Cognitive Development and  Language
1. Be clear about the three basic principles of development.
2. Make sure you understand the elements of Piaget’s theory (assimilation, accommodation, equilibration, schemes) and his four stages of cognitive development.
3. From Vygotsky’s theory, be familiar with the ideas of zone of proximal development.

 Personal, Social, and Emotional Development
4. Be clear about the difference between self-esteem and self-concept.
5. Make sure you understand the elements of Kohlberg’s theory and his three stages of moral reasoning, as well as Gillgan’s alternative theory.
6. Understand the range of family structures today.
7. Be familiar with indicators of child abuse and neglect and your legal responsibilities.

 Learner Differences
8. Know the difference between a handicap and a disability.
9. Know the mean of standardized IQ tests and the range in which most people score.
10. Be familiar with Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences.
11. Know the effects of between-class ability grouping and the alternative for in-class grouping.
12. Be aware of the alternatives for teaching gifted students, including acceleration.
13. Be familiar with the basic requirements of PL 94-142, PL 99-457, and IDEA.
14. Understand the differences between cognitive styles and learning styles/preferences and how to make accommodations for differences in the classroom.

 Culture and Community
15. Know the basic dimensions of multicultural education.
16. Know the difference between prejudice and discrimination.
17. Be familiar with the three propositions of culturally relevant pedagogy.
18. Be familiar with research on differences in how teachers interact with male and female students.

   Behavioral Views of Learning
19. Know the difference between reinforcement and punishment and between negative reinforcement and punishment.
20. Be aware of the criticisms of behavior modification.
21. Be familiar with token programs and contingency contracts.
22. Know the cautions in using punishment

  Cognitive Views of Learning
23. Understand the role of prior knowledge in learning.
24. Know what a schema is and how schemas affect attention, learning, and remembering.
25. Know how metacognitive skills impact learning and remembering.
26. Be familiar with some common mnemonic strategies.

   Complex Cognitive Processes
27. Know the basic features of concept teaching.
28. Know the five common steps in problem solving.
29. Be familiar with the notion of intuitive or naïve concepts.
30. Be familiar with a range of learning strategies and tactics.

   Social Cognitive and Constructivist Views of Learning
31. Know elements of observational learning.
32. Know the five common teaching recommendations shared by most constructivist views.
33. Be able to recognize examples of inquiry, problem-based learning, cognitive apprenticeships, and instructional conversations.

  Motivation: Issues and Explanations
34. Be clear about the kinds of goals that are most motivating.
35. Make sure you understand the difference between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.
36. Understand the elements of attribution theory.
37. Know ways to enhance self-efficacy in students.

  Motivating, Teaching, and Learning
38. Know about the role of choice in motivation.
39. Understand the difference between a self-fulfilling prophecy and a sustaining expectation effect.
40. Be familiar with several approaches to cooperative learning.

 Creating Learning Environments
41. Be familiar with Kounin’s terms of “withitness” overlapping activities, group focusing, and movement management.
42. Know the basic room arrangements of rows, circles, clusters, and horseshoes and what activities each is best suited for.
43. Understand a range of penalties for minor to major misbehaviors.
44. Be familiar with alternatives for communicating with students such as sympathetic listening,  “I” messages, and problem solving.

  Teaching for Learning
45. Be familiar with Bloom’s taxonomy in the cognitive domain, including examples of verbs that fit each level of the domain.
46. Know the differences between convergent and divergent questions and between higher- and lower-level questions.
47. Be familiar with the teaching functions of direct instruction.

   Standardized Testing
      Concepts that frequently appear on tests for teachers:
48. Be sure you know the difference between norm-referenced and criterion- referenced tests.
49. Know the definitions of mean, median, and mode.
50. Know about percentile ranks, stanines, z-scores, grade-equivalent scores, and T-scores (not necessarily the formula but what these scores tell you).
51. Know about test bias, and achievement, diagnostic, and aptitude tests.
52. Be able to interpret a student's standardized test results

  Classroom Assessment and Grading
53. Know the differences between formative and summative assessments.
54. Understand the characteristics of authentic assessment.
55. Be familiar with different ways of determining grades.
56. Know the requirements of the Buckley law.