FED Foundations of Education 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences challenges traditional education primarily by arguing that:
- Intelligence is a single, fixed, measurable quantity captured by IQ tests
- Students possess distinct types of intelligence beyond verbal-linguistic and logical-mathematical (Correct answer)
- Gifted students should be separated from peers for all instruction
- Emotional development is more important than academic achievement
Correct answer: Students possess distinct types of intelligence beyond verbal-linguistic and logical-mathematical
Gardner proposed at least eight distinct intelligences (e.g., musical, spatial, bodily-kinesthetic), suggesting schools should broaden how they define and develop talent.
Question 2: The 'Coleman Report' of 1966 is significant in education history because it found that:
- Teacher quality is the single strongest predictor of student achievement
- Family and socioeconomic background have a larger effect on achievement than school resources alone (Correct answer)
- Desegregated schools performed significantly worse than segregated ones
- Federal funding increases reliably close the achievement gap
Correct answer: Family and socioeconomic background have a larger effect on achievement than school resources alone
The Coleman Report found that socioeconomic factors — particularly family background — explained more variation in student outcomes than differences in school resources.
Question 3: Which educational approach involves organizing instruction around complex, real-world problems that students investigate over an extended period?
- Direct instruction
- Project-based learning (Correct answer)
- Programmed instruction
- Drill and practice
Correct answer: Project-based learning
Project-based learning (PBL) engages students in sustained inquiry around authentic problems, developing critical thinking, collaboration, and communication skills.
Question 4: In the context of school funding, 'property tax reliance' is criticized because it tends to:
- Distribute funds equally regardless of local wealth
- Create funding disparities between wealthy and low-income districts (Correct answer)
- Reduce state control over curriculum standards
- Favor rural districts over urban ones in all cases
Correct answer: Create funding disparities between wealthy and low-income districts
Because local property tax revenue funds many U.S. schools, wealthy communities generate far more revenue per pupil than low-income communities, perpetuating inequality.
Question 5: Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs is relevant to education because it suggests that:
- Curriculum content should be organized from abstract to concrete concepts
- Students cannot focus on academic learning if basic physiological and safety needs are unmet (Correct answer)
- Gifted students have different emotional needs than average-achieving peers
- Classroom management depends solely on consistent behavioral rewards
Correct answer: Students cannot focus on academic learning if basic physiological and safety needs are unmet
Maslow's hierarchy implies that deficiency needs (food, safety, belonging) must be satisfied before students can engage in higher-order growth and learning.
Question 6: Which term refers to the legal principle requiring schools to act in place of parents to protect student welfare during the school day?
- Due process
- In loco parentis (Correct answer)
- Parens patriae
- Res judicata
Correct answer: In loco parentis
In loco parentis ('in the place of a parent') grants schools authority and responsibility to supervise and discipline students during school hours.
Question 7: Paulo Freire's 'banking concept of education' criticizes the view that teaching is:
- A collaborative dialogue between teacher and student
- A process of depositing information into passive students (Correct answer)
- An experiential journey guided by student curiosity
- A socially constructed activity shaped by cultural norms
Correct answer: A process of depositing information into passive students
Freire used the banking metaphor to condemn passive, transmission-based education where students are empty vessels filled with teacher-deposited knowledge.
FED Foundations of Education 5
Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences challenges traditional education primarily by arguing that: