Praxis 5001 Child Development and Learning Theory 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Howard Gardner's theory of Multiple Intelligences suggests that:
- Intelligence is a single, fixed general ability
- Students have different strengths across various types of intelligence (Correct answer)
- Only linguistic and logical intelligence matter in school
- Intelligence cannot be assessed or measured
Correct answer: Students have different strengths across various types of intelligence
Gardner proposed that individuals have varying strengths across multiple intelligences including linguistic, logical-mathematical, spatial, musical, and others.
Question 2: Which concept describes a teacher's belief that all students can achieve at high levels with the right support?
- Fixed mindset
- Growth mindset
- High expectations (Correct answer)
- Differentiated instruction
Correct answer: High expectations
High expectations — the belief that all students can succeed given appropriate support and instruction — is a key factor in student achievement.
Question 3: A child who watches an adult behave aggressively and later imitates that behavior demonstrates which type of learning?
- Classical conditioning
- Operant conditioning
- Observational (social) learning (Correct answer)
- Insight learning
Correct answer: Observational (social) learning
Bandura's social learning theory demonstrates that children learn behaviors by observing and imitating models, even without direct reinforcement.
Question 4: Formative assessment is best described as assessment that:
- Occurs at the end of a unit to assign grades
- Provides ongoing feedback to guide instruction during learning (Correct answer)
- Compares students to national norms
- Is used only for placement decisions
Correct answer: Provides ongoing feedback to guide instruction during learning
Formative assessment happens during the learning process and provides real-time feedback to both teacher and student to adjust instruction.
Question 5: Which term describes adjusting instruction to meet the individual readiness levels, interests, and learning profiles of students?
- Cooperative learning
- Direct instruction
- Differentiated instruction (Correct answer)
- Whole-class teaching
Correct answer: Differentiated instruction
Differentiated instruction involves modifying content, process, product, or learning environment to match the diverse needs of individual learners.
Question 6: A child who can conserve understands that:
- Plants need sunlight to survive
- Quantity remains the same despite changes in appearance (Correct answer)
- Rules are fixed and cannot change
- Time moves in one direction
Correct answer: Quantity remains the same despite changes in appearance
Conservation (Piaget) is the understanding that an amount stays the same even when its appearance changes — like water poured into different shaped containers.
Praxis 5001 Child Development and Learning Theory 2
Howard Gardner's theory of Multiple Intelligences suggests that: