Praxis PLT (5624) - Instructional Processes

These flashcards cover the section "Instructional Processes" from the PLT 5624 study companion.

District standards

Learning experiences set by a school district. They help guide what teachers should teach and what students should learn.

State standards

Learning expectations established by the state. They identify what students should know and be able to do at different grade levels/content areas.

National standards/Frameworks

Guidelines developed by national organizations that describe important knowledge and skills within a subject area. They can help guide curriculum and instruction.

Standard-based education

An approach where instruction, learning objectives, and assessment are aligned with standards.

Cognitivism

Helps students connect new information to prior knowledge, organize information, use concept maps, practice recall, and think through problems.

Social Learning Theory

Students learn by observing and modeling others.

Constructivism

Students actively build their own experiences.

Behaviorism

Shape behavior and learning through reinforcement, rewards, practice, and consequences.

Scope

WHAT students will learn. It identifies the content, knowledge, and skills covered.

Sequence

WHEN/HOW students will learn the content. It organizes learning in a logical order, often from simpler to more complex concepts.

Relationship between scope and sequence

They create a clear plan for the curriculum and show how those standards will be taught.

Observable objectices

Describe something students can actually demonstrate or do.

Measurable objectives

Describe an outcome that can be measured or assessed.

Cognitive Domain

Focuses on thinking and intellectual skills.

Affective Domain

Focuses on attitudes, emotions, values, interests, and motivation.

Psychomotor Domain

Focuses on physical skills and movement.

Bloom’s Taxonomy

Organizes levels of cognitive thinking, from remembering to creating.

Observable Behavior

A specific action students perform that shows learning.

Content selection based on LESSON goals

Select content that directly helps students achieve a specific objective for that lesson.

Content selection based on UNIT goals

Make sure individual lessons build towards the larger skills and knowledge students need by the end of the unit.

Remediation

Additional instruction or practice to help students master skills or concepts they have not yet learned.

Examples: Reteaching, small-group instruction, guided practice

Enrichment

Additional learning that extends or deepens a student’s understanding beyond the basic lesson.

Examples: Projects, research, advanced reading

Thematic Instruction

Organizing instruction around a central theme or topic that connects multiple lessons, activities, or subject areas.

Interdisciplinary Instruction

Connecting two or more subjects to explore a common topic or problem.

Special Education Teachers

Help adapt instruction, accommodations, and supports for students with disabilities.

Gifted/Talented Teachers

Provide strategies and resources to challenge and extend advanced learners.

IEP Team Members

Collaborate to develop and implement IEP goals, accommodations, and services.

Paraeducators

Support students with learning tasks, behavior, and accommodations under teacher direction.

Critical Thinking

Analyzing and evaluating information to make reasoned judgments or decisions.

Creative Thinking

Generating new, original, or different ideas and solutions.

Questioning

Asking purposeful questions to gain information, clarify ideas, or encourage deeper thinking.

Inductive Reasoning

Using specific observations or examples to reach a general conclusion.

Deductive Reasoning

Using a general rule or principle to reach a specific conclusion.

Direct Instruction

Teacher-led instruction where information or skills are clearly and explicitly taught.

Examples: Drill/practice, lecture, demonstration, reading/listening/viewing guides

Indirect Instruction

Students learn through exploration, investigation, and thinking rather than direct explanation.

Examples: Inquiry, case studies, concept mapping, reading for meaning

Independent Instruction

Students take greater responsibility for their own learning.

Examples: Learning contracts, research projects, distant learning

Experimental/Virtual Learning

Students learning through doing, experience, or simulating real-world situations.

Examples: Field trips, experiments, simulations, role play, games

Interactive Learning

Students learn through communication, collaboration, and interaction with others.

Examples: Brainstorming, co-op learning, interviews, peer practice

Short-Term Memory

Holds a limited amount of information for a short period.

Instructional implication: Break information into chunks with repitition.

Long-Term Memory

Stores information for extended periods and has a much larger capacity.

Instructional implication: Connect new information to prior knowledge and use retrieval practice and review.

Verbal Prompting

Using spoken cues to help students form or clarify their question.

Non-verbal Prompting

Using gestures, facial expressions, or other non-verbal cues to encourage students to continue thinking.

Restatement

Repeating or rephrasing a student’s question to clarify its meaning.

Reflective Listening

Restating a student’s idea to show understanding and help them clarify their thinking.

Wait Time

Give students extra time to think before expecting a response.

Communications Tools

Used to present information, support different learning needs, and make content more accessible.

Examples: Audio/video aids, text resources, digital tools