A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z
A
Academy: a school that is directly funded by central government. It does not come under the control of local government. It has a far greater degree of autonomy and is not bound by the National Curriculum.
Accommodators: according to Kolb, those with a learning style which involves intuition, risk-taking and adapting to rapidly changing circumstances.
Acquisition: learning through acquisition is to take in knowledge and understanding in a detached way rather than through participation.
Action research: form of investigation enabling a self-reflective process.
Andragogy: 'The art and science of helping adults learn' (Knowles).
Applied learning: learning through doing in practical or vocational contexts involving interaction with other learners through group work.
Apprenticeship: learning scheme enabling learner to learn 'on the job' and gain a qualification.
Article: one of a series of obligations in a treaty by those states choosing to be bound under that treaty (sometimes referred to as a provision).
Assessment for learning: 'the process of seeking and interpreting evidence for use by learners and their teachers to decide where the learners are in their learning, where they need to go and how best to get there' (Assessment Reform Group).
Assimilators: Kolb's term for those learners who reason inductively, create theoretical models and assimilate diverse ideas into an integrated explanation.
Autonomous: able to make decisions and implement these decisions independently.
Back to the top
C
Cambridge Pre-U: academic alternative to A-level qualification aimed at 16–19-year-old students preparing for higher education entrance.
Codify: to organise and sort principles, agreements, expectations or norms into formal systems.
Connectivity: the capacity to transfer acquired skills and understanding from one learning situation to another.
Connexions: an advisory service for 13–19-year-olds, organised on a local basis, which can give young people information, advice and practical help with a range of issues which might be affecting them at school, college, work or in their personal or family life.
Convergers: according to Kolb, those who learn through problem-solving, decision-making and the practical application of ideas.
Counselling: support provided by a professional person, which allows you to explore and understand your own problems and feelings in a non-judgmental manner. This process facilitates greater autonomy and confidence, allowing people to make their own choices and change.
Back to the top
D
Deep learning: learning which leads to making sense of or abstracting meaning, interpreting to understand reality and changing as a person.
Diagnostic assessment: assessment which aims to determine a learner's potential and likely learning needs.
Differentiation: A teaching and learning approach enabling the teacher to adapt specific strategies to individuals or groups to enhance learning. This can be done via learning activities or assessment.
Discourse: a lengthy and detailed discussion (verbal or written) of a topic.
Discovery methods: teaching methods which encourage the learners to find out for themselves.
Distributed leadership and management: the view that both management and leadership are functions of those working at every level in the organisation.
Divergers: learners who, according to Kolb, rely on imaginative ability and awareness of meaning and values.
Driver: an influential force, something that provides impetus or motivation.
Back to the top
E
Egocentricism: interested in the self, lack of consideration or caring about others.
Egotistical: concerned only with oneself.
Emotional competence: highly developed skills of self-regulation, self-motivation, social awareness and social skills.
Emotive: a topic that has a strong impact on your own emotions, or that of others. Often used to impose views through use of 'tugging at the heart strings'.
Entry to employment: learning scheme designed for 16–18-year-old students to progress on to employment.
Evaluative methods: teaching methods which encourage students to learn through making judgements about events, objects, created artifacts.
Experiential learning: active learning which occurs in real or simulated environments.
Extended project: free standing or as part of the Diploma qualification enabling students to research a specific focus of interest.
Extrinsic: it is valued because of its consequences, for example a qualification that will further your career.
Back to the top
F
Feedback: a commentary on the learning or progress of a pupil.
Focus group: interactive research activity aiming at gathering views and opinion about a specific issue.
Formal models of educational management: these assume that organisations are hierarchical systems in which managers use rational means to purse agreed goals (Bush).
Formal operational stage: (Piaget) a stage of an individual's cognitive development as they develop the ability to think about abstract concepts and 'what ifs'.
Formative assessment: assessment which aims to give feedback to learners on their progress.
Formative: information, gathered from assessment, that is used to shape the future learning programme of a pupil or group of learners.
Back to the top
G
Generic learning skills: functional skills in English, ICT and Maths, six transferable personal, learning and thinking skills (PLTS) in independent enquiry, creative thinking, reflective learning, teamworking, self-managing and effective participation, a Diploma project and skills gained through work experience.
Green Paper: A government publication that details specific issues, and possible courses of action in terms of policy.
Back to the top
H
Hegemony: the overt and covert influence and power of the ruling political party, individual or group in contributing to unquestioned or even challenged societal norms.
Hermeneutic view of teacher education as a practical science: a view which conceives of the teacher developing their practice through action research as well as reflection.
High stakes testing: a test that has important consequences for the person being tested as in progression or entry to employment routes such as a professional qualification, or for a group or organisation, such as the consequences of a school being named and shamed for having lower than average SAT results.
Back to the top
I
Ideology: an organised system of beliefs and ideas which form the basis of a social, economic, or political philosophy or curriculum.
Inclusion: ensuring through policy and practice that schools and colleges allow for and celebrate difference in students and pupils rather than demanding uniformity from them.
Increased Flexibility Programme: IFP is a major national programme that allows school learners aged 14–16 to develop practical work-related skills outside school.
Independent learning: centres upon the move in ownership and responsibility for learning from the teacher to the student or pupil. It covers the learning to learn process and includes motivation, understanding and skills.
Individual learning plan: strategy enabling students to consider and review strengths and weaknesses.
Infant determinism: the view that early childhood experiences have irreversible, lifelong effects.
Informal models of educational management: these emphasise that power and decision-making should be shared among some or all members of the organisation (Bush).
Initial assessment: assessment of a student's ability prior to and following admission to a programme to gauge their suitability for it.
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme: international qualification aiming at 16–19-year-old students preparing for Higher Education entrance.
Intrinsic: is valued as good by or in itself.
Back to the top
J
Jesuit: an influential Roman Catholic religious order engaged in missionary and educational work.
Judgement: to form an opinion, usually perceived as authorative, stating something believed or asserted.
Back to the top
L
Labelling: how the self-concept and thus behaviour of individuals may be shaped or determined by the labels others apply to them. This can lead to self-fulfilling prophecy. In teaching, evidence shows that pupils in lower ability classes are taught to a low ability and are unlikely to move up as the teachers' expectations of pupils' ability is also shaped by the label and is thus low.
Local area agreement: sets out the priorities for a local area agreed between central government, local authority and its key partners.
Back to the top
M
Magnum opus: from the Latin 'great work', normally referring to the best, or most known or influential work of an author, artist or composer.
Managerialism: the domination of institutions by a market ethos: managers through regular surveillance monitor whether performance indicators are being met and quality is assessed on the basis of inputs and outcomes.
Marshall Plan: officially the European Recovery Programme, a support package offered by the US to European countries following the Second World War between 1947 and 1951.
Maturation: naturally occurring changes that are genetically programmed.
Meritocracy: a social system which provides opportunities for all according to ability rather than social standing or wealth.
Moral judgement: a view of what is right or wrong based on your own feelings or conscience, as opposed to the law, for example. Often emotive.
Mores: the customs and habitual practices that a group of people accept and follow, especially as they reflect moral standards, within a society at a given time in the development of that society.
Multidirectionality: the theory that some aspects of intelligence increase as others decline in adulthood.
Myelination: the increase of fatty white matter which coats the axons of nerve cells and increases the efficiency and accuracy of communication or messages between the brain's circuitry.
Back to the top
N
Narcissism: excessive self-centredness.
Neurons: nerve cells that store and send information.
Back to the top
O
Ontogeny: (in this case) the development of behaviour – patterns and responses throughout stages of development.
Back to the top
P
Participatory methods: teaching methods which encourage active involvement on the part of students.
Pedagogy: 'The art and science of teaching children' (Knowles).
Peer learning: collaborative learning.
Personalised learning: the use of assessment for learning, engaging and stretching learners, providing breadth of study, personal relevance and flexible learning pathways through the education system in institutions which are creatively organised.
Plasticity (of the brain): the way the brain is able to change and adapt according to environmental demands and stimuli.
Presentation methods: teaching methods which are teacher-centred such as the lecture or demonstration.
Professionalism: having the capacity to engage in reflection on practice, to develop knowledge, skills and understanding, working autonomously, having had a lengthy period of training and with a strong community service orientation and adherence to a code of values and ethics.
Progression data: data showing students' achievement and progression, e.g. school report or ILP.
Protective factors: those factors that help reduce adverse outcomes for young people despite their unfavourable situations or experiences.
Pruning: the brain's natural system for disregarding synapses and connections that are unused.
Psychosocial: combination of psychological and social factors affecting development (particularly that of mental health) – psychological relating to the mind, and social – the external environment and relationships. The inclusion of 'bio' relates to life as in 'biological' when theories relate to the Biopsychosocial stage – a period of development.
Back to the top
Q
Qualitative research: method of enquiry aimed at gathering views and perspectives.
Quantitative research: methods of enquiry aiming at getting empirical data.
Questionnaire: research tool aiming at gathering statistical or opinion information.
Back to the top
R
Rationalist view of teacher education: a view of the teacher as a rational-autonomous professional whose practice is derived from a theoretical understanding of educational values and principles.
Record of achievement: document recording progress made and achievement as part of a learning programme.
Reflection-in-action: Schön's term for our ability to adjust, change our action or performance on the spot as we go along.
Back to the top
S
School Action: a means of identifying a pupil with SEN who requires additional intervention and support from the school to support a young person who is not making adequate progress despite appropriate differentiation and use of wider school strategies.
School Action Plus: additional support from specialist and other professionals is likely to be required when a pupil has been on School Action but has not made adequate progress.
Self-efficacy: the belief in oneself to effect change and have an impact.
Self-fulfilling prophecy: causing something to happen by believing it to be true, thus unconsciously changing our behaviour or expectations to make it true. For example, if a pupil is labelled 'low ability', they will not try as it is 'too hard'; to compound this the teacher will not set more difficult work and challenge the pupil as they also believe it to be 'too hard'. Also known as the Pygmalion effect.
SENCO: special educational needs coordinator – takes responsibility for the onward referral of pupils to the appropriate support such as an educational psychologist.
Sentient: able to feel, perceive and be aware.
Situated learning: learning which takes place in the context of real-life practice such as in a workplace, trade or profession through authentic, i.e. purposeful and meaningful, tasks.
Skype: software application for making free voice calls between Skype users via the internet, instant messaging, file transfer, and videoconferencing..
Social learning theory: learning theory which considers that people learn behaviour through the observation of other people's behaviours.
'Social market' view of teacher education: a competency or output model of teacher education.
Special educational needs: Children or young people who have learning difficulties or disabilities that make it harder for them to learn than most children of the same age. These children may need extra or different help from that given to other children of the same age.
Statement of special educational needs: a statement which sets out a child's needs and the help they should have following assessment by a Local Authority educational psychologist.
Streaming: placing students according to ability within a defined year group.
Student-centred: the focus is on the whole child.
Student/child centred learning: student-centred learning requires students to be active, responsible participants in their own learning and puts their needs first.
Subjective: the personal opinions or beliefs of an individual formed through own experiences.
Summative assessment: assessment which comes at the end of a course of study, normally as a formal procedure.
Surface learning: learning which is based on increasing knowledge, memorising or storing information and acquiring facts.
Synapses: a tiny gap between the neurons – chemical messages 'jump' and are transmitted across these gaps.
Back to the top
T
Teacher-researcher: teacher undertaking research – usually focused on own teaching and learning context.
The minimum core: in the lifelong learning sector, teachers' knowledge and understanding relating to literacy, language, numeracy and ICT.
Tutorial: individual teacher–learner session enabling the discussion of a specific point of learning or issue.
Back to the top
V
Validity: the measure of assessment is justifiable and sound, that is, valid.
Value: the intrinsic worth of 'something'; this differs from a simple monetary cost.
Vocationalism: the stressing of vocational training in education.
Back to the top
W
White Paper: finalised government paper announcing policy to be implemented.
Back to the top
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z