Cluster 1
Learning, Teaching, and Educational Psychology
Module 1 - Learning and Teaching Relevant Test Items
Objective 1.1: Describe the key elements of and Multiple Choice: 1-5
changes to the No Child Left Behind Act. Essay: 19
Objective 1.2: Discuss the essential features of Multiple Choice: 6-8
effective teaching, including different frameworks Essay: 20
describing what good teachers do.
Module 2 - Research and Theory in Educatioonal
Psychology
Objective 1.3: Describe the methods used to conduct Multiple Choice: 9-17
research in the field of educational psychology and Essay: 21
the kinds of questions each method can address.
Objective 1.4: Recognize how theories and research Multiple Choice: 18
in development and learning are related to educational Essay: 22
practice.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. As a new teacher, you are eager to meet your 24 students. You are interested in
the ethnic and cultural diversity of your students and their range of abilities and
needs. If the diversity among your students matches national statistical norms,
how many children will you have with mild to severe developmental disabilities?
a. one
b. two
c. three
d. four
2. Nearly 16 million or 22% of children in America live in poverty. About how
many of these children live in extreme poverty?
a. 2 million
b. 5 million
c. 7 million
d. 9 million
,3. Javier emigrated from Mexico with his family and is starting third grade with
minimal ability to speak English. Mrs. Foster can’t wait to see how much progress
Javier will make in her class this year. This seems to be evidence of:
a. teacher’s sense of efficacy.
b. overly optimistic beliefs.
c. the school’s expectations of teachers.
d. the teacher’s lack of experience with non-English speakers.
4. According to the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, which children were
required to reach proficiency and meet adequate yearly performance goals?
a. All students
b. All students without developmental disabilities
c. All students in elementary grades
d. All English-speaking students
5. Many studies indicate that teacher-student relationships and the quality of
teaching make a difference. Based on findings from such studies, which of the
following children is likely to benefit most from good teaching?
a. Jorge is in the first grade and likes math but does not like to participate in
reading group, though he’s a good reader.
b. Kellie, in kindergarten, seems to be advanced for her age. She is reading
books and working first grade math.
c. Dwayne is in the first grade and loves school, especially when he gets to work
in groups with his friends or at centers with hands-on activities.
d. Johana is in kindergarten and exhibits behavior problems that include
difficulty paying attention and regulating her attention-getting behaviors.
6. Mr. Tanaka has accepted a teaching job in a new district. In his interview, he
learned that he will be evaluated on 22 components of knowledge and skills in
four domains of teaching responsibilities. Which of the following models of good
teaching is most likely being used in his district’s teacher evaluation system?
a. The Gates Foundation project’s Measures of Effective Teaching
b. TeachingWorks high-leverage teaching practices
c. Daneilson’s Framework for Teaching
d. The Blueprint for Reform of NCLB legislation
7. The Measures of Teaching Effectiveness Project identified three measures used
together as a valid and reliable way of assessing teaching that leads to student
learning. The three measures include surveys of student perceptions of their
teachers and classroom observations from the Danielson Framework for
Teaching. What is the other measure?
a. Student scores on national standardized tests
b. Teacher content knowledge
c. Teacher classroom management skills
d. Student gains on state tests
2
, 8. Experienced teachers often ask several of the following questions as they teach.
Which question is most likely to be the metacognitive concern of a beginning
teacher?
a. How might I help my students become self-regulated learners?
b. How well did I handle that disruptive behavior?
c. What might help my high achievers extend their learning?
d. What does Student A need in order to learn this skill?
9. Which teacher comments appear to be most related to educational psychology?
a. Are interest rates most likely to rise or fall under these conditions?
b. Should the skill of summarizing be taught before students learn to identify the
topic and main idea?
c. Do you want to explore the topic of slavery in the United States or slavery in
other countries?
d. Which of these books would you like to read during the unit about historical
fiction?
10. From the beginning, psychology in the United States was linked to teaching.
Among the early psychologists in this country, which leader is respected as the
father of the progressive education movement?
a. William James, author of Talks to Teacher about Psychology
b. G. Stanley Hall, founder of the American Psychological Association
c. John Dewey, founder of the Laboratory School at the University of Chicago
d. E. L. Thorndike, founder of the Journal of Educational Psychology
11. In Austin Foley’s research, he is collecting data in high schools in10 school
districts. He is using surveys to learn the types of support APA physics students
prefer from their teachers in physics lab. What type of research is Austin
conducting?
a. Experimental study
b. Descriptive study
c. Quasi-experimental study
d. Ethnographic study
12. Marisa Campala is conducting research with fifth grade teachers in diverse
classrooms. One group of teachers uses English and Spanish to greet students
each morning and other teachers maintain their regular greetings in English. What
type of research is Marisa most likely conducting?
a. Microgenic
b. Descriptive
c. Longitudinal
d. Experimental
13. Dr. Casey studied the effects of a particular after-school tutoring program on the
academic achievement of children in extreme poverty in his state from preschool
through fifth grade. What type of research is involved in such a study?
3
, a. Ethnographic
b. Case study
c. Longitudinal
d. Action research
14. Dr. Sullivan conducts research that involves measuring the amount of change in
student scores on state math tests at the beginning of the year and at the end of the
year for students in top teachers’ classrooms. What type of research is Dr.
Sullivan conducting?
a. Ethnographic
b. Microgenetic
c. Quantitative
d. Qualitative
15. Ms. Markham is conducting a study in her classroom. She wants to determine
whether students perform better on a concepts test after using a mini-lecture
approach or after engaging in a group activity. What type of research is she
conducting?
a. Ethnographic
b. Longitudinal
c. Microgenetic
d. Action research
16. Mr. Grant is a reflective teacher who is always trying to improve his teaching
practices to increase student learning. He has conducted several research projects
and changed teaching strategies on the basis of the results. In his latest reflections,
he predicted that his low-achieving students would complete their spelling tasks
in less time and score higher on spelling tests if he began using a buddy system.
In the research cycle, Mr. Grant has developed:
a. a theory.
b. a principle.
c. a hypothesis.
d. a plan for data analysis.
17. Which of the following research designs involves ethnographic research?
a. Measuring the increase in test scores on the state reading test when dyslexic
children have additional time to take the test
b. Collecting data about the inclusion of a child with vision impairment by
conducting interviews with a vision impaired child, his parents, his teachers,
and his peers
c. Changing teaching strategies to see whether the new strategy brings about
more learning in the math unit about adding fractions
d. Following a group of Hmong students who attend a public elementary school
in Minneapolis to understand their acculturation at school
4
Learning, Teaching, and Educational Psychology
Module 1 - Learning and Teaching Relevant Test Items
Objective 1.1: Describe the key elements of and Multiple Choice: 1-5
changes to the No Child Left Behind Act. Essay: 19
Objective 1.2: Discuss the essential features of Multiple Choice: 6-8
effective teaching, including different frameworks Essay: 20
describing what good teachers do.
Module 2 - Research and Theory in Educatioonal
Psychology
Objective 1.3: Describe the methods used to conduct Multiple Choice: 9-17
research in the field of educational psychology and Essay: 21
the kinds of questions each method can address.
Objective 1.4: Recognize how theories and research Multiple Choice: 18
in development and learning are related to educational Essay: 22
practice.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. As a new teacher, you are eager to meet your 24 students. You are interested in
the ethnic and cultural diversity of your students and their range of abilities and
needs. If the diversity among your students matches national statistical norms,
how many children will you have with mild to severe developmental disabilities?
a. one
b. two
c. three
d. four
2. Nearly 16 million or 22% of children in America live in poverty. About how
many of these children live in extreme poverty?
a. 2 million
b. 5 million
c. 7 million
d. 9 million
,3. Javier emigrated from Mexico with his family and is starting third grade with
minimal ability to speak English. Mrs. Foster can’t wait to see how much progress
Javier will make in her class this year. This seems to be evidence of:
a. teacher’s sense of efficacy.
b. overly optimistic beliefs.
c. the school’s expectations of teachers.
d. the teacher’s lack of experience with non-English speakers.
4. According to the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, which children were
required to reach proficiency and meet adequate yearly performance goals?
a. All students
b. All students without developmental disabilities
c. All students in elementary grades
d. All English-speaking students
5. Many studies indicate that teacher-student relationships and the quality of
teaching make a difference. Based on findings from such studies, which of the
following children is likely to benefit most from good teaching?
a. Jorge is in the first grade and likes math but does not like to participate in
reading group, though he’s a good reader.
b. Kellie, in kindergarten, seems to be advanced for her age. She is reading
books and working first grade math.
c. Dwayne is in the first grade and loves school, especially when he gets to work
in groups with his friends or at centers with hands-on activities.
d. Johana is in kindergarten and exhibits behavior problems that include
difficulty paying attention and regulating her attention-getting behaviors.
6. Mr. Tanaka has accepted a teaching job in a new district. In his interview, he
learned that he will be evaluated on 22 components of knowledge and skills in
four domains of teaching responsibilities. Which of the following models of good
teaching is most likely being used in his district’s teacher evaluation system?
a. The Gates Foundation project’s Measures of Effective Teaching
b. TeachingWorks high-leverage teaching practices
c. Daneilson’s Framework for Teaching
d. The Blueprint for Reform of NCLB legislation
7. The Measures of Teaching Effectiveness Project identified three measures used
together as a valid and reliable way of assessing teaching that leads to student
learning. The three measures include surveys of student perceptions of their
teachers and classroom observations from the Danielson Framework for
Teaching. What is the other measure?
a. Student scores on national standardized tests
b. Teacher content knowledge
c. Teacher classroom management skills
d. Student gains on state tests
2
, 8. Experienced teachers often ask several of the following questions as they teach.
Which question is most likely to be the metacognitive concern of a beginning
teacher?
a. How might I help my students become self-regulated learners?
b. How well did I handle that disruptive behavior?
c. What might help my high achievers extend their learning?
d. What does Student A need in order to learn this skill?
9. Which teacher comments appear to be most related to educational psychology?
a. Are interest rates most likely to rise or fall under these conditions?
b. Should the skill of summarizing be taught before students learn to identify the
topic and main idea?
c. Do you want to explore the topic of slavery in the United States or slavery in
other countries?
d. Which of these books would you like to read during the unit about historical
fiction?
10. From the beginning, psychology in the United States was linked to teaching.
Among the early psychologists in this country, which leader is respected as the
father of the progressive education movement?
a. William James, author of Talks to Teacher about Psychology
b. G. Stanley Hall, founder of the American Psychological Association
c. John Dewey, founder of the Laboratory School at the University of Chicago
d. E. L. Thorndike, founder of the Journal of Educational Psychology
11. In Austin Foley’s research, he is collecting data in high schools in10 school
districts. He is using surveys to learn the types of support APA physics students
prefer from their teachers in physics lab. What type of research is Austin
conducting?
a. Experimental study
b. Descriptive study
c. Quasi-experimental study
d. Ethnographic study
12. Marisa Campala is conducting research with fifth grade teachers in diverse
classrooms. One group of teachers uses English and Spanish to greet students
each morning and other teachers maintain their regular greetings in English. What
type of research is Marisa most likely conducting?
a. Microgenic
b. Descriptive
c. Longitudinal
d. Experimental
13. Dr. Casey studied the effects of a particular after-school tutoring program on the
academic achievement of children in extreme poverty in his state from preschool
through fifth grade. What type of research is involved in such a study?
3
, a. Ethnographic
b. Case study
c. Longitudinal
d. Action research
14. Dr. Sullivan conducts research that involves measuring the amount of change in
student scores on state math tests at the beginning of the year and at the end of the
year for students in top teachers’ classrooms. What type of research is Dr.
Sullivan conducting?
a. Ethnographic
b. Microgenetic
c. Quantitative
d. Qualitative
15. Ms. Markham is conducting a study in her classroom. She wants to determine
whether students perform better on a concepts test after using a mini-lecture
approach or after engaging in a group activity. What type of research is she
conducting?
a. Ethnographic
b. Longitudinal
c. Microgenetic
d. Action research
16. Mr. Grant is a reflective teacher who is always trying to improve his teaching
practices to increase student learning. He has conducted several research projects
and changed teaching strategies on the basis of the results. In his latest reflections,
he predicted that his low-achieving students would complete their spelling tasks
in less time and score higher on spelling tests if he began using a buddy system.
In the research cycle, Mr. Grant has developed:
a. a theory.
b. a principle.
c. a hypothesis.
d. a plan for data analysis.
17. Which of the following research designs involves ethnographic research?
a. Measuring the increase in test scores on the state reading test when dyslexic
children have additional time to take the test
b. Collecting data about the inclusion of a child with vision impairment by
conducting interviews with a vision impaired child, his parents, his teachers,
and his peers
c. Changing teaching strategies to see whether the new strategy brings about
more learning in the math unit about adding fractions
d. Following a group of Hmong students who attend a public elementary school
in Minneapolis to understand their acculturation at school
4
