Writing Constructed Responses

Praxis II Principles of Learning and Teaching

Structure of Praxis II

• Praxis has 24 multiple choice questions and 4 case histories with 3 constructed response questions each (12 constructed response questions)

• You will have 2 hours to take the test.

Constructed response

• For constructed response questions, you will read a case history and then respond in writing to the constructed response questions.

• You will need to write quickly. Use bullets for your points instead of paragraphs. Do not worry about transitions and other “niceties” of writing.

Case histories

• Case histories have two possible focuses: the student and the teacher.

• They may also be narrative-based (telling you what went on in a situation) or document-based (giving you a series of documents on which to base your answer)

Answering

• ETS feels it has given you all information necessary to answer the question, so it’s not okay to claim you need more information. You need to go with what is there.

• The most important thing: answer the question completely. If they ask for TWO strategies, you need to supply TWO strategies in order to get full credit.

Strategies

• ETS claims that one expert strategy is to read the case study “with content categories in mind” (p. 73) and then read the questions. This may require more time than you have.

• The strategy that makes the most sense is to read the questions and then read the case study. Make notes related to the questions as you read.

Advice from experts: what the scorers suggest

• Answer ALL PARTS of the question. It might be two strategies, two activities, a strength and a weakness. Pay attention to what they are asking and be sure you clearly include that. (scorers’ advice)

• Mark your inclusions with bullets and state: “the first strategy is….because… The second strategy is…. because….” (Carolyn’s advice).

More advice from the scorers

• Show that you understand the pedagogical concepts related to the question. This is a more subtle piece of advice. The scorers are looking to see not only that you can read the case study and make good observations, but also that you can relate those good observations to pedagogical concepts such as the principles of human development, the principles of motivation, the principles of effective instructional design, and the principles of diagnostic and evaluative assessment. (p. 99)

More from p. 99You can show you understand these concepts not by merely mentioning that the concepts exist, but by relating them to the specifics of your response. For example, in answering a question about identifying a weakness in a teacher’s approach to assessment, instead of stating that “Mr. Taft didn’t give the students very good tests,” you could …state instead, “Given that assessment of student performance is most effective when evidence is gathered frequently and through a variety of exercises and assignments, Mr. Taft’s reliance on end-of-chapter tests did not give students like Paige adequate opportunities to demonstrate achievement.”

In other words

• You need to show how to apply the principles to the situation at hand. I don’t think it needs to be as wordy as the example they gave, but it needs to be along those lines.

More from the experts (p. 99)

• Show that you have a thorough understanding of the case. Some answers receive partial credit because they are vague—they address the issues brought up in the case study at too general a level rather than at the level that takes into consideration the particulars given about a teacher, student, or assignment.

The experts give their example

• If you are asked, for example, about the boy in a case study with learning disabilities whose patterns of behavior are described specifically in several sentences in the case study, don’t answer the question in terms of children with disabilities in general, but, instead, focus on the boy and all the particulars you know about him.

In other words

• Apply your knowledge to the case at hand. Avoid generalities when there is specific information to use.

More from the experts

• Support your answer with details…The scorers are looking for some justification of your answers. If you are asked to state a “strength” shown by the teacher in a case study, don’t just state the strength in a few words. Write why this is a strength—perhaps because of a particular principle of effective instructional design, which you should briefly summarize, or perhaps because of a good outcome described in the case, to which you should refer.

The last from the experts

• Do not change the question or challenge the basis of the question. Stay focused on the question that is asked and do your best to answer it. You will receive no credit or, at best, a low score if you choose to answer another question or you state that, for example, there really aren’t any activities that could be proposed, or there aren’t any strengths to mention, or in some other way deny the basis of the question. (p. 99)

In other words

• They believe their questions are answerable. You may have a different philosophical perspective, but unless you want to pay for taking the Praxis again, you will have to adopt whatever stance is represented by the test. In other words, you will have to find a strength or two activities or whatever else they ask.

What now?

• What follows is a series of slides that have content-based questions on them. These slides will give you an idea of the types of questions you may be asked on Praxis.

• One purpose of reading them is to get them into your mind so that when you read the real thing, it will seem familiar.

• There is not enough information to form an actual response, but you might be able to think about some general principles related to the subject matter.

Content to think about

• Identify and describe a strength and/or weakness in:– A lesson plan for meeting needs of individual

students with identified special needs, as described in the case.

– The interaction described in the case between the teacher and students in terms of culturally responsive teaching.

Content

• Propose a strategy for:– Helping a student with attention deficit

problems described in the case stay on task (e.g., listening to a lecture, following a demonstration, doing written work)

– Improving performance of students in the case who do not perform well on homework, original compositions, or other assignments

Content

• Propose a strategy for:– Helping students in the case for whom English

is not the first language build literacy skills and/or improve in academic areas

– Meeting needs of a wide range of students (especially students with learning difficulties and students who are accelerated)

Content

• Propose a strategy for:– Building a positive relationship with a student

the case shows is very turned off in school– Adapting instruction and/or assessment for an

individual student with identified needs described in the case

– Helping the students described in the case see issues from different points of view

Content

• Identify and describe a strength and/or weakness in– The communication with parents used by a

teacher described in the case– The approach used by a teacher described in

the case to involve parents

Content

• Propose a strategy for– Using parent volunteers during a lesson that is

described in a case– Involving all parents or other caregivers in

helping students in areas specified in the case– Helping the family of a student described in

the case work with the students’ learning or other needs

Content

• Identify and describe a strength and/or weakness in the teacher’s oral or written communication with the students in the case (e.g., feedback on assignments, interaction during class)

Content

• Propose a strategy for– Improving the self-image of a student

described in the case or the student’s sense of responsibility for his/her own learning

– Involving all students in a class discussion described in the case in a positive way, showing respect for others

– Helping a student described in the case to develop social skills in a specified situation

Content

• Propose a strategy for:– Assessing progress for students described in the case

who are working toward specified goals or objectives– Assessing class progress toward achievement of

specified goals or objectives– Gathering information to use to help understand

classroom performance that is different from what was expected at the beginning of the year.

– Assessing language fluency of a student for whom English is not the first language

Content

• Propose a hypothesis or explanation for:– A student’s strengths and/or weaknesses as a

learner based on the evidence presented– What might be important to explore in

working with a student described in the case who is having difficulties academically, socially, or emotionally

Content

• Identify a strength and/or weakness in:– A unit plan that is described in the case– Specific strategies used in instruction (e.g.,

lecture, class discussion) in the case– A sequence of lessons described in the case

designed to achieve a goal or a set of objectives

– One or more written assignments given to students in the case.

Content

• Propose a strategy for:– Meeting what may appear to be conflicting

goals or objectives described in the case– Incorporating activities that will have students

described in the case draw on their own experiences to understand the instruction

– Stimulating prior knowledge in the situation described in the case

Content

• Propose a strategy for– Teaching critical thinking skills in a specific

lesson described in the case– Achieving effectiveness with group work in a

particular situation described in the case– Helping students stay on task in the situation

described in the case– Helping students learn material presented

through various media introduced in the case

Content

• Propose a strategy for:– Assigning students to group work appropriate

to the case– Bringing closure to a lesson that stops abruptly

as presented in the case– Improving student interaction during class

discussion as described in the case– Addressing a “missed opportunity” during

instruction that is described in the case

Content

• Propose a strategy for:– Revising a lesson that is described in the case

for improving student engagement and motivation

– Improving motivation through means other than negative strategies described in the case

– Addressing behavioral problems that are described in the case

Content

• Identify and describe a strength and/or weakness in a lesson plan or instructional strategy described in the case with the intention of building a positive classroom environment.