CEOE Professional Development 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A teacher wants to improve her questioning techniques. Which professional development approach would be MOST effective for sustained skill change?
- Attending a one-day workshop on Bloom's Taxonomy
- Reading a book on Socratic questioning
- Engaging in peer coaching with classroom observations and feedback cycles (Correct answer)
- Watching instructional videos on questioning strategies
Correct answer: Engaging in peer coaching with classroom observations and feedback cycles
Peer coaching with observations and feedback cycles provides job-embedded, ongoing practice that leads to lasting instructional change.
Question 2: Under Oklahoma law, which entity is primarily responsible for establishing educator professional development standards?
- The local school board
- The Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE) (Correct answer)
- The Oklahoma Education Association
- The U.S. Department of Education
Correct answer: The Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE)
The Oklahoma State Department of Education sets statewide standards and requirements for educator professional development.
Question 3: A new teacher struggles with classroom management. Which type of support is MOST aligned with induction best practices?
- Requiring the teacher to retake a classroom management course
- Assigning a veteran mentor teacher for ongoing guidance (Correct answer)
- Placing the teacher on an improvement plan immediately
- Scheduling quarterly evaluations by the principal
Correct answer: Assigning a veteran mentor teacher for ongoing guidance
Induction programs center on mentoring by experienced teachers to provide new teachers with timely, personalized support.
Question 4: Which of the following BEST describes the purpose of a Personal Learning Network (PLN) for educators?
- A formal district-mandated training program
- A network of colleagues, resources, and communities an educator curates for ongoing learning (Correct answer)
- A state licensing renewal requirement
- A structured curriculum for pre-service teacher preparation
Correct answer: A network of colleagues, resources, and communities an educator curates for ongoing learning
A PLN is a self-directed collection of people, tools, and resources educators use to support continuous professional learning.
Question 5: A school principal reviews student achievement data and identifies a gap in writing scores. What is the BEST first step in designing professional development to address this gap?
- Schedule a mandatory writing workshop for all teachers
- Survey teachers about their preferred learning styles
- Conduct a root cause analysis to identify which instructional practices need improvement (Correct answer)
- Purchase a new writing curriculum for all grade levels
Correct answer: Conduct a root cause analysis to identify which instructional practices need improvement
Root cause analysis helps identify the specific instructional factors driving the gap before designing targeted professional development.
Question 6: Which professional development model involves a teacher trying a new strategy, reflecting on results, and refining the approach over time?
- Lesson study
- Action research (Correct answer)
- Book study
- Shadowing
Correct answer: Action research
Action research is a cyclical process in which teachers implement, observe, reflect on, and refine instructional strategies based on evidence.
Question 7: When selecting professional development providers, which criterion is MOST important for ensuring quality and relevance?
- Cost-effectiveness of the program
- Alignment of the program with identified student learning needs and school goals (Correct answer)
- Reputation of the national organization offering the training
- Convenience of the training schedule for staff
Correct answer: Alignment of the program with identified student learning needs and school goals
High-quality professional development must be directly linked to identified student learning needs and aligned with school improvement goals.
CEOE Professional Development 2
A teacher wants to improve her questioning techniques.
Which professional development approach would be MOST effective for sustained skill change?