GLA Student Learning and Development 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: According to Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD), what does the ZPD represent?
- Tasks a student can do independently
- Tasks too difficult even with help
- Tasks a student can do with guided support but not yet alone (Correct answer)
- Tasks already mastered by the student
Correct answer: Tasks a student can do with guided support but not yet alone
The ZPD is the range of tasks a learner can accomplish with assistance from a more knowledgeable other but cannot yet do independently.
Question 2: Which instructional strategy best supports students who are English Language Learners (ELLs) in a mainstream classroom?
- Requiring only English during all activities
- Providing visual supports and sentence frames (Correct answer)
- Grouping ELLs separately from native speakers
- Reducing academic expectations
Correct answer: Providing visual supports and sentence frames
Visual supports and sentence frames lower the language barrier while maintaining grade-level academic content for ELL students.
Question 3: A student frequently disrupts class by calling out answers. Using positive behavior support, the teacher should first:
- Remove the student from the classroom
- Ignore the behavior entirely
- Teach and reinforce the expected behavior of raising a hand (Correct answer)
- Send a note home to parents
Correct answer: Teach and reinforce the expected behavior of raising a hand
Positive behavior support focuses on explicitly teaching and reinforcing the desired replacement behavior rather than punishing the unwanted behavior.
Question 4: Which of Piaget's stages is characterized by the ability to think logically about abstract concepts?
- Sensorimotor
- Preoperational
- Concrete Operational
- Formal Operational (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Formal Operational
The Formal Operational stage (ages 12+) is when individuals develop the capacity for abstract, hypothetical, and deductive reasoning.
Question 5: A teacher notices a student with strong interpersonal skills but difficulty with paper-and-pencil tasks. According to Gardner's Multiple Intelligences, this student likely has high:
- Logical-mathematical intelligence
- Linguistic intelligence
- Interpersonal intelligence (Correct answer)
- Spatial intelligence
Correct answer: Interpersonal intelligence
Interpersonal intelligence refers to the ability to understand and interact effectively with other people.
Question 6: Which type of assessment is used to monitor student progress during instruction and adjust teaching accordingly?
- Summative assessment
- Norm-referenced assessment
- Formative assessment (Correct answer)
- Criterion-referenced assessment
Correct answer: Formative assessment
Formative assessment is ongoing and used during instruction to monitor learning and inform instructional decisions.
Question 7: Which learning theory emphasizes that students construct knowledge through experience and reflection rather than passive reception?
- Behaviorism
- Constructivism (Correct answer)
- Information Processing Theory
- Nativism
Correct answer: Constructivism
Constructivism, associated with Piaget and Vygotsky, holds that learners actively build understanding through experiences and social interaction.
GLA Student Learning and Development 2
According to Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD), what does the ZPD represent?