Deck 8: Teaching in a Linguistically Diverse Classroom: Understanding the Power of Language

Question 1

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of a learning-community classroom that is linguistically diverse?

A) active student participation
B) a "community" orientation
C) desks bolted to the floor
D) "purposeful" clutter

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Which of the following is a contemporary version of Plato's dialectical method of teaching?

A) the lecture
B) interactive teaching and learning
C) project-based learning
D) collaborative learning

Answer 2

B

Question 3

A characteristic of a learning-community classroom is that:

A) everyone in the classroom is both a teacher and a learner.
B) no outside adults should be present in the classroom.
C) the teacher should make all instructional decisions.
D) children do not have enough knowledge to participate in shaping the curriculum.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

A difference between traditional classrooms and classrooms that are learning communities is that in the learning-community classrooms:

A) the acquisition of content-area knowledge is the major goal.
B) subject matter knowledge is acquired more often than not in the service of other goals.
C) assessment is always in the form of paper-and-pencil testing.
D) children are passive learners.

Question 5

According to Berger and Berger, language can be referred to as:

A) a means of structuring reality for the child.
B) a means of bringing the values of the community onto the stage of the family.
C) the first institution encountered by an individual.
D) all of these answers are correct.

Question 6

An accent differs from the standard language:

A) in the way words are pronounced.
B) in vocabulary.
C) in syntax.
D) none of these answers is correct.

Question 7

African American Vernacular English (Ebonics) can be best described as:

A) a language different from English.
B) "poor" English.
C) a dialect of English.
D) a form of accented English.

Question 8

The term "bidialectalism" refers to:

A) the ability to speak two different languages.
B) the ability to communicate verbally and nonverbally at the same time.
C) the ability to understand two languages.
D) the ability to speak two or more dialects and to switch back and forth easily.

Question 9

Nonverbal communication accounts for which of the following percentages of the messages we send and receive?

A) fewer than 25%
B) up to 90%
C) more than 75%
D) 50% to 90%

Question 10

Proxemics refers to:

A) the culturally determined comfortable distance between speakers when they are communicating with one another.
B) body language.
C) eye contact between speakers.
D) sounds that are not words (e.g., sighing or crying).

Question 11

According to Robertson and Ford, in the early production stage of second language acquisition, an individual:

A) begins to speak using short words and sentences.
B) takes in the new language but does not speak it.
C) communicates fluently in all contexts.
D) demonstrates higher order thinking skills.

Question 12

The term "English is a New Language" or ENL is:

A) used to describe programs in different parts of the United States.
B) used for students learning English in a foreign country.
C) used to refer to programs conducted primarily in the South of the United States.
D) used by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.

Question 13

Which of the following court cases was significant in the development of multicultural and multilingual education?

A) Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka
B) Plessy v. Ferguson
C) Lau v. Nichols
D) None of these answers are correct.

Question 14

Identify a characteristic of language.

A) It is internal rather than external.
B) It has the power of moral authority to direct people.
C) It has subjectivity rather than objectivity.
D) It is experienced in an individual's private thoughts.

Question 15

All of the following are stages of second language acquisition, EXCEPT:

A) the silent/receptive or preproduction stage.
B) the early production stage.
C) the speech introduction stage.
D) the intermediate language proficiency stage.

Question 16

All the individuals present in a linguistically diverse classroom do not participate in the classroom's activity-oriented environment.

Question 17

In a learning-community classroom, disciplinary knowledge is sometimes learned as an end in itself and sometimes as a means to another end.

Question 18

It is true that language is introduced to a child in the family, but it is not true that this language structures the child's environment.

Question 19

Within any given language, vocabulary, pronunciation, syntax, and semantics may differ widely.

Question 20

Standard English is a dialect of English.

Question 21

Although American Sign Language (ASL) is widely used in the United States, it is not recognized as a language.

Question 22

The affective filter hypothesis, a contextual factor associated with acquiring a second language, suggests that emotions are a factor in the ease or difficulty in learning another language.

Question 23

Although the civil rights movement gave bilingual education renewed emphasis, it is not a creation of the 1960s.

Question 24

In Lau v. Nichols, the Supreme Court ruled that school districts across the United States must provide students an education in languages that meet their needs.

Question 25

The issue of how and when to test English language learners in English rather than in their native language became a point of dispute because of the accountability (testing) measures central to the No Child Left Behind Act.

Question 26

Compare the characteristics of learning-community classrooms and traditional classrooms.

Question 27

Language has at least four characteristics in common with other social institutions. Briefly describe these characteristics and give an example of each.

Question 28

Three aspects of nonverbal behavior are proxemics, kinesics, and paralanguage. Briefly define these terms with examples.

Question 29

Briefly discuss the arguments for and against bilingual education programs.