FTCE ESE - FTCE Exceptional Student Education K-12 Instructional Strategies 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: During the 'I Do' phase of explicit instruction, what is the teacher's primary role?
- Assigning independent practice tasks to assess mastery
- Modeling the skill aloud while verbalizing the thought process (Correct answer)
- Facilitating small-group guided practice with corrective feedback
- Administering a formative quiz to check for understanding
Correct answer: Modeling the skill aloud while verbalizing the thought process
The 'I Do' phase of the gradual release model (I Do, We Do, You Do) requires the teacher to model the target skill using a think-aloud, making internal cognitive processes visible to students before they attempt the skill.
Question 2: A special education teacher pairs higher-performing students with lower-performing peers to deliver structured, scripted reading support. This evidence-based intervention is best described as:
- Cooperative learning groups
- Peer-Assisted Learning Strategies (PALS) (Correct answer)
- Collaborative Strategic Reading
- Reciprocal teaching
Correct answer: Peer-Assisted Learning Strategies (PALS)
PALS (Peer-Assisted Learning Strategies) is a peer-mediated intervention in which trained student tutors follow scripted procedures to support classmates' reading skills, distinct from less structured cooperative learning.
Question 3: A student learns to recall the steps of the writing process using the acronym 'POWER' (Plan, Organize, Write, Edit, Revise). This mnemonic technique is an example of:
- Keyword method
- Pegword method
- Acronym strategy (Correct answer)
- Method of loci
Correct answer: Acronym strategy
An acronym mnemonic uses the first letter of each item to be remembered to form a single word, making ordered lists easier to recall — 'POWER' encodes all five steps of the writing process.
Question 4: An ESE teacher instructs a student to place a tally mark on an index card every time they raise their hand instead of calling out. This technique is best classified as:
- Token economy
- Self-monitoring (Correct answer)
- Contingency contracting
- Differential reinforcement
Correct answer: Self-monitoring
Self-monitoring requires the student to observe and record their own behavior, increasing self-awareness and promoting independent regulation without relying solely on teacher observation.
Question 5: A teacher provides physical guidance to help a student complete a task, then fades to a verbal prompt, then a gesture, and finally expects independent performance. This sequence represents:
- Most-to-least prompting (Correct answer)
- Least-to-most prompting
- Constant time delay
- Simultaneous prompting
Correct answer: Most-to-least prompting
Most-to-least prompting begins with the most intrusive level of support (physical guidance) and systematically withdraws assistance toward less intrusive prompts as the student gains proficiency.
Question 6: Which instructional approach requires the student to attempt every step of a multi-step task on each trial, with the teacher providing prompts only on steps not yet mastered?
- Forward chaining
- Backward chaining
- Total task presentation (Correct answer)
- Discrete trial training
Correct answer: Total task presentation
Total task presentation has the student move through the entire task chain every session, with teacher prompts faded step-by-step as mastery is achieved, rather than focusing on a single isolated step per session.
FTCE ESE - FTCE Exceptional Student Education K-12 Instructional Strategies 1
During the 'I Do' phase of explicit instruction, what is the teacher's primary role?