Cognitive Development and Learning Theories
Can you list the main stages of Piaget's theory of cognitive development?
Sensorimotor Stage, Preoperational stage, Concrete Operational stage, Formal Operating stage.
Can you recall Baumrind’s four main parenting styles?
Authoritarian, permissive, authoritative, and neglectful
List the 5 levels of socioeconomic status (SES) identified by researchers.
Upper, Upper middle, Middle, Working, and Lower.
Can you name the four student language profiles?
-Balanced bilinguals
-Monolingual/literate students
-Monolingual/preliterate students
-Limited bilingual
What are the principles of constructivism enhance student motivation and interactive learning in a classroom setting?
-Active learning
-Relevance
-Collaboration
-Ownership
Explain how Vygotsky's concept of the Zone of proximal development (ZPD) differs from piaget stages of cognitive development.
Vygotsky's ZPD focuses on what a learner can achieve with guidance, emphasizing social interaction and cultural context. Piaget's stages outline sequential, individual cognitive development, largely independent of social influences.
How would you explain the difference between Classical and Operant Conditioning?
-Classical: Involuntary Response
-Operant: Conditioned Response
Explain the difference between person-first and identity-first language in the context of discussing disabilities.
Person-first reference: Emphasis on individual before the disability
Identity-first: Terms like “autistic” or “deaf” to describe a person
What is the difference between critical and sensitive periods?
-Critical periods: Learning will never happen if it doesn't happen during these periods
-Sensitive periods: times when a person is ready to learn certain things or responsive to
certain experiences.
What is the difference between intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation?
-Activity itself is personally satisfying and enjoyable without an external reward
-The motivation to do the activity is driven by some outside reward
How can teachers use Bloom's taxonomy to enhance students' critical thinking skills in a history class?
Teachers can use Bloom's Taxonomy by remembering, analyzing, and creating.
How can you use the Premack Principle in the classroom?
-Used to convince students to complete an undesirable activity with an award
-“If you complete ____, then you will get ____”
Demonstrate how emotional intelligence can be encouraged in classroom settings.
-Perceiving emotions (creating activities that encourage students to identify emotions)
-Understanding emotions (role-playing or group discussions)
-Using emotions (creative expression)
-Managing emotions (teaching calming and breathing techniques)
How can teachers use structured instruction in the classroom?
By using visuals, simplified language, and hands-on activities to help English learners understand content more effectively.
What strategies could you apply to support students’ self-regulated learning in a virtual classroom environment?
-Establish clear goals and expectations
-Provide scaffolding and guidance
-Encourage reflection and self-assessment
-Use technology tools for monitoring and feedback
-Teach time management and organization skills
-Foster a supportive and interactive learning environment
How do Piaget’s and Vygotsky’s theories of cognitive development address the role of language in learning?
Piaget saw language as a byproduct of cognitive development, reflecting a child's thinking stage. Vygotsky, however, viewed language as an essential for cognitive growth , emphasizing its role in social interaction and learning.
Can you make a distinction between Bowlby’s Anxious Ambivalent and Anxious Avoidant Attachment Disorder?
-Anxious Avoidant: learned to accept that needs are unmet, avoid physical contact with caregiver and others, show limited interest in play
-Anxious Ambivalent: fear of abandonment, difficult time with trusting, and low self esteem
Analyze the impact of teacher biases on students from low-income backgrounds.
-Lower expectations become institutionalized
-Lower quality educational experience
-Child develops low academic self-concept, learned helplessness, view of school as dead
end
-Intersection of poverty and race—chronic inequalities
What is the relationship between Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills (BICS) and Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALPS)?
BICS refers to everyday conversational language skills, while CALP involves the more complex language required for academic tasks, with BICS developing faster than CALP in second language learners.
What is the function of self efficacy and self regulated learning?
Teaching students lifelong learning skills such as evaluating one’s personal skills and capabilities, grit, self control, and persistence.
Which theory, Piaget’s stages of cognitive development or Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory, provides a more comprehensive framework for understanding how children learn in diverse educational settings?
Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory is more comprehensive for diverse educational settings because it emphasizes social interaction, cultural context, and collaborative learning, which address individual differences better than Piaget’s more rigid stages.
Can you assess the value of rewards and reinforcers in the classroom?
Rewards and reinforcers can strengthen a desirable behavior lessening the need for punishment.
How important is creativity in student learning and what are the best ways for teachers to encourage it?
-Enhancing problem-solving skills
-Fostering engagement and motivation
-Supporting individual expression
-Promoting critical thinking and adaptability
How can teachers evaluate the long term effectiveness of Dual Language programs in supporting both language development and academic achievement for bilingual students?
By examining data on student outcomes such as graduation rates, academic performance across subjects, and sustained language proficiency in both languages
How would you justify the use of a Social Constructivist approach in the classroom?
Vygotsky’s Social Constructivist approach helps students learn how to collaborate with their peers, focuses on the discovery of knowledge, acknowledges students’ present knowledge, and places the educator in a facilitator role rather than authoritarian.