praxis plt Flashcards
Describe Behaviorism
teacher-centered philosophy that emphasizes conditioning, or the process of reinforcement and punishment. Behaviorists believe that teachers can change misbehavior by changing the environment. Famous proponents include B.F. Skinner’s operant conditioning and Pavlov’s classical conditioning.
What is Cognitivism?
learning theory that emphasizes the importance of mental processes in learning and is based on the premise that learners actively construct their own knowledge by processing information and making connections between new information and what they already know (Schema).
What is Constructivism?
constructivism is a learning theory that suggests students build knowledge through their own experiences and interactions with others, rather than passively receiving information. (Piaget, Vygotsky, and Bruner)
Name the similarities of Vysgotsky and Piaget
- Active learning: Both Piaget and Vygotsky believed that children are active learners who construct their own understanding.
- Constructivism: Both theories view knowledge as created, rather than existing objectively.
- Child-centered learning: Both theories support a child-centered approach to learning that matches tasks to the child’s ability level.
- Peer learning: Both theories believe that peer learning is beneficial.
- Cognitive limits: Both theories recognize that children have cognitive limits
Name the differences between Vygotsky and Piaget
- Learning process:
Piaget believed children learn independently through direct interaction with their environment. Vygotsky believed children learn through social interactions and collaboration with others - Stages of development:
Piaget believed children go through a series of universal stages of cognitive development that happen in a specific order.
What is Bandura’s social learning theory?
a psychological theory that explains how people learn new behaviors and skills through observation and interaction with others. The theory is based on the idea that learning is a cognitive process that occurs in the context of a person’s social environment.
What is Bruner’s theory of cognitive development?
people learn best when they move from concrete to abstract in a three-step process:
- Enactive representation: Hands-on experiences, ideally with real-world applications
- Iconic representation: Learning with images, such as pictures in the mind
- Symbolic representation: Transforming what’s been learned into language
believes you can learn ANY SKILL at ANY AGE!
What is piaget’s theory of cognitive development?
Constructivist theory that describes how children’s understanding through four stages:
1. Sensorimotor:
Birth to age 2, when children learn through their senses and motor responses
2. Preoperational
Ages 2 to 7, when children learn to use language and symbolic thought, and to pretend and imitate
3. Concrete operational
Ages 7 to 11, when children learn to use logical operations to solve problems
4. Formal operational
Age 12 and up, when children can use logical operations and abstractions
It is developmental learning in very specific stages, at specific ages
What is Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory of cognitive development?
a theory of learning that emphasizes the role of social interaction in the development of cognition.
- Social interaction: Learning is a social process that occurs through interactions with more knowledgable other
- Zone of proximal development (ZPD): The area of exploration where a student is cognitively prepared to learn, but needs help and social interaction to fully develop.
- Scaffolding: Support provided by a more experienced peer or adult to help a learner develop their understanding or complex skills.
- Language: Language plays a central role in mental development.
What is Kohberg’s stages of moral development?
theory organizes moral development into three levels: pre-conventional, conventional, and post-conventional.
- Pre-Conventional: Focuses on personal gain and avoiding punishment, with the primary concern being the direct consequences of one’s actions. Authority figure plays big role.
Stage 1: Obedience and punishment orientation
Stage 2: Individualism and exchange - Conventional: Focuses on conforming to social norms and expectations, aiming to be seen as a “good person” by others.
Stage 3: Good interpersonal relationships
Stage 4: Maintaining social order - Post-Conventional: Focuses on abstract moral principles and individual conscience, going beyond societal laws to uphold personal ethics.
Stage 5: Social contract and individual rights
Stage 6: Universal ethical principles
What is Bloom’s Taxonomy?
a hierarchical system used to classify educational learning objectives based on their complexity:
Knowledge: Recalling facts, terms, and basic concepts
Lower levels: Remember, Understand, Apply
Higher level: Analyze, Evaluate, Create
What is metacognition?
thinking about your own thought process
What is Schema?
network of knowledge used to acquire new knowledge and affects how information is processed
What is transfer of learning?
applying knowledge and skills learned in one setting to a new setting
What is self-efficacy?
Student belief in their ability to achieve academic success
What is self-regulation?
mental abilities used to help students perform tasks such as time management, organizing, monitoring emotions
What is the difference between classical conditioning and operant conditioning?
Classical conditioning involves learning by associating two stimuli to produce an INVOLUNTARY RESPONSE, while operant conditioning involves learning by associating a VOLUNTARY BEHAVIOR with its consequences
What is I.D.E.A? (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act)
a federal law that ensures children with disabilities receive a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) and LRE (least restrictive learning environment)
What is an LRE (least restrictive learning environment?)
Any placement outside the general education classroom must be justified by the child’s individual disability-related needs. Students must have meaningful access to same age peers without disabilities, when appropriate.
What is EEOA? (equal educational opportunities act?)
a federal law that prohibits discrimination in public schools based on race, color, sex, or national origin:
- It requires school districts to take action to remove barriers to equal participation for students.
- It prohibits the racial segregation of students.
- It requires public schools to provide for students who do not speak English.
VERY IMPORTANT PROTECTION FOR ELL’S!!!
What is ADA?
a federal civil rights law that protects people with disabilities from discrimination in many areas of public life. The ADA ensures that people with disabilities have the same opportunities as everyone else.
Stages of second language acquisition
Preproduction (Silent Period):
This initial stage is characterized by mainly listening and absorbing the language with minimal speaking, often relying on gestures and non-verbal cues to communicate.
Early Production:
Learners begin to produce basic words and short phrases, often with grammatical errors, and can understand simple questions and instructions.
Speech Emergence:
Vocabulary expands, allowing learners to form simple sentences and engage in short conversations, though errors in grammar and pronunciation are still common.
Intermediate Fluency:
Learners can communicate more fluently in everyday situations, using more complex sentence structures and vocabulary, and are able to express opinions and engage in deeper conversations.
Advanced Fluency:
At this stage, learners have near-native level proficiency, can understand complex language, and effectively communicate in academic and social settings with minimal errors.
What are some approaches for accomodating ELL’s?
- Use cognates
- use explicit vocabulary instruction
- use pictures
- use sentence frames
- use manipulatives
- seat them with classmates they can talk to
- provide extra response time
- provide alternate assignments that match ability level
- use prompting questions
What are cognates?
words in 2 languages that sound similar, spell similar, and share similar meaning
What is thorndike’s law of effect?
a psychological principle that states that behaviors that are followed by a reward or reinforcement are more likely to occur again, while behaviors that are followed by punishment are less likely to occur again. (behavioral conditioning)
What is Watson’s theory?
a behavioral theory that emphasizes the role of conditioning in explaining observable behavior. Rejects the notion of analyzing emotions, thoughts, or consciousness, instead focusing solely on what can be directly observed and measured.
- Behavior is conditioned
- Behavior is observable
- Behavior is treated with behavioral modification
- People are born without built-in knowledge
Criticisms include oversimplifying human behavior and ignoring cognitive processes (emotions, thoughts)
What is B.F. Skinner’s theory of learning?
Also called OPERANT CONDITIONING. based on the idea that behaviors are shaped by their consequences
What is self-determination?
ability to make choices and manage one’s life and work towards a goal. skills include:
- problem solving
- decision making
- communication
- goal setting
How can teachers reinforce self-determination?
- Give students choices
- Teach them to set goals
- Show consequences of choices
- Demonstrate choice making process
- Model making choices
What is attribution?
How students attribute their success or failure and impacts their motivation. attribution theory often analyzes attributions based on three dimensions:
Locus of control: Whether the cause is internal or external
Stability: Whether the cause is stable (like ability) or unstable (like luck)
Controllability: Whether the cause is something the student can control (like effort) or not (like the difficulty of the task)
What is intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivation?
Intrinsic: drive to perform activity for inherent pleasure or satisfaction/enjoyment of task
Extrinsic: motivated by external rewards or punishments such as grade, praise, or money
Teachers should have a goal to have mostly intrinsically motivated students
How should a teacher support intrinsic student motivation?
- develop a growth mindset
- create personal connections with students
- keep students involved with the learning process
- providing specific, attainable feedback
- choose appropriately challenging assignments
What is cognitive dissonance?
a psychological phenomenon where a person experiences discomfort or mental tension when their beliefs, attitudes, or behaviors contradict each other. it can lead individuals to change their beliefs or actions by building on previous knowledge to alleviate this tension.
As a teacher, how should you develop classroom routines and procedures?
- Create clear expectations
- Collaborate on routines and procedures with students
- Provide expectations and routines beforehand
- Model behaviors expected by students
- Use positive reinforcement
- Create visuals
- Practice if needed
As a teacher, how can you maintain accurate records?
- Have a consistent system
- Use software to organize and record records
