the evening than watching television."

Question 5

Some of the 7- and 8-year-old children in Ms.Crockett's second-grade class are quite energetic and a bit distractible, whereas others are quieter and more attentive.Which one of the following alternatives is most consistent with the textbook's recommendations for how best to think about such diversity in classroom behavior?

A)Remember that by age 8, all students should be expected to sit still for at least 30 minutes at a time.
B)Acknowledge that some 7-year-olds students simply aren't ready for regular second-grade work and should probably have been retained in first grade for another year.
C)Recognize that such differences may be due to built-in temperamental differences that aren't necessarily within students' control.
D)Remember that's it's important to be stricter with the energetic ones than with the quiet ones and to impose harsher consequences when the energetic ones misbehave.

Question 6

Ms.Parisi, a fifth-grade teacher, wants all of her students to be able to see her easily. She has learned from one of her professional journals that the students nearest the teacher are more likely to pay attention and learn in class.So as she arranges her classroom at the beginning of the year, she puts her desk in the center of the room and puts the students' desks in three concentric circles around her.With the textbook's discussion about arranging the classroom in mind, identify the biggest problem with Ms.Parisi's arrangement.

A)Students will be facing other students as well as her.
B)Students in the second and third rows will be unlikely to pay attention.
C)Ms.Parisi will not be able to see the entire class from where she is seated.
D)Students will be confused by the irregularity of the classroom arrangement and feel anxious as a result.

Question 7

From the textbook's perspective, which one of the following classroom management strategies is probably most important for students from diverse ethnic backgrounds?

A)Setting limits
B)Demonstrating withitness
C)Planning effectively for transitions
D)Creating a supportive climate

Question 8

One strategy for maintaining a productive classroom environment is to keep students productively engaged at all times.Three of the following practices reflect this strategy.Which one does not reflect this strategy?

A)Mr.Aguilar keeps his art lesson moving along at a steady pace.
B)Ms.Barnard takes time out from her math lesson to help Sam with a difficult concept until he thoroughly understands it.
C)Ms.Cunitz makes sure that all the equipment students need for their science lab is ready for them before they arrive.
D)Mr.Dunbar plans several simple activities for his students on their first day of kindergarten.

Question 9

Teachers who model their classroom management strategies on authoritative parenting are most likely to do which one of the following?

A)Impose strict, nonnegotiable rules for behavior
B)Explain why certain behaviors are unacceptable
C)Be aloof and nonemotional in interactions with students
D)Assign a lot of drill-and-practice exercises that promote automaticity

Question 10

Three of the following teacher behaviors are consistent with the textbook's suggestions for communicating caring and respect for students.Which one is not consistent with its suggestions?

A)Ms.Avanti comes to school every day with her lessons carefully thought through and well prepared.
B)Mr.Banyard gives assignments that he knows students can complete independently with little effort.
C)Mr.Cranston gives students several criteria they can use to evaluate their own performance on homework assignments.
D)Ms.Delacorte's enthusiasm for science clearly reveals itself in the energy and excitement she brings to class each day.

Question 11

Challenging tasks are more likely than easy ones to promote students' learning and cognitive development.Yet students sometimes resist such challenges.Which one of the following strategies is consistent with the textbook's recommendation for how to incorporate challenging activities into the classroom curriculum?

A)Start the year with few if any requirements, allowing students to feel comfortable in their new classroom, and then begin assigning challenging tasks after a week or two.
B)Explain to students that they have little to gain from doing things they already know how to do.
C)Start the year with relatively easy tasks that give students a sense of success, then gradually increase the difficulty level of assignments.
D)Start the year with extremely difficult assignments, then make them slightly easier after a few days.

Question 12

Ms.Girardi, a sixth-grade teacher, is explaining an assignment.She notices two students passing notes to one another.While continuing to discuss the assignment, she moves toward the students and confiscates the written notes.Then she walks back to the front of the class, still continuing her explanation, and asks Mark, who is daydreaming, to answer a question.This scenario best illustrates which one of the following classroom management skills?

A)Withitness
B)Scaffolding
C)Planning for transitions
D)Negative reinforcement

Question 13

Vygotsky's concept of scaffolding provides a strategy for structuring classroom activities.Which one of the following best describes scaffolding?

A)Providing structure for some activities but not for others, allowing students to develop a sense of independence in some aspects of the curriculum.
B)Giving students considerable freedom in the first few days, then increasing structure as they feel more secure in their new classroom.
C)Telling students what they need to accomplish, but letting them make their own decisions about how best to accomplish it.
D)Providing considerable structure for activities early in the school year, then gradually reducing it as students become more skilled.

Question 14

Mr.Finke is concerned about Ruth, a sullen, argumentative third grader who shows little interest in school subject matter and classroom assignments.She is so rude and defiant that Mr.Finke finds himself speaking to her only to chastise her for wrongdoings.Mr.Finke realizes that his relationship with Ruth has gotten off to a bad start and vows to remedy the situation.Three of the following strategies are consistent with the textbook's recommendations for addressing nonproductive teacher-student relationships.Which one is not consistent with its recommendations?

A)Meet privately with Ruth to talk about her behavior and find out what her concerns are.
B)Hold Ruth to less stringent rules for behavior until she and Mr.Finke can form a more productive relationship.
C)Talk with colleagues about hypotheses about Ruth's behavior that might yield effective remedies.
D)Seek the permission of Ruth's parents to take her to her favorite fast-food restaurant for lunch on a Saturday afternoon.

Question 15

When we compare beginning teachers with experienced teachers in terms of how they think about student misbehaviors, we find that experienced teachers are more likely to:

A)Consider how to change instruction to avert future problems
B)Plan and implement complex behavior management programs
C)Attribute students' behaviors to internal but unstable causes
D)Depend heavily on extrinsic reinforcers

Question 16

Many students in Ms.Janklow's class seem to have little intrinsic motivation for learning math, science, or social studies.Their minds are more apt to be on peer relationships who the "popular kids" are, who bullies whom on the playground, etc.)than on their studies.Without knowing anything else about Ms.Janklow's students, your best guess would be that they are:

A)Kindergartners
B)Second graders
C)Fourth graders
D)Seventh graders

Question 17

Which one of the following strategies is most consistent with the textbook's recommendations for dealing with rule infractions?

A)Unless there are extenuating circumstances, all students should be treated consistently when they break a rule.
B)Consequences for misbehavior should be tailored to students' unique temperaments.
C)Teachers need to be more lenient when dealing with students who have emotional and behavioral disorders.
D)High achievers should be held to higher standards for classroom behavior than low achievers.

Question 18

From a classroom management standpoint, which one of the following alternatives describes the most suitable physical arrangement of a classroom?

A)One that allows students to feel as relaxed as possible
B)One that minimizes distractions and facilitates teacher-student interactions
C)One that has as little furniture as possible so that students can move about in an unrestricted fashion
D)One that is structured and orderly enough to communicate the message that the teacher must ultimately be the one in control of classroom activities

Question 19

Students are especially likely to misbehave during transitions from one activity to another.Which one of the following high school teachers is handling a transition in a recommended fashion?

A)Ms.Antuna asks a student to erase the chalkboard at the beginning of class.
B)Mr.Bartholomew has his geography students come into the classroom and sit quietly until everyone is seated and ready to work.
C)Mr.Chinn's students know that as soon as they get to class, they should copy the outline and key concepts written on the chalkboard.
D)Five minutes before the end of each class period, Ms.Dahl has her students put away their notebooks and other materials and wait quietly for the bell to ring.

Question 20

From the perspective of the textbook, which one of the following classrooms best illustrates effective classroom management?

A)While Mr.Alton works with a reading group, most of his other students are doing their assigned seatwork, although a handful of them are giggling in the corner about something that happened in the lunchroom earlier.
B)In his physical education class, Mr.Berg works with the students who seem truly interested in learning the long jump.Those students who don't want to try the jump are allowed to sit on the sidelines and talk quietly among themselves.
C)While Ms.Carrera sits at her desk in the front of the classroom, her students are doing assignments independently at their desks.As long as the classroom is quiet, she overlooks the whispering, note passing, and mindless doodling that is occurring.
D)Ms.Demaine's students are busily working on their math assignments in groups of three or four students each.The classroom gets a bit noisy at times when a group disagrees about how to do a problem.

Question 21

Which one of the following best describes a sense of school community as educators define the term?

A)A common set of rules shared by classrooms throughout the school building
B)The joining of two or more classes on a daily basis, with the teachers of those classes team-teaching a subject area
C)A system in which students have increasing involvement in school decision making as they advance through the grade levels
D)A shared understanding that teachers and students are all working together to promote learning

Question 22

Three of the following are examples of self-regulation as a means of addressing classroom misbehaviors.Which one is not a good example of self-regulation?

A)A student tries hard to earn the reinforcer his teacher has told him he will get for good behavior.
B)A student reminds herself in a whisper that she should raise her hand before speaking in class.
C)A student thinks, "I paid better attention in class today.I'm going to reward myself by watching television when I get home from school."
D)A student keeps track of the number of times he's gone to the pencil sharpener in a single day.

Question 23

In which one of the following situations would it be best to ignore a student's behavior?

A)Fritz and Irene are throwing paper airplanes across the room at each other.
B)Jim keeps pulling Jackie's hair while she is trying to work at her desk.
C)Harriet gets up to sharpen her pencil at least once every ten minutes.
D)Mary asks a classmate to clarify an assignment and then returns to her work.

Question 24

In which one of the following situations is cueing an appropriate means of dealing with misbehavior in the classroom?

A)When the behavior is already being punished by a natural consequence
B)When the behavior interferes with learning but is not serious in nature
C)When the misbehaving student has a history of defiance and disobedience
D)When you want to set an "example" from which other students can learn

Question 25

The textbook recommends that when a teacher talks with a student about a chronic pattern of misbehavior, he or she should do so in private rather than in front of classmates.Why?

A)Because students need to know that a teacher will devote as much time to misbehavior as necessary
B)Because the teacher's remarks will be easier for the student to hear clearly
C)Because calling attention to the behavior in front of classmates may be reinforcing
D)Because the behavior may be typical for the student's age-group

Question 26

Three of the following strategies are recommended when teachers confer with a student's parents about a chronic behavior problem.Which one is not recommended?

A)Assure the parents that the student also has many desirable characteristics.
B)Acknowledge that raising children in this day and age can be a challenging task.
C)Point out that the parents are somewhat responsible for the misbehavior.
D)Try to reach an agreement with the parents regarding an appropriate strategy for dealing with the misbehavior.

Question 27

In three of the following situations, ignoring a student's misbehavior might be the best approach to take.Considering the textbook's discussion of this strategy, in which situation would ignoring not be advisable?

A)Anita has whispered a juicy and apparently very amusing)piece of gossip to her friend, who in turn is passing it along to two others.
B)Bill breaks a beaker and seems very remorseful that he has done so; he vows to be more careful in the future.
C)Cathy is usually very attentive in class, but today when the teacher asks her a question, it's clear that she hasn't been listening.
D)An entire class seems to be on a "sugar high" the day after Halloween.

Question 28

Stanley pokes his pencil point in Sharon's arm.The teacher catches Stanley's eye and shakes her head, and he quickly puts his pencil back in his desk.The teacher's behavior is an example of:

A)Cueing
B)Ignoring
C)Vicarious punishment
D)Positive behavioral support

Question 29

As a teacher, you are apt to find that the parents of a few of your students will have little involvement in their children's education.Three of the following statements are accurate with regard to such parents.Which statement is not accurate?

A)Inadequate child care may prevent them from getting involved in school activities.
B)They may have had bad experiences at school when they themselves were children.
C)Their lack of involvement usually reflects a lack of interest in their child's academic performance.
D)They may think that they shouldn't bother school personnel with their questions and concerns.

Question 30

The textbook recommends that teachers coordinate their efforts with people in the community at large.Which one of the following examples most clearly illustrates the spirit of its recommendation?

A)Ms.Argersinger asks students to use their new vocabulary words when they have conversations at home with their parents.
B)Mr.Byers spends one Saturday a month in the local university library keeping up to date on the latest educational research.
C)Ms.Chimenis brings a newspaper article to class that describes recent advances in genetic engineering.
D)Mr.Deyermond consults with a parole officer about how they might work together to keep several at-risk students in school.

Question 31

Which one of the following issues is usually most important to consider when a student behaves in an unacceptable fashion in the classroom?

A)Why the student has decided to behave that way
B)How much the behavior disrupts learning
C)What the misbehaving student's mood is
D)Whether the student has been a chronic behavior problem

Question 32

Which one of the following examples is most consistent with the textbook's definition of a misbehavior?

A)Ashley is chewing gum in art class.
B)Blake is using a rubber band as a slingshot during music.
C)Caroline is doodling in the margins of her notebook as she takes notes on a lecture.
D)Don has forgotten to bring his lunch today and must borrow a dollar from a friend to buy a hot lunch.

Question 33

Planned, systematic interventions are most often recommended as means of dealing with misbehaviors when:

A)The misbehavior is relatively mild in nature
B)The student's parents say that the behavior occurs at home as well
C)The behavior continues to interfere with a student's classroom performance despite other interventions
D)A student wants to improve his or her behavior but doesn't know how to go about doing so

Question 34

Three of the following strategies are recommended for conducting effective parent- teacher conferences.Which strategy is not necessarily recommended?

A)Minimize your use of educational jargon.
B)Encourage parents to share their perspectives and ideas.
C)Prepare ahead of time by reviewing what you know about the student.
D)Emphasize that the student's education is ultimately your responsibility rather than that of parents.

Question 35

Three of the following are recommended strategies for getting students' parents involved in school activities.Which one is not recommended?

A)Visit students' families at home if such visits are welcome.
B)Ask that visits to class be limited to immediate family members.
C)Invite parents to share their unique talents with your students.
D)Find people who can interpret for parents who speak little or no English.

Question 36

Three of the following are accurate statements about typical group differences in students' classroom behavior.Which statement is not accurate?

A)Many students from poor families have little or no interest in maintaining good relationships with their teachers.
B)Students from some cultural backgrounds may be unfamiliar with Western schools' expectations for classroom behavior.
C)On average, girls form closer relationships with their teachers than boys do.
D)On average, boys have more trouble sitting still for lengthy periods than girls do.

Question 37

Mr.Jacobs is speaking privately with Alicia, who has obviously been having trouble paying attention in class over the past two weeks.Three of the following strategies are appropriate things for Mr.Jacobs to do.Which strategy is not recommended for a private conference with a student?

A)Mr.Jacobs should communicate an openness to hearing what Alicia has to say.
B)Mr.Jacobs should stress to Alicia that he is ultimately the person who is in charge in the classroom.
C)Mr.Jacobs might explain that he feels hurt that she doesn't find class very interesting.
D)Mr.Jacobs can let Alicia choose among two or three alternatives for solving the problem.

Question 38

Under what circumstances should teachers confer with parents about a student's misbehavior?

A)Any time the student shows disregard for the feelings of fellow students
B)Only when the misbehavior is in clear violation of local or federal law
C)Any time the student shows no interest in improving his or her behavior
D)When a chronic problem has implications for a student's success over the long run

Question 39

Three of the following describe recommendations that the textbook offers for helping students with special needs.Which statement is inconsistent with the textbook's recommendations?

A)When students have significant general delays in cognitive development, give them explicit feedback about their behavior.
B)When students have specific cognitive or academic difficulties, teach them strategies for organizing their time more effectively.
C)When students have social or behavioral problems, vary the classroom routine considerably from one day to the next.
D)Give students with physical disabilities any additional time they may need to complete assigned tasks.

Question 40

Which one of the following best illustrates collective self-efficacy of teachers?

A)The teachers at West Middle School confer weekly about students who they believe are at risk for academic failure, and they are confident that by working together, they can help these students be successful at school.
B)The teachers at South Elementary School have coordinated what they do at each grade level so that at any particular grade, students master the knowledge and skills they will need in the following grade.
C)The English teachers at East High School have agreed on how they will teach the required freshman English class.That way, students will have a similar classroom experience no matter which teacher they have for the course.
D)A third-grade teacher and a fourth-grade teacher at North Elementary School have combined their two classes into a single, larger class.Sometimes they team-teach the entire group.At other times they divide the class into two smaller groups, one of which is ready for more advanced work than the other.

Question 41

Which one of the following is the best example of cognitive behavioral therapy as a means of helping a student acquire effective social skills?

A)Gradually shaping more prosocial behaviors over a period of several months
B)Modeling effective interpersonal behaviors and reinforcing the student for using them with peers
C)Simply asking a student to reflect on how his or her existing behaviors are probably alienating classmates
D)Beginning with continual reinforcement of appropriate social behavior and then switching to intermittent reinforcement once such behavior occurs frequently

Question 42

As the textbook points out, we must consider cultural differences when we deal with inappropriate classroom behavior.More specifically, we should remember that:

A)Some behaviors we think are inappropriate may be perfectly acceptable in another culture.
B)Many cultures place little value on the importance of education.
C)Students from some minority cultures will actively resist being taught in any language except their native tongue.
D)In most cultures, parents deal severely with children when they misbehave at home.

Question 43

Three of the following students show warning signs of possible violent behavior. Which student does not?

A)Adam speaks about Adolf Hitler with considerable admiration.
B)Brenda rarely arrives at school before 10:00, despite repeated disciplinary actions by the assistant principal.
C)Cora becomes irate each time a peer unintentionally acts in a way that she perceives as being hostile or harmful.
D)After his girlfriend breaks up with him and begins dating Russell, Daniel asserts, "I'll make that guy sorry he was ever born!"

Question 44

Three of the following practices are associated with reduced violence in schools.Which one is not associated with reduced school violence?

A)Close working relationships with families and community agencies
B)Expectations for behavior that are implied rather than explicitly stated
C)Student involvement in school decision making
D)A challenging and motivating curriculum

Question 45

Intervention strategies for students at risk for aggression and violence are most effective when they:

A)Emphasize the social benefits of prosocial behavior
B)Include intensive individual counseling and therapy
C)Are tailored to students' unique characteristics and needs
D)Focus largely on reinforcement for desirable behaviors rather than on punishment for undesirable behaviors

Question 46

Which one of the following statements most accurately describes aggression and violence in U.S.schools?

A)They have been on the increase over the past decade, especially in urban schools.
B)They have been on the increase over the past decade, especially in rural areas.
C)Mild forms of aggression are common at school; violent crime is rare and has declined in recent years.
D)On average, about 5% of high school students are victims of violent crimes at school each year; this figure has remained constant since 1980.

Question 47

Three of the following are common roots of aggression and violence in schools.Which one of the following is least likely to be a cause of aggression and violence?

A)Poor perspective-taking skills
B)Need to gain social status with peers
C)Revenge for stealing one's boyfriend or girlfriend
D)Persistence of concrete operational thinking into adolescence