Praxis Gifted and Talented--5358

Eight-year-old Sarah is working on advanced algebra, reading at an eighth-grade level, and in her spare time experiments with a chemistry set at home. Her parents meet with her teacher and request testing for the program for gifted and talented students. Although the teacher does agree that Sarah is reading well above grade level, the teacher is hesitant to refer Sarah for the program because she is often off task, rarely finishes class assignments, and has a tendency to cry when frustrated. The teacher would benefit from training to better recognize

• emotional dysfunction

• self-efficacy

• cognitive processes

• asynchronous development

Which of the following activities would encourage divergent thinking in a young, intellectually gifted elementary student?

• classifying pictures of rocks using a teacher-prepared guide

• reading an encyclopedia article on rocks and minerals

• collecting rocks and deciding on multiple ways to organize them

• Drawing pictures of rocks found in the

  neighborhood

According to the National Council for the

Social Studies (NCSS), which of the following is an essential component when teaching history to support the development of critical thinking?

• Integrating more difficult activities into

  each lesson

• Grouping students according to ability

• including diversity and multiple perspectives

• creating presentations with input from local historians

A teacher of gifted students wants to provide

students with an engaging format and a highly responsive learning community where reflection is commonplace. Which of the following approaches taken by the teacher will best help achieve the goal?

• Assigning a group research project and

  adapting the depth of the task.

• Including the use of online discussion forums and other media in tasks

• Requiring that students present their

  products to their general education peers for feedback

• Integrating the students into a highly competitive learning group

Which of the following teaching approaches is

most likely to enhance the creativity of gifted students?

(A) Emphasizing concrete, real-life

applications of topics rather than abstract concepts (B) Structuring assignments in ways that

encourage divergent thinking (C) Accelerating coverage of required

content to allow time for creative activities (D) Encouraging students to choose their

• (A) Emphasizing concrete, real-life

  applications of topics rather than abstract concepts (B) (C) (D)

• Structuring assignments in ways that

  encourage divergent thinking

• Accelerating coverage of required

  content to allow time for creative activities

• Encouraging students to choose their own resources

Which of the following is most likely to be a

primary consideration in the selection of a curriculum model for gifted students?

• The model should be focused primarily on content that is appropriate for gifted students, leaving process-related decisions up to the individual teacher.

• The model should be a feasible adjunct to the regular curriculum.

• The model should maximize opportunities for the integration of gifted and regular students in instructional activities.

• The model should provide multiple paths to reach specified goals.

When a gifted student is involved in independent study, what is the major responsibility of the student’s teacher or mentor?

• Identifying appropriate resources to support the student’s learning

• Analyzing data and drawing conclusions from the student’s projects

• Determining an appropriate format for the presentation of results

• Helping the student focus on appropriate topics for study

Which of the following principles is most

appropriate for guiding the development of a gifted education program?

• Gifted students should be given multiple educational opportunities to realize their potential to the fullest extent possible.

• The primary aim of instruction for gifted students should be to provide students with learning experiences that help translate the affective domain into thoughts and actions.

• Gifted students should be instructed in

  homogeneous groupings to the maximum extent possible.

• Education for the gifted should be

  administered as a separate program from the regular education program to maximize available funding and other resources.

Educational researcher Joseph S. Renzulli

distinguishes between schoolhouse giftedness and creative-productive giftedness. The distinction primarily influences gifted program development in which of the following ways?

• By offering additional homework to address the gifted students’ needs

• By altering coursework to reduce scheduling conflicts for gifted students

• By expecting gifted students to excel in all academic areas with distinction

• By providing gifted students with multiple opportunities to maximize their achievements

A middle school teacher of the gifted is having

students read stories about Sherlock Holmes and observe how, as a detective, Holmes is particularly skilled at drawing conclusions from observations?

Which of the following might best explain the teacher’s purpose in using the character of Sherlock Holmes as a model?

• To help students understand the

  limitations of logical reasoning

• To encourage students to develop

  intellectual and emotional regulation

• To sensitize students to contradictions

  and paradoxes in the world

• To teach students that examining detail may help them in ascertaining meaning