Question

A)      How do current psychologists’ views differ from Piaget’s views of adolescent cognitive development? a) Current psychologists disagree with Piaget’s theoretical belief that adolescents construct their own knowledge     b) Current psychologists do not believe in the development of metacognitive skills during adolescence   c) Current psychologist disagree with Piaget’s theoretical belief that many adolescents develop executive functions that are lost during adulthood    d) Current psychologist do not believe in the emergence of a discrete new cognitive structure at adolescence

B)      Oksana is a seventeen-year old girl with limited English proficiency (LEP). We can predict Oksana will: a) Have delayed cognitive and identity development   b) Use less digitalk than other adolescents   c) Have lower school achievement and a harder time finding a job   d) Not benefit from native-language maintenance instruction

C)      Many studies have been conducted to determine the effects of computer usage on learning. Does computer use support academic learning?          a) Using computer tutorial programs appears to improve achievement test scores for K-12 students    b) Simulations appear to result in the greatest increases in achievement test scores for K-12 students    c) Enrichment programs appear to yield the greatest in academic development for K-12 students d) Using technology-rich learning environments (TRE’s) appear to improve achievement test scores for K-12 students

D)     Ms. Leverett has adopted a new approach for teaching students to develop persuasive arguments. She models the process, coaches students as they practice, pairs students to explain their thinking, receive feedback, and reflect on new learning. Then she assigns the complex topics for debate. Her process demonstrates one application of Vygotsky’s principles. It is an example of:   a) eciprocal teaching    b) A cognitive apprenticeship    c) Sociocultural problem solving     d) Proximal development

Answer 1

A) Many researchers believe that progress to the formal operational stage is not always guaranteed. The stages given by Piaget might not always take place in succession, there can be a great deal of variation in some adolescents. Although the teen adapts to new ways of learning and thinking and develops a better understanding of the world, their brains are still developing and they are also going through a lot of emotional changes which might result in making impulsive decisions. Hence, they cannot be considered as having metacognitive skills just yet until their brains have sufficiently evolved and they mature emotionally as well to thoughtfully act as adults. (option b)

B) Children with LEP are often considered to be slow learners as it is difficult for them to understand what is being taught due to poor proficiency in English. A child might be an extremely talented or gifted child but due to LEP teachers fail to recognize the potential of such students due to linguistic bias, cognitive style bias or communication style bias.Therefore, Oksana might be labeled as incompetent and have difficulty in school (lack of access to educational material, poor concentration and social isolation etc, which might decrease her overall functioning) and a harder time finding a job.( option c)

C) Research on the effect of computers on academic achievement is far from conclusive. Some research indicates that computers may aid in achievement while others say that computers are of questionable effectiveness. However, the TRE approach has demonstrated several unique capabilities of technology-enabled assessments. TTREs can be designed as cognitive tools to enhance students’ learning and have been proved to be an effective learning tool and support academic learning. (option d)

D) Reciprocal teaching consists of four stages: Predicting, Questioning, Clarifying and Summarizing during which there exists a dialogue between the teacher and the students in order to extensively examine and understand the meaning of the text. Students actively participate in the learning process while the teacher guides them through modeling the process and giving inputs. Thus, Ms.Leverett is using Reciprocal Teaching with her students ( option a)