MIDTERM EXAM

The purpose of this midterm examination is to assess your understanding of the learning theories and instructional strategies we have investigated thus far in the course.

The midterm will be a closed-book and entirely objective (50 questions) assessment administered electronically, designed to assess your under-standing at the knowledge level of Bloom's taxonomy. I expect you to have memorized the major principles of each of the theories, as well as the names of each of the theorists. You will have to demonstrate the ability to recall or recognize this information in order to answer the questions correctly.

It is my intention to focus on such low-level, rote types of assessment tasks on this mid-term so that you will be better prepared for the final exam--which will be an openbook assessment focusing on much higher-order processing tasks.

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Midterm Exam study strategies

...One must have memorized multiplication tables before attempting algebra...

Keep this analogy in mind as you prepare for the midterm. I strongly suggest that you utilize study strategies that align well with objective, factual-based assessments. Make flashcards, develop matrices, and use outlines to identify key principles, theorists, or implications of the major theories we have studied so far.

To guide your study, focus on the content identified in the course online modules FIRST, and then use the texts to supplement that information. I will only ask questions from content referenced in the modules--there is simply too much content in the three texts for a one-semester course. I think a very appropriate strategy would be to identify likely question topics by rereading the modules and then "looking up" related information in the texts. Do not rely on the modules alone, but use them as indicators of what I think is important.

Remember that the Woolfolk text includes a resource CD-ROM on the back flap. It contains interactive quizzes and supplemental web links, and I strongly encourage you to utilize them.

Remember, this test will focus primarily on recall and recognition, not transfer and application (that happens later on the take-home open-book final exam). The questions below will closely approximate those on the midterm. Good luck!
Sample Questions

In classical conditioning, the stimulus that automatically provokes a response before conditioning takes place is referred to as the

A. neutral stimulus
B. unconditioned stimulus
C. antecedent or cues
D. contiguous stimulus

When using shaping it is important to

A. hold back the reward until students have mastered the skill
B. reward closer and closer approximations to the final skill
C. reinforce improvements while punishing inappropriate responses
D. reinforce every response regardless of correctness

Perception may best be thought of as

A. the meaning we attach to sensory information
B. collections of sensations
C. neural activity
D. objective reality

If you are puzzled about a situation and don't understand why present attempts to solve the problem aren't working, Piaget would say you are in a state of

A. adaptation
B. accommodation
C. equilibration
D. disequilibrium

You have taught a new math skill to your class, and find that some students have caught on quickly, while others are still having difficulty applying the skill. Based on Vygotsky's principles of assisted learning / zone of proximal development, you should

A. give all students more practice problems
B. pair students for more practice, pairing students who have mastered the skill with those who have not.
C. give all students for more instruction in the performance of math skill.
D. go on to the next skill and put students in cooperative learning groups.

Which of the following theories proposes that learning is an adaptive response to changing environmental contexts?

A. Dual Coding
B. Cognitive Flexibility
C. Connectionism
D. Distributed Cognitions

Which of the following summarizes the findings of Bandura's research utilizing the now infamous Bobo Dolls?

A. children who play Nintendo prefer less physically active recreational activities
B. children who watch violent television tend to exhibit acts of aggression
C. children who play with Bobo Dolls develop social skills slower than nonplayers
D. children who play with Bobo Dolls have scarier nightmares than children who play with Barbie Dolls

Which criticism of Anchored Instruction is addressed in Situated Learning theory?

A. the use of contrived instructional contexts is less authentic than real environmental needs
B. some students learn best by engaging in hands-on discovery-based activities
C. anchored concepts require significant multimedia production budgets
D. anchored instruction demands less active participation from students

Woolfolk describes this theory as "the need to experience choice and control in what we do and how we do it. It is the desire to have our own wishes, rather than external rewards or pressures, determine our actions."

A. vicarious reinforcement
B. functional context
C. self-determination
D. connectionism

Which theorist challenged the traditional assumption that intelligence was a general construct, and proposed instead a theory that every learner possesses multiple intelligences in varying degrees?

A. Thomas Sticht
B. Albert Bandura
C. Howard Gardner
D. Rand Spiro
 
Coastal Carolina University
College of Education
Educational Technology Program
Copyright 2003