EDU301 Glossary

EDU301 · Glossary ·  Active learning

Any of a wide range of teaching strategies that engage the learner in the instruction taking place, such as working on problems in small groups, as opposed to passive methods such as seat work or listening to a lecture.

 Advance organizer

A frame of reference for a lesson, such as a chart, study guide, list, or graph, that presents the main facts, concepts, or generalizations to be learned.

 Affective domain

The area of learning that encompasses ethical, emotional, attitudinal, and social knowledge.

 Analysis

The process of discovering relationships, interactions, and causality among ideas, concepts, and situations.

 Assessment

The process of evaluating student performance using a variety of measurements, such as tests, observations, ratings, and portfolios.

 Awareness

The ability of a teacher to recognize student needs and demands and adjust the classroom environment to meet them.

 Behavior modification

The process of changing behavior by rewarding desired actions and ignoring or punishing undesired actions.

 Behavioral perspective

An educational approach that stresses changing student actions by rewarding and reinforcing desired actions and outcomes.

 Bloom’s taxonomy

A classification system for cognitive educational objectives.

 Brainstorming

A discussion process in which the leader presents a topic or problem and solicits open-ended ideas about it from all group members.

 Character development

An aspect of schooling that includes discussion of ethical issues and moral dilemmas, with the goal of developing characteristics such as trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, and citizenship.

 Checklist

List-format assessment tools used by a teacher or student to document work completed or skills learned.

 Classroom management

The methods of organization, disciplinary procedures, and routines established by the teacher to ensure positive student behaviors that are conducive to learning and social interaction.

 Cognitive domain

The area of learning encompassing intellectual aspects, such as information processing, memorization, and thinking skills.

 Cognitive psychology

An area of psychology that focus on inner mental processes rather than behavior.

 Concept

An expression or abstraction based on observations of a group of stimuli, facts, or objects having common characteristics; for example, the concept “animal” encompasses and describes dogs, cats, and elephants.

 Concept analysis

The process of identifying the components of a concept to be taught and deciding whether to teach it inductively (from underlying specific examples to broader generalizations) or deductively (from broader generalizations to underlying specific examples).

 Concrete operational stage

A stage of cognitive development (ages 8–11) in which children learn best through visual and hands-on activities.

 Conditions

The specification of what is needed to accomplish an objective.

 Content

The subject matter, substance, or materials of a lesson, consisting of facts, concepts, and generalizations.

 Convergent questions

Questions that require students to give factual or specific answers.

 Cooperative learning

Learning based on a small group approach to teaching, in which students are held accountable for both individual and group achievement.

 Correlation

A relationship between two factors, but not necessarily one of cause and effect.

 Criteria

Characteristics used to categorize or rate ideas or products.