Chapter 5 Test Questions
Multiple Choice
1. When a philosophy is applied to the classroom, it influences all of the following EXCEPT
a. the way the curriculum is organized.
b. the instructional strategies that are used.
c. the assessment and evaluation practices.
d. the funding available to the school from the state.
2. Which of the following educational philosophies are teacher-centered?
a. existentialism and pragmatism
b. existentialism and idealism
c. idealism and realism
d. pragmatism and realism
3. Which of the following educational philosophies are student-centered?
a. existentialism and pragmatism
b. existentialism and idealism
c. idealism and realism
d. pragmatism and realism
4. Many politicians and members of the public insist that teachers should be held accountable for the
academic success of their students. Those who hold this belief would accept which of the following
educational theories?
a. constructivism
b. essentialism
c. humanism
d. progressivism
5. Cary Snodgrass wrote an indignant letter to the editor of the local newspaper in which she criticized the
educational system because a recent poll had shown that the majority of students could not pass a
test of basic facts about the geography of the nation. Cary’s letter expresses the view of one who
believes that schools should use an approach that is based on
a. behaviorism.
b. essentialism.
c. perennialism.
d. positivism.
6. The Parent’s Council at Shallow Creek Elementary School has organized study groups who are
discussing the series of books written by E.D. Hirsch Jr. that have titles, such as, What Your Third
Grader Needs to Know. The council member’s efforts at establishing a back–to-the-basics curriculum
at Shallow Creek are consistent with
a. constructivism.
b. perennialism.
c. behaviorism.
d. essentialism.
7. Teachers who accept the essentialist theory of knowledge would agree that they must aid students in
a. developing sound habits of mind and respect for authority.
b. seeking everlasting truth.
c. acquiring a common core of information and skills.
d. acquiring facility in accessing the vast amounts of knowledge available on the World Wide Web.
8. The role of an essentialist teacher is
a. guide and resource person.
b. facilitator.
c. dispenser of knowledge.
d. activist for social change.
9. Classroom behaviorist theory is based on the beliefs of
a. B.F. Skinner.
b. John Dewey.
c. Theodore Sizer.
d. A.S. Neil.
10. The concept of positive reinforcement is a central idea of
a. behaviorism.
b. essentialism.
c. perennialism.
d. progressivism.
11. Behaviorist teachers believe that when they ignore undesirable behavior
a. it will spiral out of control in the classroom.
b. students will continue to behave in that manner.
c. the bad behavior will be extinguished.
d. they will encounter problems from previously well-behaved students.
12. Marianne Merrill is a fourth grade teacher at Silver Creek Elementary School. When her students do
well on a test she distributes marbles which they place in personal jars. When she ʺcatches them
doing something goodʺ they also receive marbles. After the students have collected enough marbles,
they may use them to purchase various small items such as candy or school supplies. Marianne tries
to ignore students who disobey or act out because she believes that the lack of rewards will extinguish
the undesirable actions. The system used by Marianne is based on
a. behaviorism.
b. essentialism.
c. perennialism.
d. positivism.
13. Amy Therrian introduces each series of lessons with a set of educational objectives. One of the
objectives was, ʺAll students will determine the specific gravity of an unknown liquid by using a
hydrometer and a series of liquids of known specific gravities.ʺ At the end of the unit each student had
to demonstrate that he or she had mastered the skill. Amy’s teaching strategy is consistent with
a. behaviorism.
b. essentialism.
c. perennialism.
d. positivism.
14. Positivist teachers believe that student achievement is best assessed through
a. personal interviews.
b. authentic assessment.
c. objective bias-free tests.
d. essay questions.
15. The teachers in the mathematics department at Westdale High School have decided to adopt a
standardized teaching strategy that they feel will best suit the majority of their students. Each unit will
begin with clear, precise expectations of what the students should know and be able to do. The
teachers will explain the new concept that is to be covered. They will demonstrate how to solve
problems using the concept on a Smartboard. Several students will then go to the board and repeat
the approach using additional examples. The students will then begin working on their homework
problems while the teachers walk around the room checking for understanding and offering
assistance. The students will then complete ten to twenty additional homework problems using the
concepts discussed in class. This approach to teaching uses a strategy known as
a. direct instruction.
b. critical thinking.
c. the scientific method.
d. problem solving.
16. Student-centered educational philosophies agree that
a. teachers need to establish rules and then explain their rationale to the students.
b. the best learning occurs in an environment where the teacher is an active learner also.
c. teachers must center their efforts on transmitting knowledge.
d. tangible rewards given to students inspire them to learn more.
17. The educational theory that places emphasis on how to think as opposed to what to think is
a. behaviorism.
b. essentialism.
c. progressivism.
d. reconstructionism.
18. Back-to–the–basics advocates accuse those who have adopted progressivism of
a. promoting changes in society.
b. emphasizing specific disciplines.
c. undermining democratic principles.
d. stressing process at the expense of specific content.
19. During his teacher education program, Anwar Raja has come to the conclusion that progressivism is
the philosophy with which he most closely identifies. When he begins to teach, Anwar will do all of the
following EXCEPT
a. emphasize teaching students how to think rather than what to think.
b. favor the scientific method of teaching and learning.
c. encourage novel solutions rather than a single right answer.
d. urge his students to become involved in projects to correct social injustices.
20. Teachers who accept the humanist educational philosophy of accept all of the following EXCEPT
a. enhancement of the innate goodness of the individual.
b. adherence to standards developed by experts.
c. rejection of group-oriented educational activities.
d. seeking ways to enhance individual development.
21. One day while discussing current events, the students in Marcus Robinson’s class indicated a
concern about the depletion of the aquifers in the western states. Several of them were quite upset
about the ramifications of a decline in freshwater supplies. When they heard about the Sparkle Fresh
Water Company building a new pumping station to extract water that can be bottled and sold, they
were enraged. As a humanist teacher, Marcus would most likely
a. join in expressing his opinion that they should become involved in a public condemnation of Sparkle
Fresh.
b. organize a letter writing campaign to local media outlets.
c. ask the students what they think should be done and then support whatever action they choose.
d. point out to the students that they will likely run up against a bureaucracy that will ignore the
students’ views.
22. Schools with individualized education are based on
a. constructivism.
b. humanism.
c. progressivism.
d. behaviorism.
23. During the first week of the new school year, Emilia Gomez conducted a series of class meetings.
She asked the students to think individually of possible rules for the classroom. Then she placed them
into groups of four to share their ideas and choose and justify the five rules they thought were the most
important. Each group presented its list to the entire class. After a whole-class discussion, the
students developed the list of rules to be adopted for the school year. The approach used by Emilia is
consistent with
a. constructivism.
b. humanism.
c. progressivism.
d. behaviorism.
24. According to the constructivist theory of education
a. students develop personalized understandings.
b. teachers transmit knowledge and concepts to students.
c. parents implant knowledge into their children.
d. children possess knowledge at birth but they are unaware of it until it is drawn out through
discussion.
25. Constructivist teachers use strategies to encourage all of the following EXCEPT
a. critical thinking.
b. understanding of big ideas.
c. mastery of factual information.
d. connecting new concepts to existing ideas.
26. Boris Lembovski is a physics teacher at Centennial High School. He asks the students to think about
and share with a partner experiences they have had with sports, such as baseball, softball, soccer,
hockey, pool, bowling, or football, that involve collisions between objects or people. After
demonstrating how an air table works, he asks them to predict what will happen when different types
of collisions occur and finally to test their predictions with the equipment set up around the lab. In his
lesson, Boris is using strategies based on
a. constructivism.
b. humanism.
c. progressivism.
d. essentialism.
27. Owen Walls, as the principal of Elmgrove Elementary School, is responsible for assessing the degree
of success of the new teachers on staff. Owen accepts the view that most principals hold with regard
to the easiest way to determine how well a new teacher is doing. Therefore, he will look to see how
a. flexible they are.
b. many educational theories they can recall and explain.
c. well they know the content of the courses they teach.
d. well they are able to organize their classrooms.
28. You are visiting a school in the week before classes are to begin. Most of the teachers have already
set up their rooms for the students who will soon arrive. You look through the open doorway into one
room and notice that there are open areas, with small groups of chairs arranged around tables in a
number of separate areas. Off to one side there is an area with two computers and in a corner there is
a circular rug with a small, but colorful and attractive collection of books. From your observation, you
are able to predict that the teacher in that room perceives learners to be
a. passive.
b. active.
c. neutral.
d. obedient.
29. Teachers who believe that they should develop students who are divergent thinkers will design tests
that look for
a. a single right answer.
b. evidence that students have memorized strategies.
c. creative solutions.
d. a frequently replicated method.
30. When Clinton and Aylissa began to argue over who should take the class guinea pig home for the
holidays, Ms. Nesterenko waited patiently for the issue to be resolved. This incident shows that Ms.
Nesterenko is a teacher who holds which of the following views?
a. interactionist.
b. interventionist.
c. noninteractionist.
d. noninterventionist.
31. Teachers who follow William Glaser’s Choice Theory will do all of the following EXCEPT
a. consider the reasons why students misbehave.
b. seek the assistance of counselors.
c. contact and discuss the situation with parents.
d. accept responsibility for students’ misbehavior.
32. The Assertive Discipline plan includes all of the following EXCEPT
a. compulsory rules for students.
b. rewards for obeying rules.
c. consequences for failure to follow rules.
d. taking time to determine why rules are broken.
33. A teacher-in–charge, structured classroom management approach designed to encourage students to
choose responsible behavior is
a. choice theory.
b. assertive discipline.
c. cooperative learning.
d. behaviorism.
34. Conflict resolution strategies involve
a. enlisting parents to help solve problems.
b. establishing rules to handle potential problems.
c. teaching students to recognize and constructively solve problems.
d. developing relationships with the principal so he or she can immediately respond to problems.
35. Teachers who have expectations for student behavior in the classroom are more likely to be
successful if they
a. empower their students to act appropriately.
b. model the behavior themselves.
c. provide a vision of what things should be.
d. explain their rationale completely.
Chapter 5 Test Questions
Short Answer
1. Liam O’Donnell is a student teacher who is very impressed with the behaviorist theory of education. He
is teaching the same grade as you in an adjacent room and he has asked you to help develop a
behaviorist approach that he will be able to introduce to the class. Using at least five specific examples
of what should be included in the plan, explain what he could do and indicate how your suggestions fit
the behaviorist theory. (Learning Outcome 5.1)
2. You are participating in an interview for a teaching position in a new school. The principal says, The
state curriculum framework is built around the constructivist educational philosophy. Choose the
grade level and subject area that you would like to teach and explain how you would organize and
employ a constructivist approach to a topic from the course. Formulate the best response you can that
will help you obtain the job. (Learning Outcome 5.3)
3. There are major differences in philosophy between teacher-centered educational philosophies and
student-centered educational philosophies. Two of your colleagues at the school where you teach are
Manny Liebowitz, who is an advocate of the teacher –centered approach, and Dakota Jones, who
accepts the student-centered approach. Both teach the same courses at the same grade levels.
Choose five aspects of classroom practice and/or curriculum that exist in the two approaches.
Describe the differences and compare the effects on students in Mandy’s classroom and Dakota’s
classroom. (Learning Outcomes 5.2 and 5.3)
4. You are visiting an elementary school in a district where you would like to teach. The classrooms for
each grade level are grouped in certain areas of the building. You notice two adjacent classrooms and
quickly come to the conclusion that the teachers have very different educational philosophies. One of
the rooms obviously belongs to a teacher with a teacher-centered educational philosophy and the
other is just as obviously home to a teacher with a student -centered educational philosophy. Compare
the arrangement of the furniture and resources in the two rooms and explain how the rooms reflect the
philosophies of the teachers. (Learning Outcome 5.4)
5. Tayshaun Evans is about to begin his first teaching assignment. He has come to you to discuss ways
of considering motivation in a teacher-centered environment as opposed to a student-centered
environment. He asks you what you think are the advantages and disadvantages of each approach.
How would you respond to Tayshaun’s question? (Learning Outcome 5.4)
Chapter 5 Answer Key
Multiple Choice
Chapter 5 Answer Key
