Transcript PRAXIS Workshop II PLT Test Taking Strategies

PRAXIS PLT
Principles of Learning and Teaching
(PLT) Test Taking Strategies
1/29/2009
Principles of Learning & Teaching
K/6=#0622=160 cut score
7/12=#0624=157 cut score
-Test Session #1 or #2
-Test Format
-Multiple Choice Items
-24 questions
-Stand-alone MC ?s
-Passage with several MC ?s
-Constructed Response Items
-Four case histories or case studies
-3 constructed response questions for each
-12 one-page essays
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Test Question Strands
-Students as Learners 33% (MC 11% & CR 22%)
Student Development and Learning Process
Students as Diverse Learners
Student Motivation and the Learning Environment
-Instruction & Assessment 33% (MC 11% & CR 22%)
Instructional Strategies
Planning Instruction
Assessment Strategies
-Communication Techniques 11% (MC 0% & CR 11%)
Effective Verbal & Nonverbal Communication
Cultural and Gender Differences
Stimulating Discussion & Responses in the Classroom
-Teacher Professionalism 22% (MC 11% & CR 11%)
The Reflection Practitioner
The Larger Community
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Students as Learners
Piaget his stages and
-Refer to theoretical points as you discuss specific
strategies or actions.
-Refer to theorists as you discuss specific strategies
or actions.
-Incorporate theories into your answers as
appropriate.
-Consider and integrate ethnicity and race with
respect to actions.
-Consider gender with respect to actions.
-Consider learning abilities and disabilities with
respect to actions.
-Consider primary language with respect to actions.
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their implications for
teachers
Vygotsky zone of
proximal development,
scaffolding
Erikson stages and
their implications for
each level of schoolage children
Albert Bandura
social cognitive theory
and observational
learning
Abraham Maslow
hierarchy of needs
(motivation)
Kohlberg stages and
their implications for
each level of schoolage children
Instruction and Assessment
-Write parts of and analyze unit and lesson plans
-Write learning objectives
-Create assessments, rubrics, and analyze them
-Create instructional strategies and tell how and when you might use
them
-Explain how and when you might modify instruction for students
-Explain how you would motivate students in certain situations
-Explain how you will make goals and procedures clear to students
-Explain how you will make content comprehensible to students
-Explain how you will monitor students' understanding of content
-Demonstrate how you would use instructional time wisely
-Explain how you will extend student thinking
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Communication Techniques
-Communicate expectations to students
-Demonstrate effective verbal and nonverbal
communication
-Demonstrate cultural and gender differences in
communication
-Stimulate discussion and responses in the
classroom
-Communicate effectively with parents, colleagues,
and administrators
-Recognize and comprehend different forms of
communication
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Teacher Professionalism
-Reflect on actions, situations, and strategies and
their implications
-Consider how you might do something differently
next time
-Consider the larger community (parents,
colleagues, etc.)
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Time Management Strategies
-Two Hour Test=120 minutes total
-Spend about 25 minutes on each
case history=100 minutes total
-About 5 to 6 minutes to read and study the case history and
questions
-About 6 to 7 minutes to write each response (total of 3
responses per item)
-Spend about 20 minutes on MC=20
minutes total
-Less than 1 minute per question
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MULTIPLE CHOICE ITEMS
A problem (stem) in the form of a
question or an incomplete statement
List of suggested solutions
(alternatives) containing one
correct or best alternative (answer)
A number of incorrect or inferior
alternatives (distractors)
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STAND ALONE MC
Which of the following is something that should almost
always be discussed with students when they are
given a type of assignment that may be new to them?
(A) Whether the students will be tested on the
material covered in the assignment
(B) Whether the assignment will be graded
according to the same criteria as other
assignments with which the students are familiar
(C) What the students can expect to learn from
doing the assignment
(D) What kind of prior experience the teacher has
had with this type of assignment
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PASSAGE WITH SEVERAL MC QUESTIONS
The following passages are taken from a debate about the advantages and
disadvantages of a constructivist approach to teaching.
Why constructivist approaches are effective
The point of constructivist instruction is to have students reflect on their questions about new concepts in
order to uncover their misconceptions. If a student cannot reason out the answer, this indicates a
conceptual problem that the teacher needs to address. It takes more than content related professional
expertise to be a guide on the side in this process. Constructivist teaching focuses not on what the
teacher knows, but on what and how the student learns. Expertise is focused on teaching students how
to derive answers, not on giving them the answers. This means that a constructivist approach to
teaching must respond to multiple different learning methods and use multiple approaches to content.
It is a myth that constructivist teaching never requires students to memorize, to drill, to listen to a
teacher explain, or to watch a teacher model problem-solving of various kinds. What constructivist
approaches take advantage of is a basic truth about human cognition: we all make sense of new
information in terms of what we already know or think we know. And each of us must process new
information in our own context and experience to make it part of what we really know.
Why constructivist approaches are misguided
The theory of constructivism is appealing for a variety of reasons, especially for its emphasis on direct
student engagement in learning. However, as they are implemented, constructivist approaches to
teaching often treat memorization, direct instruction, or even open expression of teacher expertise as
forbidden. This demotion of the teacher to some sort of friendly facilitator is dangerous, especially in
an era in which there is an unprecedented number of teachers teaching out of their fields of expertise.
The focus of attention needs to be on how much teachers know about the content being taught.
Students need someone to lead them through the quagmire of propaganda and misinformation that they
confront daily. Students need a teacher who loves the subject and has enough knowledge to act as an
intellectual authority when a little direction is needed. Students need a teacher who does not settle for
minimal effort but encourages original thinking and provides substantive intellectual challenge.
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Questions related to passage
9. The first passage suggests that reflection on which of the following
after a lesson is an essential element in constructivist teaching?
(A) The extent to which the teachers knowledge of the content of the lesson was
adequate to meet students curiosity about the topic
B) The differences between what actually took place and what the teacher planned
(C) The variety of misconceptions and barriers to understanding revealed by students
responses to the lesson
(D) The range of cognitive processes activated by the activities included in the lesson
design and implementation
10. The author of the second passage would regard which of the
following teacher behaviors as essential for supporting student
learning?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
Avoiding lecture and memorization
Allowing students to figure out complex problems without the teachers intervention
Emphasizing process rather than content knowledge
Directly guiding students thinking on particular topics
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DO NOT
LEAVE MC
BLANK
Constructed Response Items
These questions require you to construct a
response rather than select the correct
answer from a list; thus, these questions count
for more points toward your score.
The constructed response questions require you
to demonstrate an awareness of curriculum
and pedagogical issues and assess your ability
to explain material and key concepts in your
own words.
All CR Items ask for
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-2
-2
-2
-2
-2
-2
-2
strengths,
approaches,
strategies,
actions,
reasons,
weaknesses,
suggestions, etc.
CONSTRUCTED RESPONSE TIPS
--Before reading each of the case studies, briefly
review the questions that accompany them to focus
your reading.
--While reading, underline information that will help you
construct a response so that your answer will be well
structured.
--Scorers are looking for answers that address the
question, are logical and concise, and indicate an
understanding of the subject.
--Be sure to respond to all parts of the question.
--Restate the question in your introductory sentence to
maintain focus and receive a point.
--Respond to the prompt, do not change the question or
challenge the basis of it.
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Tips continued
--Legible writing will make your response more welcoming to
the grader; however, spelling and grammar do not count.
--You may use bulleted sentences to delineate specific
points for the grader instead of writing in paragraph form.
--Answer ALL parts of the question and support your answer
with details.
--Be specific, vague answers lose points.
--Know what the question is asking you to do, describe,
compare, contrast, etc.
--Underline the words in the prompt that indicate what it is
you are to do in your response
--Make an outline for your answer to be sure to include all
the parts you are to respond to, refer back to the prompt.
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Suggested Constructed
Response Answer Format
-Restate the question as an introduction
to keep focused:
Mr. Smiths classroom management approach would be more
effective if he employed alternative measures.
-Idea #1 with rationale
One strategy that Mr. Smith could use to improve his classroom
management approach would be __________. This strategy
etc.
-Idea #2 with rationale
Another strategy that Mr. Smith could use to improve his
classroom management approach would be __________. This
strategy etc.
-Have a concluding sentence
Mr. Smiths approach to classroom management would be more
effective etc.
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Constructed Response Scoring System
-You are not expected to cite specific theories or
texts in your answers
-Test readers are trained to evaluate responses and are
provided with model answers constructed by experts
-Responses will be evaluated with respect to
professionally accepted or best practice principles of
teaching and learning
Score of 2=response contains appropriate answers to ALL parts of
the question
Score of 1=response contains appropriate answers to ONLY part
of the question
Score of 0=response contains NO appropriate answers to any part
of the question
NO CREDIT GIVEN FOR BLANK OR
OFF-TOPIC RESPONSES
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Important Concepts
-Constructivism
-Multiple Intelligences
-Metacognition
-Alternative Assessments
-Bloom's Taxonomy
-Differentiated
Instruction
-Readiness
-Inclusion
-Schemata
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-Least Restrictive
Environment (LRE)
-Transfer
-Modifications and
Accommodations
-Zone of Proximal
Development (ZPD)
-Learning Disabilities
-Learning Styles
-Scaffolding
Best Practice
--Coherence (assessment should match instruction; linking
activities to assessments, instruction, & activities;
assessments should align with objectives, etc.)
--Role of prior knowledge
--Rubrics to inform students of assessment criteria
--Using varied assessments
--Establishing routines & expectations
--Use low level interventions
--Engage students in establishing expectations
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Best Practice continued
--Cooperative learning (having roles, individual
accountability, clarifying expectations, jigsaw
approach, etc.)
--Characteristics of adolescents (social, melodramatic,
rambunctious, attention seeking, feel misunderstood
by adults, etc.)
--Differentiating instruction for individual students
with resources, assignments, etc.
--Using a variety of resources
--Employ strategies to scaffold student learning for
before, during, and after within an instructional
framework
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Test Preparation Resources
-Test prep resources:
-ED DEPT PRAXIS PREP WEBSITE & PLT MC
Practice Tests
-Check out study guides from the library or
purchase your own
-Talk to students who have taken the test
-Form a study group
-Apply basic principles of test taking
-Do not wait until the last minute to prepare
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