Cluster 12: Creating Learning Environments
Module 33—Positive Learning Environments
Module 34—Encouraging Engagement and Preventing Problems
1) Classrooms contain many different people with differing values, attitudes, and goals. This is why
classrooms are said by Doyle to be
A) multidimensional.
B) simultaneous.
C) unpredictable.
D) public.
2) Based on Doyle's analysis of classroom characteristics and management needs, the main task for
teachers is viewed as
A) dealing effectively with misbehavior when it occurs.
B) gaining students' cooperation for learning tasks.
C) trying to ensure that students will be obedient.
D) working actively with administrators and teachers.
3) At what educational level is the direct teaching of classroom rules and procedures most critical for
effective classroom management?
A) Early elementary
B) High school
C) Middle elementary
D) Late elementary to middle school
4) According to Woolfolk, one of the best ways to avoid discipline problems is to
A) have a comprehensive set of rules.
B) keep the group focused on productive learning.
C) make the classroom a pleasant environment.
D) refer problem students to the counselor.
5) Which one of the following time measures would generally have the highest correlation with school
achievement?
A) Academic learning time
B) Al located time
C) Class time
D) Engaged time
6) Ms. Rivers has a student, Monika, who has difficulty completing her in-class work. Although Ms.
Rivers al lows plenty of time for study and Monika is actively working, Monika's efforts appear to be
limited by
A) academic learning time.
B) allocated time.
C) class time.
D) time on task.
7) Approximately what percentage of a student's time in school is devoted to meaningful, appropriate
learning tasks?
A) 25 percent
B) 33 percent
C) 45 percent
D) 50 percent
8) Sherry's class knows that different behaviors are expected (and tolerated) during different kinds of
activities. It is likely that her class has a good understanding of
A) each activity's goal.
B) participation structures.
C) self-management techniques.
D) structuring rules.
9) What is the key element underlying participation structures for different classroom activities?
A) Access to performance goals
B) Awareness of rules
C) Providing cognitive activities
D) Self-management
10) Mr. Marshall’s first two science classes were devoted to demonstrating and explaining rules and
procedures in the laboratory. Based on research involving effective management, this procedure will
probably result in
A) loss of student interest and involvement in the subject.
B) poor understanding of the course material.
C) rushing through much material to make up the lost time.
D) time gained over the course of the school year for learning activities.
11) The essential difference between rules and procedures is that rules are
A) established by schools; teachers establish procedures.
B) seldom written; procedures are usually written.
C) what and what not to do; procedures involve how to do activities.
D) concerned with behaviors; procedures deal with cognitive activities.
12) When handing in material, Mr. Spark's students pass their work forward to the students in the front
row, who then pass the materials from left to right. This approach is an example of classroom
A) organizational behaviors.
B) procedures.
C) protocols.
D) rules.
13) Based on Woolfolk's recommendations, which one of the following rules seems to be more
appropriate for elementary school classes than for secondary school classes?
A) Do not hi t, shove, or hurt others.
B) Listen while others are speaking.
C) Obey all school rules.
D) Respect other people's property.
14) Which one of the following rules, based on Woolfolk's recommendations, seems to be more
appropriate for secondary school classes than for elementary school classes?
A) Bring al l materials to class.
B) Listen attentively when others are speaking.
C) Obey all school rules.
D) Respect other students' property.
15) Although specific consequences may be established for specific misbehavior, Woolfolk suggests a
general consequence for many problems. This general consequence is
A) extra school-related work.
B) redoing the procedure or activity correctly.
C) removing all reinforcement.
D) time-out or detention.
16) Penny is an eighth-grade student in Mr. James' German class. Whenever Mr. James turns to the
chalkboard, Penny pokes the student in front of her. The other students laugh, and it takes time to calm
the class down. Which one of the following strategies would be the most appropriate for changing
Penny's behavior?
A) After-school detention
B) Contact with parents
C) Exclusion from group activities
D) Expressions of disappointment
17) Kenneth frequently misbehaves in Ms. Lindquist's biology class. Which one of the following
penalties for his misbehavior is based on Weinstein and Mignano's categories of negative
consequences?
A) Having Kenneth stand in the hall or the back of the class
B) Having Kenneth write an essay about his misbehavior and its effects
C) Having Kenneth write multiple times what he shouldn't do (e.g., "I should not talk in class.")
D) Using mild physical punishment with Kenneth whenever he misbehaves
18) Weinstein and Mignano found that expert teachers primarily used detention to
A) assemble misbehaving students so they could be deal t with as a group.
B) make the consequences somewhat public so that peer pressure to behave may be
encouraged.
C) prevent the student from participating in a desired extra-curricular activity.
D) talk privately with the student about why the particular misbehavior occurred.
19) Which one of the following procedures is recommended for making interest-area arrangements?
A) Al low students choices according to their spatial needs.
B) Create at least one "racetrack," typically in the center of the room.
C) Make part it ions high enough to block vision over them.
D) Once a design has been established and it works well, stay with it.
20) What term did Adams and Biddle use to designate the area in a classroom where the greatest
number of verbal exchanges takes place?
A) Action zone
B) Fishbowl area
C) Personal territories
D) Zone of proximal development
21) Greg was trying to pass Bill a note, but Bill kept his eyes on his own work and thought, "Why does
Greg do this to me? Mrs. Pepper will spot him for sure. She never misses anything. You'd think she
could read minds." Mrs. Pepper could be described as exhibiting what characteristic?
A) Assertiveness
B) Group focus
C) Movement management
D) Withitness
22) According to Kounin's strategy for effective management, the key goal is
A) enforcement of consequences.
B) preventing misbehavior from occurring.
C) selecting appropriate punishments and reinforcers.
D) stating rules.
23) Jeremiah throws his book at Sally, but Mrs. Fox mistakenly reprimands Sally for the disruption.
Mrs. Fox has made what kind of error?
A) Movement
B) Selection
C) Target
D) Timing
24) Kathy's student teacher works well with small groups, but she finds it difficult to keep track of the
rest of the class during small group sessions. Kathy should work with her student teacher to develop
A) group focus.
B) movement management.
C) overlapping.
D) withitness.
25) The purpose of using choral responses is to establish
A) group focus.
B) movement management.
C) overlapping.
D) withitness.
26) In movement management, a major problem is to
A) avoid abrupt and slowdown transitions.
B) keep group focus.
C) demonstrate withitness.
D) watch for overlapping activities.
27) Woolfolk suggests that, as a first step toward dealing with a discipline problem, teachers should
A) ask the student to state the correct rule or procedure.
B) give the student a nonverbal signal to stop.
C) give the student a soft reprimand.
D) tell the student in a clear, assertive way to stop.
28) Mr. Crain experiences a discipline problem with Joe. In imposing penalties, Mr. Crain should
A) discuss the situation with Joe immediately after the infraction occurs.
B) negotiate the level of punishment with Joe.
C) re-establish a positive relationship with Joe as quickly as possible.
D) reprimand Joe publicly in order to gain the support of the group.
29) Wendy, a ninth grader, is very bright and energetic in class. She always knows the right answer
and pays close attention. Her only problem is that she rarely hands in homework. Her teacher should
A) enforce the established consequences for incomplete work.
B) ignore the problem behavior so that it will extinguish.
C) place Wendy on a system of token reinforcement.
D) relax the rules slightly so that she can catch up.
30) Ms. Summers teaches sixth grade in a rural middle school. Henry, a student in her class, is
constantly out of his seat. When Ms. Summers confronts him and asks him to take a seat, Henry
becomes angry and acts hostile. Which of the following actions should be considered for dealing with
Henry?
A) Ask other students to intervene in helping to prevent open rebellion.
B) Send another student immediately to notify the principal's office.
C) Stand your ground and do not back down; be firm and strong.
D) Wait for a few minutes for Henry to calm down before taking action.
31) What is the best way to deal first with a defiant, hostile student?
A) Be consistent in applying established consequences.
B) Give the student a chance to cool down and save face.
C) Have a conference with the counselor and parents.
D) Make sure that the school office is aware of the incident.
32) What is the primary rationale for using the paraphrase rule with a class?
A) Encourage students to speak in full sentences.
B) Give students the benefit of the doubt when they break a rule.
C) Increase students' communication skills.
D) Promote classroom interactions among students.
33) What is the purpose of the paraphrase rule?
A) To clarify understanding
B) To elaborate the concept idea
C) To identify a hidden message
D) To point out a problem
34) Thomas Gordon stresses that the first step in solving a problem is to determine
A) if a rule has been broken.
B) who is at fault.
C) who owns the problem.
D) why the problem has occurred.
35) In determining who owns a problem, what basic question should the teacher ask?
A) "Can I do anything about solving the problem?"
B) "Does the problem tangibly affect me and disrupt my role?"
C) "How long has the problem been bothersome to the class?"
D) "Who is annoyed most by this problem?"
36) An adolescent student approaches a teacher and says, "I can't sleep very well at night and worry
about all the mess in my life." Gordon would identify this situation as a(n)
A) external-stable crisis.
B) identity crisis.
C) student-owned problem.
D) teacher-owned problem.
37) If you use empathetic, or active, listening in a discussion with a student, there is likely to be an
increase in what type of behavior?
A) Criticism
B) Defensiveness
C) Problem solving
D) Solution messages
38) A key element in empathetic listening is
A) giving students clear prescript ions about what actions to take.
B) ignoring the students' emotions and attending only to verbal behaviors.
C) reflecting back to the student what you think that student is saying.
D) sending students "I " messages in order to change the student's behavior.
39) Which one of the following teachers is sending an "I " message to a student?
A) "I feel a little upset right now because I am the only one who disagrees with this position."
B) "I hear you saying that you do not understand what Mary is saying."
C) "I like David's suggestion. It shows a lot of imagination, so let's try to use it."
D) "I think that Sam should be given the benefit of the doubt about this issue."
40) A hostile response style is to assertive discipline as a passive response style is to use
A) empathetic responses.
B) "I" messages.
C) ignoring responses.
D) paraphrasing messages.
41) Mr. Blake was unhappy. "Sam, I've told you time and time again. Please try to behave." Mr.
Blake's response style can be described as
A) accusative.
B) assertive.
C) empathetic.
D) passive.
42) Which one of the following behaviors would be considered an "assertive response" to a discipline
problem?
A) "If you do that once more, you'll be punished."
B) "If you weren't so slow, we could be finished by now."
C) "Stop talking and return to your seats."
D) "Why do you persist in annoying the class?"
43) Which one of the following behaviors is likely to be the most successful method for a teacher to
follow in attempting to resolve a conflict with a student?
A) Give in to the student's demands.
B) Impose a solution on the student.
C) Negotiate assertive discipline.
D) Try Gordon's "no lose" method.
44) Gordon's "no lose" method of dealing with conflicts involves
A) having both the teacher and the students participate in the solution.
B) having students vote on the best solution to the problem.
C) imposing a solution for the problem on the students.
D) using empathetic listening to help the students discover the solution on their own.
45) Which one of the following strategies for managing conflict is APPROPRIATE when both the goal
and the relationship are important?
A) Compromise
B) Confront
C) Use Force
D) Withdraw
46) If a learning goal is very important and the relationship of the people involved is important, what
strategy is recommended for managing the conflict?
A) Compromise
B) Confrontation
C) Force
D) Withdrawal
47) According to David Johnson and his colleagues' five-step negotiating strategy, the first step is to
A) have the students jointly define the problem or conflict.
B) separate the students in order to define the conflict.
C) require the students to take the reverse perspective so they can consider the other person's
point of view.
D) ask the students to invent at least two arguments that al low mutual gain.
48) Effective teachers who practice culturally responsive classroom management usually have high
expectations of their students and demonstrate great care for their students. In observing these effective
teachers it can be seen they often use ________.
A) cooperative learning strategies.
B) effective grouping standards.
C) warm demanders.
D) high-stakes tests and teach to the local district standards.