170 TExES Pedagogy and Professional Responsibilities for Trade and Industrial Education 8 - 12 Exam Practice Questions

1. Common characteristics of successful teachers include:

A. Broad vocabulary
B. Positive attitude
C. Sternness
D. Youthfulness

2. List methods to motivate students to want to learn.

A. Present challenging lessons and activities
B. Peer pressure
C. Set unclear expectations
D. Focus on one learning style

3. Making connections to other parts of the students' lives is important because connected data:

A. Develops friendships
B. Increases independence
C. Encourages application of lessons learned
D. All of the above

4. Teachers can create a harmonious classroom by:

A. Respecting all cultures
B. Being judgmental
C. Addressing problems after class
D. Changing rules as needed

5. Elements of a discipline plan include:

A. Criticism
B. Incentive plan
C. Discussion
D. Placing blame

6. Diversity promotes a fair and effective learning environment by:

A. Separating cultures
B. Using cultural differences to teach universal concepts
C. Encouraging prejudices
D. Enforcing stereotypes

7. Which step does not belong in an effective decision-making process?

A. Define the problem
B. Demand compliance without sufficient explanation
C. List options
D. Develop possible solutions

8. When interested stakeholders are involved in strategic planning, results are:

A. Accepted later
B. Implemented poorly
C. Achieved easier
D. All of the above

9. What elements are important in effective classroom communication?

A. Rules
B. Classroom size
C. Discouraging shyness
D. Student input

10. List ways to help students approach a topic.

A. Give multiple options
B. Focus on memorization
C. Provide detailed instructions
D. All of the above

ANSWER KEY EXAM 170

1. Answer: B

While each person's instructional style is unique, successful teachers share certain characteristics. The most important qualities are attitude and approach. The following contribute to and influence both:

• A sense of humor relieves tense situations and makes class more pleasant for everyone. Students might actually look forward to coming and pay attention when they get there.
• A positive attitude helps cope with most situations in and out of the classroom.
• Setting realistic expectations and making sure students believe they can reach them is a great motivator and helps them achieve a sense of competence.
• Being consistent creates a safe, predictable learning environment. Students don't like it when the rules are always changing.
• Being fair means treating all students the same in similar situations.
• Flexibility is critical. Things change and students expect the teacher to be in charge and in control at all times and in all situations.

2. Answer: A

Students don't learn if they are not engaged in the process. They won't engage in the process if they are not motivated. So just how does a teacher fulfill curriculum requirements and excite students at the same time? Teachers want students to learn, but know it is impossible to force someone to learn and equally impossible to motivate someone to learn. The best teachers can do is create an environment that encourages learning and present challenging lessons and hands-on activities that are interesting, meaningful and relevant to the students' experiences and every day life. To prevent boredom and help students retain key concepts, teachers need to build on previously acquired knowledge and link new data with old information. Teachers can and should set clear expectations, teach to multiple learning styles, vary presentation approaches, assign projects that require critical thinking. They need to praise when earned, encourage when needed and discipline when necessary.

3. Answer: C

One of education's primary functions is to prepare students to be productive members of society. To do that effectively, the knowledge gained in school needs to be meaningful and make sense to the students. Therefore, it is imperative teachers consciously make connections between information learned and skills acquired in one class to their application in other disciplines. Connected data can be used to understand new facts, integrate new information and apply lessons learned in one area to problems posed in another. The ability to see the relationship between seemingly unrelated topics and events requires critical thinking and advanced reasoning skills. Planning activities that explore universal themes and addressing national and/or international issues makes lessons real and relevant. When teachers encourage exploration of the relationship between activities and attitudes in school, at home and in the neighborhood, students gradually begin to understand that individual actions have far-reaching consequences beyond the immediate environment.

4. Answer: A

When the classroom environment is calm, teachers can teach and students can learn. There are many ways teachers can create a harmonious classroom: Respect all the cultures represented; be aware of, learn and understand adolescent slang; offer praise and encouragement. Explain the rules clearly, consider the circumstances before taking action and apply the rules fairly and consistently. Look at situations from the students' perspective; try to be objective rather than judgmental. A teacher should be willing to admit mistakes. It not only makes them more human but also tells students it is okay to make a mistake as long as one admits it, learns from it and tries not to make it again. Address problems and issues immediately so they don't escalate or appear again. Collaborate with the students, ask for their opinions and offer choices. When students are active participants and believe they are heard, behavior issues are minimized.

5. Answer: B

A discipline plan is a written description of acceptable behavior. It provides a framework in which to diagnose problems, assess situations, address issues and make changes when needed. It won't stop or prevent unacceptable or disruptive behavior, but it does give the teacher a means to identify and deal with problems. The plan can be imposed by the teacher or developed with input from the students. Whatever method is used, it needs to be explained to and understood by students and parents. Critical elements include:

• Rules written as positive statements
• Fair, clearly defined, easy to understand incentive plan
• Positive consequences are explained and may vary with each rule
• Limit setting acts are actions taken before invoking the next step
• Negative consequences are hierarchal steps; the mildest is a verbal warning, the worst is suspension or expulsion with several steps between.

6. Answer: B

When students are taught using the values and traditions of many ethnic groups, it enables them to function more effectively in a multicultural society. Students need to understand the historical experiences of every cultural group in order to appreciate how past actions affect present circumstances. An educational environment that embraces and respects diversity explores and uses differences to teach universal concepts. Integrating information about and studying the impact of all cultures greatly enhances students' ability to understand, appreciate and get along with different racial, ethnic and gender groups.

7. Answer: B

An important objective of education is learning how to make decisions and solve problems. Both require creativity and the ability to identify issues and options and effectively implement solutions. To become a leader, a student must learn to choose issues carefully, set attainable objectives, develop workable solutions and enlist the support of those involved in and affected by the change. Whatever decision-making process is used, an effective leader always considers the reason for the change, how people will be affected and the probable consequences of the action. Giving students a sound, logical, well-defined decision-making process will help them learn effective problem solving. Here are suggested steps to finding a sensible solution to most any problem:

• Define the problem
• Gather relevant facts
• List options
• Develop solutions and consider the pros and cons of each
• Select the most viable solution(s)
• Explain the choice(s) to those affected
• Implement
• Follow-up to determine effectiveness
• Make adjustments, if necessary

8. Answer: C

Strategic planning is the process of defining the organization's purpose, outlining its goals and deciding how to best use its human and monetary resources. The process should involve representatives from key areas. When interested stakeholders are an integral part of the process, the results are accepted quicker, implemented faster and achieved easier. The end result is a living document that will be modified as conditions evolve and spells out a well-defined path to reach short-term goals, which are easy to attain and quick to implement; medium-term goals, which are more complex, need additional planning and more time to implement; and long-term objectives, which enlarge the vision and scope of the organization and enhance its impact on the community. Teaching students the importance of strategic planning in their academic world prepares them to function more effectively when they leave school no matter what field they enter.

9. Answer: D

Calling on a student can be both motivating and intimidating, depending upon the student and the situation. When a question is asked, a problem posed or a solution required students need time to think about the information and formulate a response. Teachers need to remember that not all students are comfortable speaking in front of a group. So it is important to recognize that the goal is to foster an environment that encourages participation where no one is inhibited or prevented from participating because of teaching methods. Participation is predicated on teacher and student expectations, instructional strategies and classroom atmosphere. It is important to develop class rules for discussions, provide frequent feedback and ask for student input to ensure teaching practices are in line with student perceptions of reasonable opportunities to actively engage.

10. Answer: C

Teachers in every discipline have a responsibility to teach students not only the facts about a topic, but also how to think about and approach a task and complete the assignment. Instead of focusing on memorizing the data, creative teachers give students ways to discover the answer through research and reasoning. They incorporate relevant commentary and detailed explanations into the instructions for all assignments. Students learn better, retain data longer, recall it easier and integrate it more effectively when they understand the how and the why; not just the what. Providing guidelines that explain how to approach a task (such as breaking it into smaller, more manageable parts and allowing adequate time to properly complete the project) and supplying written prompts and reminder sheets give students valuable tools they can use in all classes. These reasoning tools can also be used to make choices in areas outside of the academic environment. This is a prime example of making learning relevant to their life.