Deck 1: Applying Psychology to Teaching

Question 1

Which of the following characteristics accurately describes the art of teaching?

A) The need for objective analysis
B) Making use of assessments to modify educational goals
C) An intuition for doing the right thing at the right time
D) The ability to assign grades fairly

Answer 1

An intuition for doing the right thing at the right time

Question 2

One example of how unsystematic observation may lead to poor educational policies or decisions is

A) free school lunches.
B) assessment instruments.
C) Head Start programs.
D) grade retention policies.

Answer 2

grade retention policies.

Question 3

Heidi is frustrated with her science teacher. During his lecture, he writes important facts on the board but will not answer any questions about them. Heidi has politely tried on several occasions to tell the teacher of her frustration. Each time he apologizes and promises to change his methods of instruction. Each time he returns to his original form. Heidi's science teacher

A) is in charge and should run the class in the way that is most comfortable for him.
B) is simply trying to get the students to think for themselves.
C) does not possess even one of the three attitudes of a reflective teacher.
D) seems to be reflective in his own way.

Answer 3

does not possess even one of the three attitudes of a reflective teacher.

Question 4

Research shows that the most effective teachers generally have

A) received little or no formal training but seem to have a genuine knack for instruction.
B) been paid the most for teaching.
C) earned excellent grades in all of their own course work.
D) received professional training.

Question 5

The following quote, "to study what people think and do as they teach and learn in a particular environment where education and training are intended to take place" best describes the primary focus of

A) social scientists.
B) board of education members.
C) school administrators.
D) educational psychologists.

Question 6

The primary focus of educational psychology is to understand how

A) students develop physically, cognitively, and emotionally over time.
B) different factors influence learning in classroom settings.
C) problem-solving tactics and self-esteem influence psychosocial well-being.
D) achievement test scores relate to general aptitude.

Question 7

A teacher who views the discipline of teaching as both an art and a science is likely to

A) be mechanical and indecisive.
B) continue to use methods that have scientific support but appear not to be working well in the classroom.
C) experiment with new teaching methods as soon as they appear in the literature.
D) be inspiring and exciting while at the same time aware of current scientific research in the field of teaching.

Question 8

Teaching children or adolescents is challenging because it requires

A) flexible decision making and a working knowledge of the topics being discussed.
B) the development of instructional techniques that work with virtually all students.
C) rapid use of the latest methods of instruction.
D) strict adherence to carefully designed lesson plans.

Question 9

Given the observations of David Berliner, how should you respond to someone who maintains that educational research is relatively easy to do?

A) State that educational issues are among the most difficult to research because of the complexity of educational processes and outcomes.
B) Agree with the statement.
C) State that educational research is difficult to conduct because it is not valued by educators or policy makers.
D) State that educational research is difficult to conduct because researchers are frequently denied access to classrooms.

Question 10

Effective teachers recognize that teaching

A) doesn't need a scientific basis because it is such a straightforward enterprise.
B) is propelled primarily by commonly understood anecdotes of what works in the classroom.
C) is an art that should nonetheless have a good scientific basis.
D) should be viewed solely as the ability to be objective in evaluation and to have a good grasp of the subject matter.

Question 11

The grade retention policies of many schools are examples of

A) the implementation of practices based on sound scientific research.
B) practices based on studies that verify teachers' beliefs about intellectual development.
C) practices that have little scientific merit because they are based on unsystematic observation.
D) practices stemming from research that suggests that repeating a grade is beneficial to a student.

Question 12

Mr. Delmar, a health teacher, just read a research article that reported the importance of attention to a student's ability to learn something new. The next day he arrived in class wearing a skintight body suit illustrated with each of the organs in order to deliver a lecture on how systems in the body work. Mr. Delmar has attempted to combine

A) health with fashion.
B) art with science.
C) teaching with bad performance art.
D) unrelated principles.

Question 13

One mark of good teachers is that they

A) are constantly evaluating the worth of their goals and their methods for trying to attain them.
B) are always sure that their educational goals are worthwhile.
C) generally find a single teaching approach that works with virtually all of their students.
D) are able to use any new approach or technique, even if scientific evidence suggests that those techniques are questionable.

Question 14

Many advancements in teaching and learning are due in large part to

A) the accumulation of traditional practices.
B) philanthropic contributions.
C) the research of educational psychologists.
D) suggestions from parents and school board members.

Question 15

The ongoing relationship between educational psychology research and practice is most like

A) building a sand castle at the water's edge.
B) building a skyscraper.
C) driving a car.
D) writing a novel.

Question 16

To say that teaching is an art means that teaching

A) is a relatively easy profession to master.
B) requires flexibility in decision making.
C) should be based entirely on scientific findings.
D) is an undisciplined activity.

Question 17

You have been hired by a large, inner-city school to coordinate an after-school mentoring program for at-risk children. On the first day of your new job you sit in your office as the rules and regulations you put into place are broken. You later hear from one of your coworkers that the children you are working with have, in the past, responded positively to the disciplinary efforts of another administrator in their regular school. It will most likely be in your best interest to

A) continue with your current plan until the desired result is obtained.
B) reprimand your coworker for questioning your judgment.
C) reflect on your course of action and work on a new plan.
D) dismiss the trouble since it is just the first day.

Question 18

Educational psychologists who are familiar with research findings

A) almost always agree on what the data indicate.
B) tend to criticize and therefore ignore the quality of the data.
C) rarely form conclusions on the basis of research findings.
D) sometimes construct different interpretations of what the data mean.

Question 19

Being a teacher is somewhat analogous to being

A) a worker in a factory who is expected to produce a particular product efficiently.
B) the president of a company who directs the activities of all of its divisions.
C) a computer specialist who knows everything about one type of computer and nothing about any other type.
D) a rock that stands firm under any condition.

Question 20

Mr. Fradigio would like to investigate the effectiveness of forehead bandages on the retention of information among high school seniors in his school district. He believes that the tighter students tie their bandages the better they will recall lecture material. To see if his theory is correct, one-third of his morning history class wear extremely tight bandages, one-third wear moderately tight bandages, and one-third wear loose fitting bandages. To control for morning daydreamers, he asks his afternoon class to do the same. Each class does as he requests for each lecture. He then administers the regularly scheduled exam to each of the classes. He scores the exams without knowing which class or bandage group they came from. He repeats the same experiment the following term with a new group of students. He then writes about his experiment and reports the results in the weekly school newsletter. Mr. Fradigio's inquiry is an example of

A) using constructivist teaching methods.
B) the scientific method.
C) selection and interpretation of data.
D) unsystematic observation.

Question 21

Suppose that, as a teacher, you encounter a student who appears to be bored with or confused by the subject matter you are teaching. Describe the approach you would take, wearing both your artist and your scientist hats, in an effort to reach this student.

Question 22

What is a reflective teacher? Provide an example of how a reflective teacher might behave, and explain in your example how a reflective teacher illustrates teaching as an art and a science.

Question 23

Summarize the arguments that have been made for teaching as an art and for teaching as a science. Then explain how these two views can be combined.

Question 24

Explain why it is important for researchers to focus on only a few aspects of a problem at one time rather than to examine several aspects of a problem within the framework of a single study.

Question 25

Explain why teaching is ranked in the top 25 percent of all professions for complexity.

Question 26

Explain how the complexity of classroom teaching and learning affects research and efforts to apply that research.

Question 27

Discuss the strengths and limitations of the scientific approach to education.

Question 28

Why is it important for a teacher to be reflective?

Question 29

Explain how unsystematic observations may lead to false conclusions.

Question 30

Define educational psychology. Also, provide three reasons why exposure to educational psychology may help you become a better teacher.

Question 31

Explain how the artistic practice of teaching requires a solid scientific foundation.

Question 32

Describe what is meant by the statement "Teaching as an art involves beliefs, emotions, values, and flexibility." How does teaching involve each of these qualities?

Question 33

Explain how two scientists who examine the same data may come to quite different conclusions.

Question 34

Summarize the relationship between professional teacher education programs and competence as a teacher.

Question 35

Explain why the limited focus of research, the complexity of teaching and learning, and the selection and interpretation of data are complicating factors in the study of behavior and thought processes.

Question 36

Explain how research conducted by educational psychologists can help make you a better teacher.

Question 37

Explain why the use of grade retention is an example of how unsystematic observations may lead to false conclusions.

Question 38

During algebra class, Mr. Harvey notices that many of his students are not paying attention to his famous "Quadratic Equation" lecture during which he draws funny chalk pictures to call attention to important steps. He instantly stops using the funny pictures and decides to alter his lecture by making it more interactive and student centered. The students immediately become more interested and begin to pay attention. Later that afternoon during his preparation period, he makes note of his failed attempt to capture the attention of the students with pictures and briefly outlines his altered lecture. Mr. Harvey has

A) failed his class by omitting important funny drawings.
B) given up on his abilities and skills as an educator.
C) exhibited some of the qualities of a reflective teacher.
D) missed the point of reflective instruction.