Applying Learning Theories in Scenarios Flashcards

A student initially believes all birds can fly, then learns that penguins cannot fly and revises her understanding of birds. According to Piaget, this mental adjustment is called:

Answer: Accommodation

Accommodation occurs when a schema is modified or a new one is created in response to information that does not fit existing understanding.

Students are each assigned one subtopic to master, then regroup to teach their section to peers who studied different subtopics. This cooperative learning strategy is called:

Answer: The Jigsaw cooperative learning strategy

The Jigsaw strategy builds peer interdependence by having students become topic experts and then teach one another.

A teacher presents a real-world community problem without a predetermined answer and asks student teams to research and propose solutions. This instructional approach is called:

Answer: Problem-based learning

Problem-based learning engages students in authentic, open-ended problems to develop both content knowledge and critical thinking skills.

After learning multiplication in math class, a student applies the same skill to calculate the area of shapes in science class. This is an example of:

Answer: Positive transfer of learning

Positive transfer occurs when prior learning facilitates performance on a new task in a different context.

A student who reads only when earning sticker rewards stops reading when stickers are removed, while a peer who reads because she enjoys stories continues. The first student's initial reading behavior was driven by:

Answer: Extrinsic motivation

Extrinsic motivation is driven by external rewards rather than internal interest, making the behavior contingent on the reward's presence.

A math teacher introduces a concept first with physical base-ten blocks, then with drawn diagrams, and finally with abstract numerals and symbols. This progression is based on:

Answer: Bruner's Concrete-Pictorial-Abstract (CPA) approach

Bruner's CPA model moves students from concrete manipulation to pictorial representation to abstract symbolic understanding.

A teacher plays soft music as students line up for lunch each day. Eventually, students begin lining up quietly as soon as music starts, without any other prompt. This is an example of:

Answer: Classical conditioning

Classical conditioning pairs a neutral stimulus (music) with a desired behavior until the stimulus alone triggers the response.