Answers to Sample Questions: Pedagogy and Professional Responsibilities (PPR) Exam EC-6

Answer 1: c

The circumstances require that Texas Child Protective Services be notified of the circumstances to the degree they are known. It is a matter of common sense to inform the guidance counselor and principal so that they are informed of the situation. The teacher should not call or notify the parents to ask questions about the bruises. If investigation is required, Texas Child Protective Services will direct it. It is not the teacher's job to conduct an investigation, and attempts at such investigations can easily backfire and have unforeseen negative results. It is important, however, that the teacher be vigilant and aware of any potential harm to students within his/her charge.

Answer 2: c

The reason that the first step in addressing a classroom management problem of this type is to document the behavior is that proper documentation characterizes and defines the behavior in the way it may be addressed by others who may become involved. It is common to discuss such matters in teacher team meetings but this is not of much administrative use unless those teachers have provided documentation of their own. The behavior should not be ignored, nor should the responsibility be passed along to the guidance counselor or any aides which may support the classroom. With the documentation, the guidance counselor and other administrators can decide whether further evaluation is required or whether the behavior is temporary and is caused by a temporary stimulus.

Answer 3: b

The classroom teacher is ultimately responsible for any films or other content used in the classroom, so it is important for the teacher to preview the film privately. Not only would questionable or inappropriate material be revealed, but the preview would also aid the development of any corresponding lesson plan. Asking other teachers in the department may reveal that no one has used the film, and that it may be a good film to show to the students. On the other hand, it may be that other teachers have exhibited poor judgment in showing it. Librarians can be helpful guides to material used in the classroom but a librarian has a great amount of material to reference and recollections are not perfect. The best filter for appropriate classroom material is the classroom teacher.

Answer 4: d

Tactile learners enjoy and learn most quickly from hands-on experiences and none of the choices are as tactile as working to make clay figures. The coloring book experience is somewhat tactile but the one-dimensional aspect doesn't contribute to the student's understanding of depth, volume, weight, etc. Showing the students a film depicting how the Mona Lisa was painted is age inappropriate and fifth-graders would quickly lose interest as well as be deprived of the tactile learning experience. Finally, the art museum could only work if the museum was designed especially for students in that age group and targeted children who learned fastest through direct experience.

Answer 5: a

Bloom's Taxonomy is the correct choice. Educational researcher Benjamin Bloom identified three types of learning—cognitive, affective, and psychomotor—which led to his stratification chart identifying levels of learning beginning with memorization and recall. In the middle stages are such knowledge skills as comprehension and analysis, and the application of knowledge about one subject to knowledge about a separate but related subject. As development progresses, the learner applies additional creative skill to the process of analysis and interpretation, and ultimately attains what Bloom believed was the highest level of learning in which creative, analytical and synthetical evaluations are routinely and often simultaneously performed.

Answer 6: d

There is good reason for accountability in the use of both school electronic equipment and other school equipment: it all sustains wear and tear. Maintenance is expensive, and all of it is paid for by taxation. Putting public property to strictly private and personal use is not justifiable under any circumstances. Teachers should not take school equipment home unless the teacher is using it for tasks that specifically address school academic standards. The ethical standards of the educational system of Texas must not be abridged for purposes of personal entertainment or edification, even when such uses are benign. A beginning teacher must be thoroughly familiar with the Texas Educator's Code of Ethics in making decisions regarding the use of school property.

Answer 7: b

Individual parent-teacher conferences are among the most sensitive and demanding professional roles required of any teacher. Sound documentation is essential to successful parent-teacher communication. Areas of discussion must be guided by concrete facts and not allowed to stray. Such conferences may not be as difficult as one might think if the teacher is aware of common mistakes and is secure in the knowledge that most parents are supportive of the teacher's efforts in successfully guiding their child through the school year. The successful teacher takes a positive, constructive approach in such conferences, even if the chief topic is poor school behavior. It is also important that the teacher neither condescend nor invite irrelevant explanations of the student's behavior. Poor behavior is a serious issue and an obstacle to the child's academic and social success. For the student to improve, the teacher needs the parent's cooperation; this is obtained by a polite, sincere, and firm tone which is based on specific behaviors exhibited by the student.

Answer 8: b

The Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills is designed to evaluate the educational process in the Texas schools. It is important that the process of evaluation be conducted in a fair and objective manner so that the Texas Department of Education can ascertain which areas need improvement. It is not unusual that teachers want their students to do well, but to intentionally bias the results by manipulating outcomes is unethical and unfair to other stakeholders in the educational process. The time for teachers to accelerate student progress is before the TAKS is administered. Many teachers will devise and administer tests related to TAKS material before the TAKS is given, but the integrity of the process must be considered at all times while the exams are in progress.

Answer 9: c

It is very useful for young researchers to be able to identify and evaluate information obtained on the Internet. A basic knowledge of common file extensions are a necessary aid in helping students identify and evaluate information sources. Regardless of the search engine used, information searches turn up a large number of sources, many of which capitalize on the search engine optimization at the expense of the student's time. Where the information comes from is of particular interest to young researchers and there are few better clues than file extensions. Common file extensions include: .gov - This references a government information source.
.edu - This file extension is the one people see when searching schools and colleges for information.
.mil - This type of extension indicates a military source of information.
.com - These are private commercial sites. While some contain useful information, many skew the information for profit.

Answer 10: a

It's unlikely that Mr. Brown would get any helpful consensus from his students. The material should be organized according to levels of difficulty so that he could guide young readers toward material that will reinforce reading habits rather than frustrate them. The Dewey Decimal System is not likely to excite students to read, and a topical organization is difficult when many of the books written for children touch upon diverse topics.

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