TEXES 160 PPR ACTUAL EXAM PAPER
2026 QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS
GRADED A+
◍ Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development.
Answer: Jean Piaget, a Swiss psychologist, developed a theory of how
cognition develops and changes over time. Piaget proposed that a child's
intellect progresses through four stages: 1. Sensorimotor (birth to 2 years) 2.
Preoperational (2 to 7 years) 3. Concrete operational (7 to 11 years) 4.
Formal operational (11 years to adulthood) Children learn through active
interaction and manipulation of the environment. The stage the child is in
determines how they see the world. Piaget believed all students pass through
the stages in order and cannot skip any stage.
◍ Which of the following activities would be the most developmentally
appropriate for a first-grade teacher to include in a unit on the life cycle of
plants?.
Answer: Planting a bean and observing the stages of growth-because
children in first grade are concrete learners who learn best by doing
experiments and observing real events as they occur.
◍ Schemes.
Answer: Mental patterns that guide behavior; cognitive structures that help
children process and organize information to make sense of the environment
◍ Assimilation.
Answer: Understanding new experiences in terms of existing schemes
◍ Accommodation.
Answer: Modifying existing schemes to fit new situations in the
environment. When old ways of dealing with the environment don't work, a
, child modifies an existing scheme stimulated by new information or a new
experience
◍ Adaptation.
Answer: The process of adjusting schemes in response to the environment
through assimilation or accommodation. According to Piaget, this is how
learning occurs.
◍ Equilibration.
Answer: The process of restoring balance between present understanding
and new experiences. According to Piaget, learning depends on this process
so it is important for teachers to confront students with new experiences or
data to advance their cognitive development.
◍ Which of the following strategies most directly leads to increased academic
performance?.
Answer: Integrating social-emotional learning in classes-because research
supports the conclusion that integrating social-emotional learning across the
curriculum improves academic performance.
◍ Which of the following is the most powerful influence on a person's sense of
identity before adolescence?.
Answer: Family-because the family has the initial and most powerful
influence upon children before and immediately after birth. The impact of
socialization on personality development begins with the family before it
extends to other social entities
◍ Disequilibrium.
Answer: 7 of 124 DisequilibriumAn imbalance between what a child
understands and what the child encounters through new experiences.
◍ Sensorimotor Stage.
Answer: The earliest stage (birth to 2 years) of cognitive development
during which infants learn about the environment by using their senses and
motor skills. Children develop "object permanence" and progress from
reflexive behavior to goal-directed behavior.
,◍ Which of the following rationales would a supporter of block scheduling
provide to convince others to support the organizational structure?.
Answer: Students' time in quality learning situations is increased.-because
block scheduling gives students longer periods so that they are able to spend
more time in quality learning situations.
◍ During a unit of study, a teacher uses books, artwork, and posters from
different countries. For the culminating activity, the teacher invites members
of the local community from diverse backgrounds to talk to the students
about their experiences related to the unit. The teacher is most likely trying
to.
Answer: promote students' cultural awareness.-because the teacher is trying
to take every opportunity to reach all students and help them make a
connection to their various cultures.
◍ Which of the following instructional practices best ensures that a teacher
structures the learning environment to address the needs of diverse
students?.
Answer: Differentiation-because research shows that students learn better
when lessons are tailored to their ability and learning style. Accommodating
different ability levels within the class provides a positive learning
environment for all students.
◍ Object Permanence.
Answer: The fact that objects are physically stable and exist even when the
objects are not in the child's physical presence. This enables the child to start
using symbols to represent things in their minds so they can think about
them.
◍ Which of the following approaches is best for a teacher to take to increase
students' awareness about local cultures?.
Answer: Inviting community members to discuss their cultures-because
involving community members is a great way to showcase the unique local
cultures and encourage ethnocentric education within the classroom
, ◍ A social studies teacher is planning a unit for National Hispanic Heritage
month. Which of the following activities will best engage kinesthetic
learners?.
Answer: Creating masks like those traditionally used in the Ponce Carnival
in Puerto Rico-because it allows the students to work with their hands,
which is appealing for a kinesthetic learner; it also integrates the arts.
◍ Preoperational Stage.
Answer: The second stage (2 to 7 years) of cognitive development in which
children learn to represent things in their mind. During this stage students
develop the ability to use symbols to represent objects in the world.
Thinking remains egocentric and centered.
◍ Which of the following approaches is the most effective way for a new
teacher to improve implementation of a recently adopted curriculum?.
Answer: Inviting another teacher to observe several lessons and give
feedback-because peer observation is the most effective way for teachers to
get an objective view of their teaching and make needed changes in their
teaching strategies.
◍ Egocentric.
Answer: Believing that everyone sees the world as you do.
◍ In a science class that includes English-language learners (ELLs), a teacher
encourages all students to monitor their own level of understanding by
having them take notes in their journal as they read assigned texts. What is
the primary purpose of teaching ELLs in particular the skill of learning how
to monitor understanding?.
Answer: Promoting the students' ability to adjust their thinking as
needed-because by writing notes in their journals about what they are
reading, the students are deploying metacognitive skills, i.e., monitoring and
adjusting their thinking about the reading assignments.
◍ Which of the following strategies best supports a teacher's goal to
incorporate critical thinking skills into language arts lessons?.
Answer: Creating a forum for students to debate points of view-because a
2026 QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS
GRADED A+
◍ Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development.
Answer: Jean Piaget, a Swiss psychologist, developed a theory of how
cognition develops and changes over time. Piaget proposed that a child's
intellect progresses through four stages: 1. Sensorimotor (birth to 2 years) 2.
Preoperational (2 to 7 years) 3. Concrete operational (7 to 11 years) 4.
Formal operational (11 years to adulthood) Children learn through active
interaction and manipulation of the environment. The stage the child is in
determines how they see the world. Piaget believed all students pass through
the stages in order and cannot skip any stage.
◍ Which of the following activities would be the most developmentally
appropriate for a first-grade teacher to include in a unit on the life cycle of
plants?.
Answer: Planting a bean and observing the stages of growth-because
children in first grade are concrete learners who learn best by doing
experiments and observing real events as they occur.
◍ Schemes.
Answer: Mental patterns that guide behavior; cognitive structures that help
children process and organize information to make sense of the environment
◍ Assimilation.
Answer: Understanding new experiences in terms of existing schemes
◍ Accommodation.
Answer: Modifying existing schemes to fit new situations in the
environment. When old ways of dealing with the environment don't work, a
, child modifies an existing scheme stimulated by new information or a new
experience
◍ Adaptation.
Answer: The process of adjusting schemes in response to the environment
through assimilation or accommodation. According to Piaget, this is how
learning occurs.
◍ Equilibration.
Answer: The process of restoring balance between present understanding
and new experiences. According to Piaget, learning depends on this process
so it is important for teachers to confront students with new experiences or
data to advance their cognitive development.
◍ Which of the following strategies most directly leads to increased academic
performance?.
Answer: Integrating social-emotional learning in classes-because research
supports the conclusion that integrating social-emotional learning across the
curriculum improves academic performance.
◍ Which of the following is the most powerful influence on a person's sense of
identity before adolescence?.
Answer: Family-because the family has the initial and most powerful
influence upon children before and immediately after birth. The impact of
socialization on personality development begins with the family before it
extends to other social entities
◍ Disequilibrium.
Answer: 7 of 124 DisequilibriumAn imbalance between what a child
understands and what the child encounters through new experiences.
◍ Sensorimotor Stage.
Answer: The earliest stage (birth to 2 years) of cognitive development
during which infants learn about the environment by using their senses and
motor skills. Children develop "object permanence" and progress from
reflexive behavior to goal-directed behavior.
,◍ Which of the following rationales would a supporter of block scheduling
provide to convince others to support the organizational structure?.
Answer: Students' time in quality learning situations is increased.-because
block scheduling gives students longer periods so that they are able to spend
more time in quality learning situations.
◍ During a unit of study, a teacher uses books, artwork, and posters from
different countries. For the culminating activity, the teacher invites members
of the local community from diverse backgrounds to talk to the students
about their experiences related to the unit. The teacher is most likely trying
to.
Answer: promote students' cultural awareness.-because the teacher is trying
to take every opportunity to reach all students and help them make a
connection to their various cultures.
◍ Which of the following instructional practices best ensures that a teacher
structures the learning environment to address the needs of diverse
students?.
Answer: Differentiation-because research shows that students learn better
when lessons are tailored to their ability and learning style. Accommodating
different ability levels within the class provides a positive learning
environment for all students.
◍ Object Permanence.
Answer: The fact that objects are physically stable and exist even when the
objects are not in the child's physical presence. This enables the child to start
using symbols to represent things in their minds so they can think about
them.
◍ Which of the following approaches is best for a teacher to take to increase
students' awareness about local cultures?.
Answer: Inviting community members to discuss their cultures-because
involving community members is a great way to showcase the unique local
cultures and encourage ethnocentric education within the classroom
, ◍ A social studies teacher is planning a unit for National Hispanic Heritage
month. Which of the following activities will best engage kinesthetic
learners?.
Answer: Creating masks like those traditionally used in the Ponce Carnival
in Puerto Rico-because it allows the students to work with their hands,
which is appealing for a kinesthetic learner; it also integrates the arts.
◍ Preoperational Stage.
Answer: The second stage (2 to 7 years) of cognitive development in which
children learn to represent things in their mind. During this stage students
develop the ability to use symbols to represent objects in the world.
Thinking remains egocentric and centered.
◍ Which of the following approaches is the most effective way for a new
teacher to improve implementation of a recently adopted curriculum?.
Answer: Inviting another teacher to observe several lessons and give
feedback-because peer observation is the most effective way for teachers to
get an objective view of their teaching and make needed changes in their
teaching strategies.
◍ Egocentric.
Answer: Believing that everyone sees the world as you do.
◍ In a science class that includes English-language learners (ELLs), a teacher
encourages all students to monitor their own level of understanding by
having them take notes in their journal as they read assigned texts. What is
the primary purpose of teaching ELLs in particular the skill of learning how
to monitor understanding?.
Answer: Promoting the students' ability to adjust their thinking as
needed-because by writing notes in their journals about what they are
reading, the students are deploying metacognitive skills, i.e., monitoring and
adjusting their thinking about the reading assignments.
◍ Which of the following strategies best supports a teacher's goal to
incorporate critical thinking skills into language arts lessons?.
Answer: Creating a forum for students to debate points of view-because a
