Question 1

Bloom's Taxonomy Levels

Accepted Answer

A model used for categorizing educational objectives; levels include remembering, understanding, applying, analyzing, evaluating, and creating.

Question 2

Constructivist Learning Theory

Accepted Answer

A philosophical viewpoint suggesting that learners construct knowledge from experiences, and learn by doing.

Question 3

Differentiated Instruction

Accepted Answer

Teaching strategy that involves adjusting the curriculum and instruction based on a learner's individual needs and readiness.

Question 4

Formative Assessment

Accepted Answer

Ongoing, informal assessments used during instruction to provide feedback and guide teacher and student decision making.

Question 5

Summative Assessment

Accepted Answer

Evaluation at the end of an instructional period to measure student learning against a benchmark or standard.

Question 6

Inquiry-based Learning

Accepted Answer

Pedagogical approach that encourages students to explore and question, fostering critical thinking skills.

Question 7

Zone of Proximal Development

Accepted Answer

Vygotsky's concept of the difference between what a learner can do without help and what they can achieve with guidance.

Question 8

Metacognition

Accepted Answer

The process of thinking about one's own thinking; involves self-awareness and self-regulation of learning.

Question 9

Cooperative Learning

Accepted Answer

An instructional strategy where small groups of students work together on a common task.

Question 10

Criterion-referenced Assessment

Accepted Answer

Evaluation of student performance based on established criteria or learning standards, not comparison to other students.

Question 11

Norm-referenced Assessment

Accepted Answer

Assessment based on a comparison of a student's performance with a pre-determined group or 'norm group'.

Question 12

Scaffolding Instruction

Accepted Answer

Providing support during the learning process which is tailored to the needs of the student with the intention of helping the student achieve independence.

Question 13

Project-based Learning

Accepted Answer

An instructional method that provides students with complex tasks based on real-world problems.

Question 14

Authentic Assessment

Accepted Answer

A form of assessment in which students demonstrate skills and competencies in real-life contexts.

Question 15

Behaviorism

Accepted Answer

Learning theory stating that behaviors are learned from the environment, and are controlled through positive reinforcement or negative reinforcement.

Question 16

Multiple Intelligences

Accepted Answer

Howard Gardner's theory that proposes eight distinct intelligences to account for a broader range of human potential in children and adults.

Question 17

Backward Design

Accepted Answer

Curriculum design approach that begins with the end in mind; educators start with goals, construct assessments, then finally, plan instructional activities.

Question 18

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

Accepted Answer

A model in psychology comprising a five-tier model of human needs, often depicted as hierarchical levels within a pyramid.

Question 19

Student-centered Learning

Accepted Answer

An approach to education focusing on the needs of the students, rather than those of others involved in the educational process.

Question 20

Extrinsic Motivation

Accepted Answer

Motivation that comes from outside an individual; the motivating factors are external rewards or punishments.

Question 21

Intrinsic Motivation

Accepted Answer

Motivation that comes from within an individual; the motivating factors are internal, such as satisfaction or the pleasure of completing a task.

Question 22

Direct Instruction

Accepted Answer

Teacher-centered instructional approach that emphasizes the use of explicit teaching strategies, usually in a systematic, structured manner.

Question 23

IEP (Individualized Education Plan)

Accepted Answer

A plan or program developed to ensure that a child identified with a disability receives specialized instruction and related services.

Question 24

504 Plan

Accepted Answer

A plan developed to ensure that a child who has a disability identified under the law receives accommodations that will ensure their academic success and access to the learning environment.

Question 25

Cognitive Development

Accepted Answer

The construction of thought processes, including remembering, problem solving, and decision-making, from childhood through adolescence to adulthood.

Question 26

Piaget's Stages of Cognitive Development

Accepted Answer

A series of four stages from infancy to adolescence during which children progress through stages of sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational development.

Question 27

English Language Learner (ELL)

Accepted Answer

A student who is learning English in addition to his or her native language.

Question 28

BICS (Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills)

Accepted Answer

Language skills needed in social situations, often the first set of language skills that English language learners develop.

Question 29

CALP (Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency)

Accepted Answer

Language skills necessary for learning in an academic setting, including reading, writing, and engaging in discourse.

Question 30

Response to Intervention (RTI)

Accepted Answer

A multi-tier approach to the early identification and support of students with learning and behavior needs.

Question 31

Universal Design for Learning (UDL)

Accepted Answer

A framework to improve and optimize teaching and learning for all people based on scientific insights into how humans learn.

Question 32

Multicultural Education

Accepted Answer

An educational philosophy that focuses on celebrating cultural diversity while also preparing students for the responsibilities of citizenship.

Question 33

Social Emotional Learning (SEL)

Accepted Answer

The process of developing self-awareness, self-control, and interpersonal skills that are vital for school, work, and life success.

Question 34

Hidden Curriculum

Accepted Answer

Unspoken or implicit academic, social, and cultural messages that are communicated to students while they are in school.

Question 35

Inclusion Classroom

Accepted Answer

A classroom model where students with special needs are taught alongside their general education peers.

Question 36

Self-efficacy

Accepted Answer

Belief in one's capacity to understand and perform behaviors necessary to produce specific performance attainments.

Question 37

Positive Reinforcement

Accepted Answer

The addition of a reward following a desired behavior with the intention of increasing the likelihood the behavior will occur again.

Question 38

Negative Reinforcement

Accepted Answer

The removal of an unpleasant stimulus following a desired behavior, also intended to increase the likelihood the behavior will occur again.

Question 39

Attribution Theory

Accepted Answer

A theory about how people make causal explanations.

Question 40

Wait Time

Accepted Answer

The period of silence between the time a question is asked and the time when one or more students respond to the question.

Question 41

Diagnostic Assessment

Accepted Answer

An assessment before instruction begins so teachers can determine students' strengths, weaknesses, knowledge, and skills.

Question 42

Rubric

Accepted Answer

A scoring guide used to evaluate the quality of students' constructed responses or performances.

Question 43

Standards-based Education

Accepted Answer

An approach to teaching and learning that focuses on students achieving understanding of specific academic standards.

Question 44

Learning Styles

Accepted Answer

Theories that propose people learn better using different methods of learning, often categorized by sensory modalities (visual, auditory, kinesthetic).

Question 45

Decoding

Accepted Answer

The process of translating print into speech by rapidly matching a letter or combination of letters (graphemes) to their sounds (phonemes).

Question 46

Phonemic Awareness

Accepted Answer

The ability to hear, identify, and manipulate individual sounds-phonemes--in spoken words.

Question 47

Sight Words

Accepted Answer

Words that are recognized immediately without phonetically decoding or looking up.

Question 48

Guided Reading

Accepted Answer

An instructional approach that involves a teacher working with a small group of students who demonstrate similar reading behaviors and can read similar levels of texts.

Question 49

Comprehension Strategies

Accepted Answer

Techniques to teach reading comprehension, including prediction, inferring, questioning, clarifying, summarizing, and visualizing/mental imagery.

Question 50

Fluency

Accepted Answer

The ability to read a text accurately, quickly, and with proper expression and comprehension.

Question 51

Dyslexia

Accepted Answer

A specific learning disability that is neurobiological in origin, characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities.

Question 52

Curriculum-based Measurement (CBM)

Accepted Answer

A method teachers use to find out how students are progressing in basic academic areas such as math, reading, writing, and spelling.

Question 53

Direct Vocabulary Instruction

Accepted Answer

Explicit teaching of a set of vocabulary words before the reading of a text.

Question 54

Balanced Literacy

Accepted Answer

A framework for reading instruction that includes both whole language and phonics instruction and strives to find a balance of literacy instruction methods.

Question 55

Phonics

Accepted Answer

Method for teaching reading and writing by developing learners' phonemic awareness to connect sounds with letter symbols.

Question 56

Schema Theory

Accepted Answer

The idea that knowledge is organized into units; in reading, readers use schemata (plural of schema) to make sense of the text.

Question 57

Information Processing Model

Accepted Answer

Cognitive theory that proposes ways in which learners perceive, think, remember, and learn.

Question 58

Reflective Practitioner

Accepted Answer

A professional who routinely examines his or her instructional practices and makes changes to improve student learning.

Question 59

Culturally Responsive Teaching

Accepted Answer

A pedagogy that recognizes the importance of including students' cultural references in all aspects of learning.

Question 60

Universal Screening

Accepted Answer

A step taken by school personnel early in the school year to determine which students are at risk for not meeting grade-level standards.

Question 61

Learning Disability

Accepted Answer

A neurological disorder that affects the brain's ability to receive, process, store, and respond to information.

Question 62

Dysgraphia

Accepted Answer

A specific learning disability that affects a person’s handwriting ability and fine motor skills.

Advanced Concepts for Iowa Praxis Subject Assessments