Once the class settles down, the teacher remarks that students have
made some very interesting observations and poses the following questions
to the class:
Is the amount of food you saw wasted today typical?
Kahlil has suggested that if the school served lunches that students liked, there would be less waste. Do you agree or disagree with Kahlil’s suggestion, and why?
What kinds of information could you collect to support your opinions?
1. Mr. Rivera’s rephrasing of Kahlil’s hypothesis
is likely to be most useful for:
a. providing a framework for subsequent
student discussion.
b. encouraging student recall of related
information
c. checking students’ understanding of
Kahlil’s original statement.
d. providing with clues about the answer
to the preceding question.
2. The primary role that Mr. Rivera has taken
in the instructional process so far has been to:
a. encourage students to generate questions
about issues that are meaningful to them.
b. prompt students to assess their own
understanding of instructional content.
c. facilitate students’ use of higher-order
thinking in a real-world context.
d. provide students with information that
can serve as a basis for future learning.
Finally, the students decide to split into teams, each of which will take on specific responsibilities during each phase of the project. The data collection phase of the project will mainly focus on quantifying the amount of cafeteria food thrown away each day and interviewing students in other classes to determine whether they liked the meal served that day.
3. What is an important advantage of having students
play a key role in the planning process for this project?
a. It facilitates the development of a
project plan best suited to address the academic needs of individual students.
b. It provides students with an opportunity
to structure their own learning.
c. It offers the teacher an opportunity
to explore student preconceptions regarding the research topic.
d. It enhances students’ recognition of
their own strengths and areas for improvement.
4. Mr. Rivera asks the class to consider the possible
effects their study could have on the functioning of the cafeteria.
Having students think about this issue is most likely to help them:
a. develop a sense of involvement and responsibility
in relation to the larger school community.
b. recognize the need for precision and
accuracy in carrying out any research effort.
c. gain an appreciation of their own ability
to make decisions effectively.
d. recognize the value of establishing
and maintaining standards of behavior within the school environment.
By the end of the class’s two-week data collection period, the students have gathered a great deal of information about both the quantities of food in the cafeteria’s trash each day and the food preferences of students. Mr. Rivera has the students compile their data and discuss the trends they see. One of the students, Miriam, observes, “From the information we have, I’ll bet we could predict how much waste there would be if different combinations of foods were served.”
5. Miriam’s observation suggests that the data collection activity has been successful in encouraging her to:
a. think independently and creatively.
b. integrate ideas from a variety of content
areas.
c. engage in continuous self-monitoring
and self-assessment.
d. recognize the benefits of working cooperatively
to achieve goals.
6. Which of the following types of computer software
would be best for pursuing Miriam’s idea?
a. simulation
b. graphing
c. word processing
d. database
7. After students complete their team projects,
Mr. Rivera has them write individual self-assessments regarding their work
in and contributions to their teams. When making his own assessments
of students’ work, these self-assessments will be most helpful to Mr. Rivera
in:
a. determining whether his perceptions
of the quality of students’ teamwork are similar to students’ perceptions.
b. evaluating students’ mastery of the
intended health objectives for the project.
c. comparing the performance and achievement
of the members of each team.
d. identifying those students who worked
responsibly and tended to exhibit leadership within their teams.
Mr. Rivera decides to have students brainstorm alternative ways for avoiding or dealing with different kinds of waste. He asks them to think critically about whether the options mentioned or any others might be used to lessen the problem of food waste in the cafeteria; then he has each student write a short paper presenting his or her ideas.
8. In assigning the paper, Mr. Rivera informs
the class that there may be no perfect solution to their problem, but there
may be many good ones. In communicating the assignment in this way,
Mr. Rivera is most likely attempting to promote learning by:
a. prompting students to solve a problem
using previously acquired knowledge.
b. encouraging student exploration and
risk taking
c. providing students with clear learning
outcomes for their work.
d. stimulating students’ curiosity about
their world.
Several students independently conclude that composting could be a solution to the problem of cafeteria waste. During a class discussion, Mr. Rivera asks these students to talk about composting. Soon many students in the class become enthusiastic about the idea of a school composting project.
9. Following the discussion of a possible composting
project, Mr. Rivera arranges for his students to take a guided tour of
a greenhouse that uses composting. Which of the following are most
likely to be key benefits of Mr. Rivera’s use of this local resource?
I. helping students understand and visualize
procedures used in composting
II. promoting students’ sense of control
with regard to their learning
III. enhancing student motivation to pursue
the project they have been discussing
IV. encouraging students’ conscious use
of self-assessment during the learning process
a. I and II only
b. I and III only
c. II and IV only
d. III and IV only