Educational Psychology and Becoming a Professional

1.  According to your text, which of the following is a characteristic of professionalism?

a.A positive attitude

b.Reflective practice

c.A critical stance

d.Interpersonal skills

2.Some authors suggest that professionals don’t view their professions as simply a job, but rather a calling that is about caring for children. Which of the following characteristics of professionalism best represents this view?

a.The ability to make decisions in ill-defined contexts

b.Reflective practice

c.Professional knowledge

d.Commitment to learners

3.Reflective practice is defined as:

a.the spontaneous problem-solving effective teachers employ.

b.the confidence to communicate with parents, other teachers, and administrators.

c.the process of conducting a critical self-examination of one’s practice and thinking.

d.the accumulation of day to day interactions that engaged teachers use when working with struggling learners.

Use the following information for items 4 and 5.

“I’m going to have the children practice on long-vowel sounds and blends during skills block tomorrow,” Ava Goodwin, a kindergarten teacher, says to herself, as she plans for the next week. I don’t think I’ve spent enough time on basic skills the past few weeks. Ava then spends more time on basic skills the next week.

4.Ava’s spending more time on basic skills best illustrates what characteristic of professionalism?

a. Decision making in ill-defined contexts

b.High expectations for student achievement

c.A critical attitude toward teaching

d.A body of specialized knowledge

5.Ava’s concluding that she hasn’t been spending enough time on basic skills best illustrates what characteristic of professionalism?

a.Decision making in ill-defined contexts

b.Reflective practice

c.A critical attitude toward teaching

d.A body of specialized knowledge

6.Jake Plummer plans carefully for each of his pre-algebra lessons. “If they don’t get this stuff, they’ll have a terrible time in algebra,” he thinks to himself. “I’ve got to be sure they get it.”

Which characteristic of professionalism is Jake best illustrating?

a.The ability to make decisions in ill-defined contexts

b.Reflective practice

c.An understanding of a specialized body of knowledge

d.A commitment to learners

7.“I’m making it a point to call on all the students in my class as equally as possible,” Rafael comments to Jadyn, one of his colleagues. “I read a research study saying that students pay much better attention when you do, and it really seems to work.” Realizing that calling on his students would increase their attention best illustrates which of the following characteristics of Rafael’s professionalism?

a.Commitment to learners

b.The ability to make decisions in ill-defined contexts

c.Reflective practice

d.Understanding a body of specialized knowledge

Essay Item

8.Describe the characteristics of professionals.

Professional Knowledge and Learning to Teach

9.  Research indicates that effective teaching requires at least four kinds of knowledge. They include:

a.knowledge of content, general pedagogical knowledge, knowledge of learners and learning, and knowledge of human relations.

b.knowledge of content, pedagogical content knowledge, general pedagogical knowledge, and knowledge of learners and learning.

c.pedagogical content knowledge, general pedagogical knowledge, knowledge of learners and learning, and knowledge of human relations.

d.knowledge of teaching skills, knowledge of learning styles, knowledge of student learning, and knowledge of content.

10. Teacher abilities such as questioning and the ability to organize a classroom so it functions smoothly would best be described as:

a.knowledge of content.

b.pedagogical content knowledge.

c.general pedagogical knowledge.

d.knowledge of learners and learning.