Exam 2 Short Response Questions

Question 1

2. What is the zone of proximal development (ZPD)? What are its lower and upper limits? How can one use peer scaffolding to teach children mathematics within the zone?

Answer 1

ZPD: the range of tasks too difficult for the child alone but can be learned with guidance

lower: what a child can do alone

upper: what a child can achieve with support

peer scaffolding: Pair a more advanced student to help “scaffold” the less advanced peer; as the less advanced student gains confidence, gradually reduce the amount of support given by their partner

Question 2

3. Describe four strategies suggested by Ellen Galinsky for using books effectively with preschool children.

Answer 2

• Initiate conversations: ask how they are feeling
• Encourage them to ask questions about stories
• Using “what” and “why” questions (e.g. What do you think is going to happen next?)
• Choose books that play with language (e.g. Creative books on the alphabet, rhymes)

Question 3

4. What are the current controversies in early childhood education?

Answer 3

• Curriculum controversy:
  i. Child-centered approach: (focus on student’s interests and needs, guide own learning and explore) vs:
  ii. Academic direct-instruction approach: (teacher explicitly delivers info and includes specific steps for students to gain knowledge)
• Universal preschool education
  i. Should preschool education be required for all U.S. 4 year old children?
  ii. In 2020, 44 states had some form of public funded preschools, despite the fact that only 4 states had allocated enough funds to pay for high quality full day preschools
  iii. Quality preschools prepare children for school readiness and academic success, but critics say that it is more important to improve preschool education for disadvantaged youth rather than for all 4 year olds

Question 4

5. Explain Eric Erikson’s stage of initiative versus guilt. Provide an example of initiative and an example of guilt as these concepts are used by Erikson.

Answer 4

• Stage: children assert themselves and take control of their environment, exploring and making decisions on their own
  i. Ex: Expressing creativity by painting
• Guilt: being criticized and controlled, failing to complete a task, or not meeting expectations
  i. Ex. Getting in trouble by parents for making a mess while painting

Question 5

6. Discuss the negative influence of too much screen time on children.

Answer 5

• Making children passive learners
• Distracting from homework
• Teaching stereotypes, violent models of aggression, and unrealistic views of the world

Question 6

7. Distinguish between the two types of mindsets as described by Carol Dweck.

Answer 6

• Fixed mindset: believe their qualities cannot change
• Growth mindset: believe their qualities can change and improve through their own effort

Question 7

8. Distinguish between the constructivist and direct instruction approaches to student learning.

Answer 7

o Constructivist approach:
 Learner centered
 Emphasizes importance of individuals actively constructing own knowledge/understanding with guidance and collaboration
o Direct Instruction Approach
 Teacher center
 Teacher in control
 Mastery of academic skills and high expectations for progres

Question 8

9. A high school principal sends a letter to parents stating that she is instituting a service-learning component, and all students are required to participate. What is service learning? When is it most effective, and why would schools want to use it?

Answer 8

• Service learning: a form of education that promotes social responsibility and service to the community
  o Most effective when students can choose their activities and can reflect on their service
  o Goal: becoming less self-centered and more strongly motivated to help others
  o Benefits include higher grades, increased goal setting, higher self-esteem, a greater sense of being able to make a difference, and opportunities to explore and reason about moral issues

Question 9

10. What role does the top-dog phenomenon play when adolescents make the transition to middle or to junior high school?

Answer 9

o Moving from being the oldest, biggest, and most powerful in elementary school to being the youngest, smallest, and least powerful in middle/junior high school
o Decreased social power, anxiety, and potential academic challenges as they navigate a new environment