Deck 8: Common Problems of Student Teachers

Question 1

You will probably focus on yourself, rather than the children, in your first days of student teaching.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Symptoms of stress that a student teacher may feel include upset stomach, fatigue and low morale.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Student teachers need to know the whys behind cooperating teachers' behavior.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

The text urges you to exercise and keep healthy during student teaching.

Question 5

Student teachers rarely feel stressed or anxious.

Question 6

Stress creates a chemical change in the body.

Question 7

A bag of long skirts, paper top hats, and a tape of music can be a one-day wonder.

Question 8

The text urges you to limit your extreme feelings.

Question 9

Getting organized fights stress during student teaching.

Question 10

Planning ahead and breaking large tasks into smaller pieces is a recommended time management technique.

Question 11

Do not worry if your ideas clash with your cooperating teacher.

Question 12

Destructive self-talk can be deadly during student teaching.

Question 13

The text recommends that to reduce stress, a student teacher should reject perfectionism and strive to be average.

Question 14

The term congruent-sending was coined by Gordon (1972).

Question 15

Do not expect interpersonal problems and they will not happen.

Question 16

There are many positive effects of worrying.

Question 17

Male student teachers often have a unique experience based on children's lack of experience with male teachers.

Question 18

Conflict resolution coursework is now a part of almost every early childhood training program.

Question 19

One way to react to bias is to excuse it.

Question 20

Your tone of voice is not usually as important as what your body language communicates.

Question 21

Open discussion is the best course of action when the student teacher and the cooperating teacher have teaching styles that clash.

Question 22

Defensive responses from a student teacher can be helpful to their professional development by clouding the truth.

Question 23

An environment that encourages children to make choices encourages feelings of self-worth.

Question 24

Persuasive communication is for sharing ideas, information and data.

Question 25

Cathartic communication is for releasing emotions and relating our troubles.

Question 26

The communication technique called "sandwiching" does send conflicting messages.

Question 27

I messages communicate the sender's feelings by clearly directing blame.

Question 28

Collaboration is when parents and teachers work together so that the child care facility is profitable.

Question 29

Negotiations always end with an agreed upon plan.

Question 30

A hug expresses love and acceptance.

Question 31

Students should surrender their philosophical values if they conflict with their cooperating teacher.

Question 32

"I get upset when materials I had planned to use disappear" is an example of an I message.

Question 33

Effective communicators spend as much time listening as talking.

Question 34

An environment that encourages children to make choices inhibits feelings of self-worth.

Question 35

As a student teacher you will find that you work much better with some people than with others.

Question 36

Anger and strong emotions from a child or teacher directed at you may be displaced.

Question 37

Children test and question the authority of a new adult.

Question 38

Self-preoccupation causes distortion in communication because the listener is busy formulating his reply and never hears the message.

Question 39

There aren't many, if any, positive effects of worrying.

Question 40

Student teachers struggling to find effective communication techniques should start by approaching large groups of children and initiating conversation.

Question 41

Your cooperating teacher is always stepping in and taking over in guidance situations. You have pleaded to be allowed to follow through so that the children will know you mean what you say. You decide to send a congruent feeling statement to a staff meeting. You say

A) "I'm really frustrated. You always take over."
B) "I've had it. Can't you let me finish what I start?"
C) "I'm confused. I want the children to know I mean what I say, but it's just not happening."
D) "You need to step back and let me follow through with the children."
E) "I know you're trying to help me, but I don't need your help."

Question 42

Professional conduct, when working with diverse staff members, includes

A) openness to new ideas.
B) collaborative techniques.
C) resisting the feeling one needs to change others.
D) an interest in the professional growth of others.
E) All of these answers are correct.

Question 43

"Congruent sending" is a term coined by

A) Hans Selye.
B) Weir and Eggleston.
C) Clark Moustakas.
D) None of these answers are correct.

Question 44

It is common for new student teachers to feel

A) unskilled compared to their cooperating teachers.
B) overwhelmed with assignments.
C) fragmented and emotionally tense.
D) secure only with room maintenance tasks.
E) All of these answers are correct.

Question 45

A distinct advantage in any problem-solving situation is knowing

A) that, in most cases, the solution happens.
B) a communication problem-solving sequence to use as a guide.
C) you will be a success if you use the proper sequence.
D) how to win without compromise.
E) that problem-solving is plain old luck.

Question 46

In most problem situations, there

A) is more than one alternative solution.
B) are two choices: to live with it or work on it.
C) is one factor, refusing to talk, that can inhibit solution.
D) is less defensiveness if reflective listening and "I" messages are used.
E) of these answers are correct.

Question 47

Which statement is an example of attitude cutoff?

A) A mother says, "Mary, you can't have six cookies," while handing the child two cookies. The child cries instantly when she hears the word "can't."
B) A teacher says, "It's time to clean up," and none of the children stop playing.
C) John just called Petey a baby. Petey stops listening because he's thinking of the right word to call John.
D) All of these answers are correct.
E) None of these answers are correct.

Question 48

You feel you can easily handle the whole day's program, but you have not been given the opportunity. You say to your supervisor

A) "Please help me. The cooperating teacher doesn't give me enough to do."
B) "I feel I'm competent enough to handle a whole day's program."
C) "I'm just doing cleanup and housekeeping most of the time."
D) "You could ask my cooperating teacher to give me more responsibility."
E) "I'll sure be happy when I finish and have my own class."

Question 49

Stress can be defined as

A) a strictly mental response to an unpleasant situation.
B) a process to resolve disputes between people.
C) a general sense of uneasiness that cannot be traced to a specific cause.
D) internal or external demand on a person's ability to adapt.
E) a solution to an unpleasant situation.

Question 50

Giving "positive attention" when conversing with others can be defined as

A) listening with emotion.
B) listening without judging.
C) listening without criticism.
D) listening without distraction.
E) listening with all of one's senses.

Question 51

An underestimated, yet critical aspect of communicating is

A) one's vocabulary.
B) the ability to gesture.
C) sentence length.
D) nonverbal components.
E) breathing tempo.

Question 52

Active listening can be described as

A) putting the sender's message in your own words.
B) putting the sender's message and feelings into your own words.
C) repeating what is heard.
D) mimicking.
E) None of these answers are correct.

Question 53

Three sequential stages in teacher training include

A) decide, evaluate, learn.
B) focus on self-protection, focus on children, focus on outcomes of teaching.
C) focus on children, focus on lesson planning, focus on securing a teaching position.
D) ask questions, find answers, educate.
E) examine priorities, make congruent choices, accept results.

Question 54

The text suggests the following stress reduction techniques

A) a brisk walk around the room or yard.
B) going into a closet to scream.
C) talking to a staff member.
D) taking medication.
E) a brisk walk around the room or yard and talking to a staff member.

Question 55

Student teacher anxiety, which occurs when you attempt to become skilled in all aspects of teaching

A) seldom disappears.
B) always disappears as time progresses.
C) seems more likely to disappear as the focus shifts from self to children.
D) indicates a lack of self-confidence that will slow down skill acquisition.
E) None of these answers are correct.

Question 56

Adjusting to the student teacher/cooperating teacher arrangement is

A) often difficult for both the cooperating teacher and the student teacher.
B) always smooth and quick for both.
C) faster when the cooperating teacher has led other student teachers.
D) easily accomplished and never difficult.
E) always awkward.

Question 57

Mrs. Morgan, Christine's mother, asks, "Mrs. Johnson (the cooperating teacher) seems harsh with shy children, doesn't she?" The most appropriate response is

A) "Oh no, she's very kind."
B) "I have been assigned here for two weeks and I haven't noticed it."
C) "It may seem that way because she tries to help them play with others."
D) "I can see you're wondering about something you've seen or heard; it might help to talk with Mrs. Johnson about it."
E) "As a student teacher, I have been told to refer all parent questions to the school's principal."

Question 58

Experts urge student teachers to

A) hide and hold negative feelings.
B) admit strong feelings.
C) deal with strong feelings.
D) communicate strong feelings with communicative skill.
E) talk out strong feelings.

Question 59

Mrs. Schultz, Lielo's mother, is angry and yells, "Lielo wet her pants again. I don't think any of you remembered to remind her!" You respond by saying

A) "You're upset because you don't think we reminded Lielo."
B) "They all wet sometimes, Mrs. Schultz."
C) "I didn't see her wet today."
D) "We remind all the children right before snacks."
E) "My child wets at school, too."

Question 60

The main goal in communicative problem-solving is

A) to teach participants to listen.
B) to find courses of action that all are willing to try.
C) to find quick solutions.
D) to feel you were listened to.
E) All of these answers are correct.

Question 61

Common tension signals in the classroom include

A) extreme lethargy.
B) cold or flu symptoms.
C) a louder voice tone or silence.
D) excessive eye contact.
E) All of these answers are correct.

Question 62

Collaboration is

A) valuable, even if the end result is that one person makes all of the decisions and disregards the feedback that was given.
B) when parents or teachers work together for the ultimate good of the children.
C) best done by an individual.
D) when teachers work individually to design a plan to improve the classroom.
E) discouraged in for-profit child care centers.

Question 63

Collaborating may require

A) acceptance of differences.
B) careful listening and observation.
C) effective communication.
D) elimination of the need to change others.
E) All of these answers are correct.

Question 64

"I am disappointed in your choice. None of the children will want to play with you." is an example of

A) an "I message."
B) a "you message."
C) a "your message."
D) a "false I message."
E) and "I message" and a "you message."

Question 65

Conflict mediation in an early childhood classroom

A) is rare.
B) always happens during a large group activity.
C) is developmentally inappropriate.
D) happens when a third person assists others to resolve conflicts.
E) requires a mediator and at least two other uninvolved parties.

Question 66

"Congruent sending" in relation to communication refers to

A) the written messages sent home with the parents.
B) the similarity of what a person is thinking or feeling inside and what he communicates to the outside.
C) the written messages sent home with the parents that address unusual behavior by the child.
D) the classroom educational philosophy matching the families educational philosophy.
E) the classroom educational philosophy matching the institutions educational philosophy.

Question 67

What kind of communication is used to change attitudes or produce a desired result?

A) electric
B) persuasive
C) cathartic
D) informational
E) methodical

Question 68

"I am angry when you do not keep your promises. No one will be able to trust you." is an example of

A) an "I message."
B) a "you message."
C) a "your message."
D) a "false I message."
E) and "I message" and a "you message."

Question 69

It can be difficult for some student teachers to ask for help or suggestions

A) because many student teacher education programs prohibit outside assistance for problem solving.
B) and they usually are better off just struggling and eventually figuring it out themselves.
C) which is good because they need to learn to be independent.
D) because they are afraid that their supervisor or cooperating teacher will think that they are unable to solve their own problems.
E) and until they overcome this challenge it is impossible for them to be successful.

Question 70

Positive methods for dealing with anxiety include

A) complaining about your feelings.
B) hiding your anxiety for as long as possible.
C) quitting your job and taking a vacation for as long as you need.
D) seeking additional written or oral guidelines and developing an organizational system including a calendar or files.
E) finding other people that are more anxious than you so that comparatively you seem to have less to worry about.

Question 71

Instead of saying, "You didn't like my lesson plan, did you?" the text recommends

A) keeping your concerns to yourself and waiting for the cooperating teacher to initiate feedback.
B) saying, "How could I have improved my lesson?"
C) saying, "Why didn't you like my lesson plan?"
D) ignoring any negative feedback that you may have sensed because you probably imagined it.
E) self-reflection to identify what you could have done better.

Question 72

Negotiations end with

A) a follow-up date.
B) an agreed upon plan.
C) a commitment.
D) All of these answers are correct.
E) None of these answers are correct.

Question 73

One-day wonders are

A) teachers that perform well one day and poorly the next.
B) days that have perfect weather.
C) preplanned materials that teachers can easily set up or use on the spur of the moment.
D) children that visit a child care center for less than one week, often just one day.
E) used on days when the teacher doesn't feel like teaching.

Question 74

The non-verbal components of communication are

A) less important than the words that you choose.
B) critical.
C) often overlooked.
D) critical and yet often overlooked.
E) All of these answers are correct.

Question 75

When participating in a conversation with one child

A) sit or stand in places that allow you to simultaneously view the entire room.
B) be brief and cut the child off if necessary so that you can focus on managing the entire room.
C) focus only on that child.
D) use hand gestures to encourage the child to speak quickly.
E) invite others to join so that you can make better use of your time.

Question 76

Active listening requires

A) at least 4 people.
B) pen and paper for notes.
C) a speaker, an observer and a listener.
D) two adults and one child.
E) the listener to put into your own words to the sender your understanding of the message.

Question 77

Student teachers may feel anxiety

A) from focusing on themselves.
B) and may begin looking for faults in others or become critical of the placement classroom.
C) and should leave the classroom if they feel even slightly uncomfortable.
D) but should never discuss it with anyone.
E) from focusing on themselves and may begin looking for faults in others or become critical of the placement classroom.

Question 78

Anxiety can be defined as

A) a process to resolve disputes between people.
B) a general sense of uneasiness that cannot be traced to a specific cause.
C) internal or external demand on a person's ability to adapt.
D) a strictly physical response an unpleasant situation.
E) imaginary.

Question 79

If a student teacher is afraid of the cooperating teacher's feedback

A) the student teacher must be doing something wrong.
B) the student teacher should request a new site for her practicum.
C) the cooperating teacher must be doing something wrong.
D) they may decide not to try something new in the classroom.

Question 80

A role model

A) is an individual paid to observe and give feedback.
B) is generally the same for everyone.
C) is always a formally identified individual responsible for the success of another individual.
D) is a person whose behavior is imitated by others.
E) is usually famous within the media or at least the community.