CPT Instructional Strategies & Techniques 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A tutor notices a student consistently makes errors when applying a math formula but can recite it correctly. Which strategy best addresses this gap?
- Assign more memorization drills
- Use worked examples followed by guided practice (Correct answer)
- Have the student watch instructional videos
- Move on to the next topic to build confidence
Correct answer: Use worked examples followed by guided practice
Worked examples bridge declarative knowledge (reciting) and procedural knowledge (applying) by modeling the process step-by-step before releasing responsibility.
Question 2: Which technique involves breaking a complex skill into smaller sequential steps and teaching each step before combining them?
- Chunking
- Task analysis (Correct answer)
- Backward chaining
- Spaced practice
Correct answer: Task analysis
Task analysis deconstructs a complex skill into discrete sub-skills that can be taught and mastered independently before integration.
Question 3: A student learns best by physically manipulating objects before moving to diagrams and then symbols. This progression reflects which instructional model?
- Bloom's Taxonomy
- CPA (Concrete-Pictorial-Abstract) progression (Correct answer)
- Direct instruction model
- Inquiry-based learning
Correct answer: CPA (Concrete-Pictorial-Abstract) progression
The CPA progression moves learners from hands-on concrete materials to pictorial representations and finally to abstract symbolic notation.
Question 4: When a tutor gradually removes support as a student gains competence, this process is called:
- Differentiation
- Fading (Correct answer)
- Modeling
- Cueing
Correct answer: Fading
Fading is the systematic reduction of prompts, hints, or assistance as the learner demonstrates increasing independence.
Question 5: Which questioning technique requires students to explain their reasoning process rather than just providing an answer?
- Closed questioning
- Socratic questioning (Correct answer)
- Rhetorical questioning
- Leading questioning
Correct answer: Socratic questioning
Socratic questioning prompts students to articulate, examine, and justify their thinking, deepening metacognitive awareness.
Question 6: A tutor uses color-coded notes, mind maps, and diagrams to explain concepts to a struggling student. This primarily addresses which learning preference?
- Auditory
- Kinesthetic
- Visual (Correct answer)
- Read/write
Correct answer: Visual
Visual learners benefit from spatial organization, color, charts, and diagrams that represent information graphically.
Question 7: Which strategy is most effective for helping a student transfer learning to new, unfamiliar contexts?
- Rote repetition of core facts
- Teaching for understanding with varied examples (Correct answer)
- Focusing exclusively on test-format questions
- Reducing session length to avoid fatigue
Correct answer: Teaching for understanding with varied examples
Teaching with varied examples and emphasizing underlying principles promotes far transfer by helping students recognize how concepts apply across contexts.
CPT Instructional Strategies & Techniques 2
A tutor notices a student consistently makes errors when applying a math formula but can recite it correctly.
Which strategy best addresses this gap?