Question 1

Which one of the following students is definitely working in his or her zone of proximal development?

Accepted Answer

A)  Arnold uses correct grammar and punctuation when he writes short stories. 
B)  Berta is beginning to learn basic woodworking techniques. She has trouble hammering a nail straight into a piece of wood unless her teacher stands beside her, helping her and reminding her of what to do. 
C)  Calvin is playing the clarinet in the band. He finds that it helps to keep the tempo if he taps the beat with his foot. 
D)  Doreen finds it virtually impossible to solve mathematical word problems, even when her teacher gives her helpful hints.

Question 2

Use concepts from Vygotsky's perspective of cognitive development to describe how you learned about Vygotsky's theory in this class. Your response should include references to at least three of the following concepts: zone of proximal development, self-talk, inner speech, internalization, and scaffolding.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Use concepts from Vygotsky's perspective of cognitive...

Question 3

Identify an instructional objective that might be achieved through an authentic activity. Then, in one or two paragraphs, describe the nature of the authentic activity.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Identify an instructional objective that might be...

Question 4

Which one of the following common expressions best reflects the idea of distributed cognition?

Accepted Answer

A)  "A stitch in time saves nine." 
B)  "Two heads are better than one." 
C)  "Look before you leap." 
D)  "A rolling stone gathers no moss."

Question 5

Which one of the following scenarios best reflects the basic idea of social construction of meaning?

Accepted Answer

A)  Two students discuss possible interpretations of the proverb "A stitch in time saves nine." 
B)  A teacher assigns a laboratory activity using cumbersome equipment that students can only use successfully by working in pairs. 
C)  When a student borrows a classmate's marker without asking and then forgets to put the cap back on, leaving it dried out and useless by the following morning, her teacher reminds her of one of the class rules: "Respect other students' property." 
D)  Four students in a study group divide the day's reading assignment into four sections. Each student reads a section and then teaches the material to the other group members.

Question 6

Describe a cognitive apprenticeship, and identify at least five features that effective cognitive apprenticeships are likely to have. Use a concrete example to illustrate your discussion.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Describe a cognitive apprenticeship, and identify at...

Question 7

Which one of the following examples best shows one or more students using a procedure known as guided peer questioning (also known as elaborative interrogation) while studying?

Accepted Answer

A)  As LaWanda and Megan study their history book together, they take turns making up and asking each other questions about why various historical events may have happened the way they did. 
B)  As she reads a classmate's short story, Suzette develops a list of questions that she would ask the author about why he wrote the story the way he did. 
C)  Vance and Cindy make notations in their class notes regarding things they don't understand and need to ask their teacher about. 
D)  As Lynette, Martin, and Fred study for a science quiz one evening, they go over the questions on the study guide their teacher handed out in class that day; they know that if they can answer all the questions successfully, they will do well on the quiz.

Question 8

Ms. Villanueva has her students engage in a variety of activities in her middle school geography class. Three of the activities described below are authentic activities. Which one is not an authentic activity?

Accepted Answer

A)  Constructing a map of the neighborhood around the school 
B)  Describing the difference between latitude and longitude 
C)  Finding the most direct route to Chicago on a road map 
D)  Using library resources to identify a good place to take a vacation

Question 9

Which of the following pairs of concepts reflects the general idea that challenge is important for cognitive development?

Accepted Answer

A)  disequilibrium and ZPD 
B)  self-talk and inner speech 
C)  conservation and internalization 
D)  working memory and central conceptual structure

Question 10

Pick a topic that you might effectively teach through a cooperative learning approach. Then, using guidelines presented in the textbook, describe how you will:
a. Form your cooperative groups
b. Foster interdependence of group members
c. Assess what students have learned

Accepted Answer

The answer of Pick a topic that you might effectively...

Question 11

Vygotsky proposed that thought and language are:

Accepted Answer

A)  Closely connected at all stages of life 
B)  Largely independent before age two but closely connected thereafter 
C)  Closely connected early in life and become increasingly independent with age 
D)  Largely independent until the elementary school years and closely connected thereafter

Question 12

Describe reciprocal teaching and its effects on student achievement. Explain its effectiveness using principles of learning from cognitive psychology, being sure to address metacognition in your discussion.

Accepted Answer

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Question 13

In Vygotsky's view, opportunities to engage in pretend play (e.g., playing "house" or "doctor") have which one of the following effects?

Accepted Answer

A)  They are highly enjoyable but have little impact on cognitive development. 
B)  They can help children shed their preoperational egocentrism. 
C)  They foster traditional gender stereotypes. 
D)  They allow children to practice adult behaviors.

Question 14

After explaining what sines and cosines are, a high school math teacher shows students how they might use these concepts in constructing a large building. Which one of the following principles does this scenario best illustrate?

Accepted Answer

A)  Over time, self-talk gradually evolves into inner speech. 
B)  Thought and language become increasingly interdependent with age. 
C)  Acquiring the cognitive tools of one's culture enables youngsters to live and work more effectively. 
D)  Children function more effectively when they work at their actual (rather than potential) developmental levels.

Question 15

Which one of the following is the best example of a mediated learning experience?

Accepted Answer

A)  Mr. O'Brien insists that students sit quietly at their desks before she dismisses them for lunch. 
B)  Mr. James reflects on the lesson he taught earlier in the day. "I suspect that most of my students still don't understand the concepts I was trying to teach them," he thinks. 
C)  Mr. Lucas asks his students to read Chapter 5 in their textbooks over the weekend. "You'll find that the chapter is more challenging than previous ones," he says. 
D)  As Ms. Robinson takes a group of children hiking, she gathers leaves from maple, oak, and elm trees and points out the ways in which the leaves from the trees are distinctly different.

Question 16

Which one of the following alternatives is the best example of a co-constructed narrative?

Accepted Answer

A)  A father is reading a bedtime story to his young son. In the middle of the story, he stops reading and asks his son to predict what the hero of the story is probably going to do next. 
B)  A teacher says, "Once upon a time, a young farmer ..." and then asks a student to complete the sentence. The teacher asks another student to provide a second sentence that relates to the first, asks a third student to supply a third sentence, and so on, until a complete story emerges. 
C)  As they sip their milkshakes at a local diner, two friends recall and talk about various scenes from a scary movie they've just seen at the movie theater. 
D)  As a student prepares to build a pair of bookends in a woodworking class, her teacher asks her to describe the procedure she plans to use.

Question 17

Which one of the following statements most accurately describes Vygotsky's theory of cognitive development?

Accepted Answer

A)  Children's cognitive growth should be judged on the basis of their actual developmental level, not on the basis of their level of potential development. 
B)  Cognitive development progresses through four distinct stages; each stage is characterized by increasingly more complex thought and language. 
C)  Children progress, in part, by working on difficult tasks with the assistance of more competent individuals. 
D)  Language and thought, although closely intertwined in the first few years of life, become increasingly distinct entities.

Question 18

Which one of the following issues reflects a fundamental difference between Piaget's and Vygotsky's theories of cognitive development?

Accepted Answer

A)  Whether challenging tasks promote cognitive development 
B)  Whether social interactions are important for cognitive development 
C)  How much children require adult guidance to make cognitive gains 
D)  Whether preschoolers are cognitively ready to handle complex, adultlike tasks

Question 19

Which one of the following best illustrates the use of base groups in cooperative learning?

Accepted Answer

A)  Students in a third-grade class are divided into several different reading groups based on their current reading levels. 
B)  Students in a social studies class work in groups of three or four to conduct in-depth research projects in their local, inner-city neighborhood. 
C)  Students in a literature class select one of four Shakespearian plays to read; students reading the same play convene for several half-hour discussions of the play. 
D)  Students in a history class spend the last five minutes of each class session in small, semester-long groups in which they can compare class notes and help one another with sources of confusion.

Question 20

Which one of the following best reflects technology-based collaborative learning as the textbook describes it?

Accepted Answer

A)  Two or more members of a class regularly meet on Internet chat rooms to study for tests and quizzes. 
B)  High school students create a Facebook group; they then recruit peers from diverse locations to join the group and exchange ideas about how best to deal with typical teenage issues. 
C)  Students post their work on a shared database, give one another feedback, and build on one another's ideas. 
D)  Two classes in distant locations use video technology to learn about one another's cultures.

Exam 13: Sociocultural Theory and Other Contextual Perspectives