Glossary of Education Terms

  1. Active learning:A process whereby learners are actively engaged in the learning process, rather than "passively" absorbing lectures. Active learning involvesreading,writing, discussion, and engagement in solving problems, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. Active learning often involvescooperative learning.

Quiz
  1. Employing active learning requires less preparation by the teacher.
  1. True b. False
  1. What is meant by active learning?
  1. The students are actively involved in learning the material through participation in the lesson
  2. The teacher is active while teaching the lesson material the students are to be learning.
  3. The students are being active while learning the material outside of the classroom.
  1. How often should I employ active learning?
  1. In every lesson b. When it works with the lesson content
  2. When it is convenient d. When students are falling asleep in class
  1. Active learning is meant to replace traditional lecture.
  1. True b. False
  1. Active learning is opposed to what?
  1. Passive Learning b. Active non-learning c. Passive non-learning

  1. Aims and objectives:An aim expresses the purpose of the educational unit or course whereas an objective is a statement of a goal which successful participants are expected demonstrably to achieve before the course or unit completes. They should be SMART (i.e. Specific, Measurable, Achievable/Attainable, Realistic, Timed).

Quiz

  1. Aims are overarching statements of intent.
a. True b. False
  1. Objectives are a measurement of where the learner is at the start of a program.
a. True b. False
  1. Objectives are specific statements about what the learner should or will be able to do after the training experience.
a. True b. False
  1. Objectives should influence the teaching and assessment methods chosen.
a. True b. False

E.What part of the SMART learning objectives ensures that the learning objective is realistic?

  1. Specific b. Time-based c. Achievable d. Relevant
  1. The ''measurable'' part of the SMART learning objective is used to determine ______.
  1. If students learned c. What they will be able to accomplish after the lesson
  2. Both of these apply d. None of these apply
  1. The following statement reflects which part of the SMART learning objectives?
''The study of the socio-cultural impacts of tourism will help students as they evaluate tourism's contribution to the economy.''
  1. Time-based b. Relevant c. Specific d. Measurable
  1. A student learning objective is ______
  1. a statement describing the big goal the teacher has for the class
  2. a statement describing something measurable which students will be able to do after a class
  3. a philosophy of learning style
  4. an assessment created by an objective third party
  1. The process for writing student learning objectives follows which of the following sequences?
  1. Write goal, write objectives related to goal, make lessons related to objectives, make assessments related to objectives
  2. Make assessments, write student learning objectives, write goal, create lessons related to goals and objectives
  3. Write objectives, write goal to draw them together, make lessons and assessments related to objectives
  4. Write lessons with objectives, write goals for class, create assessments related to lessons
  1. Which of the following is a good verb to use when writing a student learning objective?
Learn b. understand c. admire d. sort
  1. Analysis:The action of taking something apart in order to study it.Data analysis: the process of systematically applying statistical and/or logical techniques to describe and illustrate, condense, recap, and evaluate data

Quiz
  1. Lack of clearly defined and objective outcome measurements can be overcome by sophisticated and robust statistical analysis tools.
a. True b. False
  1. A common practice among investigators is to defer the selection of statistical analytic procedures to ______:
  1. Statisticians b. graduate students c. funding agency
  1. Statistical analysis advice should be obtained at the stage of initial planning in a study:
a.so that attribution of authorship can be decided
b.so that conflicts of interest could be identified
c.to better coordinate the selection of appropriate sampling methods and data collection instruments
d.how data will be archived can be planned
  1. The optimal stage for determining appropriate analysis procedures occurs late in the research process.
a. True b. False
  1. Qualitative researchers generally do not pre-determine their data collection and analytic procedures.
a. True b. False
  1. The chief aim of analysis is to distinguish between:
a.an event occurring as either reflecting a true effect versus a one occurring by chance
b.right from wrong
c.quality control and quality assurance
d.misrepresentation and plagiarism
  1. Andragogy:A theory ofadult education.Andragogy is derived (from theGreekwords meaning "man-leading") should be distinguished from the more commonly taughtpedagogy(Greek: "child-leading").The Latin word for pedagogy,education, is much more widely used, and often the two are used interchangeably.

Quiz
  1. ______is an adult focused teaching approach.
  2. ______is a child focused teaching approach.
  3. Teaching as a practice is driven by theories from various disciplines such as:
  1. Philosophy, psychology, sociology
  2. Andragogy , pedagogy
  3. None of the above
  1. ______was derived from the Greek words “paid” (meaning “child”) and “agogus” (meaning “leading”). Thus, it is defined as the art and science of teaching children.
  2. The term ______was coined by researchers of adult learning in order to contrast their beliefs about learning to the pedagogical model.
  3. Andragogy refers to:
a.Adult learning c. Action Learning
b.Experiential learning Child learning
  1. Assessment:The process of documenting, usually in measurable terms, knowledge, skills, attitudes and beliefs.Evaluationis the process of making judgments based on criteria and evidence. Atestorquizis used to examine someone's knowledge of something to determine what he or she knows or has learned. Testing measures the level of skill or knowledge that has been reached. Measurement is the process of obtaining a numerical description of the degree to which an individual possesses a particular characteristic. Measurement answers the question, “How much?”.
  • Test is used to gather information.
  • That information is presented in the form of measurement.
  • That measurement is then used to make evaluation.

Quiz
  1. Assessment, measurement, and evaluation ______.
  1. are synonymous terms
  2. are distinct terms when used in an educational context.
  3. should never be applied in educational contexts.
  4. represent areas which do not concern the classroom teacher.
  1. The main purpose of assessment is to ______.
  1. gather data
  2. provide statistics for state funding
  3. support student learning and development
  4. test the measurement ability of teachers
  1. Teachers prefer to use assessment methods that ______.
  1. are familiar to them.
  2. have been familiar from hands-on experience
  3. are research based
  1. The purpose of formative assessment is to provide frequent feedback.
  1. True b. False

  1. Behaviorism: An approach topsychologybased on the proposition thatbehaviorcan be researchedscientificallywithout recourse to inner mental states. It is a form ofmaterialism, denying any independent significance for the mind.One of the assumptions of many behaviorists is thatfree willisillusory, and that all behaviour isdeterminedby acombination of forcesbothgenetic factorsand theenvironment, either throughassociationor reinforcement.

Quiz
  1. The theory of behaviorism concentrates on the study of overt behaviors that cannot be observed and measured?
  1. True b. False
  1. Behaviourism is measured on external behaviour, as opposed to internal like thinking and emotion.
  1. True b. False
  1. Which of the following is part of the definition of learning?
  1. Change in behavior b. Disturbing others c. None of the above
  1. Positive reinforcement refers to adding something positive in order to increase the probability of a behavior occurring.
a.True b. False.
  1. Negative reinforcement refers to the adding of something negative in order to reduce the probability of a behavior occurring.
a.True b. False
  1. Praise or rewards given to motivate people to engage in behavior they might not want to engage in otherwise are called ______.
  1. primary reinforcers c. intrinsic reinforcers
  2. extrinsic reinforcers d. secondary reinforcers
  1. What type of reinforcer maintains or increases a targeted behavior by adding
something desirable as a consequence?
  1. positive b. negative c. primary d. secondary
  1. Which of the following terms refers to the pleasurable consequence that maintains or increases a behavior?
  1. Principle b. outcome c. reinforce d. punisher

  1. Blended learning (BL):Learning in a combination of modes. Often used more specifically to refer to courses which use a combination of traditional face-to-face teaching and distance learning techniques on-line.

Quiz
  1. BL is a term that is increasingly being used to describe a hybrid model of e-learning that allows coexistence of conventional face-to-face teaching methods and newer e-learning activities and resources in a single course.
  1. True b. False
  1. BL give students a greater range of opportunities to explore, discuss and work together using online or offline resources.
  1. True b. False
  1. BL is a useful approach with courses where students have diverse educational backgrounds and different motivations for study.
  1. True b. False
  1. BL is a less risky approach than moving to a fully online or fully computer-mediated course.
  1. True b. False
  1. BL allows academic staff to continue to teach as they have previously done with some online and peripheral resources.
  1. True b. False
  1. BL is a combination of conventional teaching approaches and e-learning elements within a single course or program.
  1. True b. False
  1. BL is a blend of different media, different activities and different tools.
  1. True b. False

  1. Brainstorming:An organized approach for producing ideas by letting themindthinkwithout interruption. Brainstorming can be done either individually or in a group; in group brainstorming sessions, the participants are encouraged, and often expected, to share their ideas with one another as soon as they are generated. The key to brainstorming is not to interrupt the thought process. As ideas come to the mind, they are captured and stimulate the development of better ideas. Brainstorming is used for enhancing creativity in order to generate a broad selection of ideas in leading to a unique and improved concept.

Quiz

A.Which of the following helps to provide a safe brainstorming environment?

  1. criticizing the ideas of others
  2. listening to the ideas of all participates
  3. interrupting when someone else is talking
  1. Brainstorming guidelines include all of the following EXCEPT ______.
  1. no criticism c. encourage freewheeling
  2. state your opposition clearly d. seek quantity
  1. Brainstorming works best when …
  1. it is done days before an essay is written
  2. you do it with your family
  3. you skip it because it is a time waster
  4. you do it alone
  5. you do it with a group of classmates and allow for criticism and debate

  1. Classroom management:A term used by manyteachersto describe the process of ensuringlessonsrun smoothly without disruptivebehaviourbystudents. It is possibly the most difficult aspect ofteachingfor many teachers and indeed experiencing problems in this area causes many people to leave teaching altogether. It is closely linked to issues ofmotivation,disciplineandrespect.

Quiz
  1. First-year teachers typically describe classroom management problems as ____.
a.very easy to deal with
b.moderately easy to deal with
c.very difficult to deal with
d.none of the above, as feelings are quite mixed in this regard
  1. At the beginning of the year, when making the rules for your classroom do you...
  1. Allow the students to make up their own rules for themselves.
  2. Collaborate with your students in what would be the best rules for the entire class.
  3. The rules and procedures are already made up before the students walk into the class.
  1. When thinking about your beliefs for child development, what do you believe?
a. Agree b. Disagree
  1. When thinking about discipline, what comes to mind for your classroom?
  1. Identify and confront students' mistaken goals, use logical consequences, teach in a democratic manner.
  2. Balancing consequences with empathy, identifying problem ownership, and maximizing communication.
  3. Recognize classroom rights, teacher desired behavior, establish consequences.
  1. Children develop from both inner and outer forces and interaction with children helps clarify boundaries.
  1. Agree b. Disagree
  1. Children develop from external forces and should be told the rules and have rewards and punishments.
  1. Agree b. Disagree
  1. I don't want to impose any rules on my students.
  1. Agree b. Disagree
  1. The classroom must be quiet in order for students to learn.
a. Agree b. Disagree
  1. If a student turns in a late homework assignment, it is not my problem.
a. Agree b. Disagree
  1. I don't want to reprimand a student because it might hurt his/her feelings.
a. Agree b. Disagree
  1. Class preparation isn't worth the effort.
a. Agree b. Disagree
  1. I always try to explain the reasons behind my rules and decisions.
a. Agree b. Disagree
  1. I will not accept excuses from a student who is tardy.
a. Agree b. Disagree
  1. The emotional well-being of my students is more important than classroom control.
a. Agree b. Disagree
  1. My students understand that they can interrupt my lecture if they have a relevant question.
a. Agree b. Disagree
  1. Cognitive maps:(mental maps,mind maps, cognitive models, ormental models) A type of mental processing, or cognition, composed of a series of psychological transformations by which an individual can acquire, code, store, recall, and decode information about the relative locations and attributes of phenomena in their everyday or metaphorical spatial environment. Here, 'cognition' can be used to refer to the mental models, or belief systems, that people use to perceive, contextualize, simplify, and make sense of otherwise complex problems. As they have been studied in various fields of science, these mental models are often referred to, variously, as cognitive maps, scripts, schemata, and frames of reference.

Quiz
  1. Which of the following terms refers to a mental picture or image of the layout of one's physical environment?
  1. Cognitive map
  2. Political map
  3. Mental picture
  4. None of the options are correct
  1. People in time build cognitive maps of their surroundings.
  1. True b. False
  1. A mental representation of a spatial layout is called a ______.
a.latent map c. insight map
b.map model d. cognitive map
  1. Cognitive learning depends on mental processes that are not directly observable.
  1. True b. False
  1. A ______is a learned mental image of a spatial environment that may be called on to solve problems when stimuli in the environment change.
  1. mind map c. learning picture
  2. search image d. cognitive map

  1. Cooperative learning:Proposed in response to traditionalcurriculum-driveneducation. In cooperative learning environments, students interact in purposely structuredheterogeneousgroup to support the learning of one self and others in the same group.

Quiz
  1. Cooperative learning is a______.
a.teacher centered approach to teaching
b.Student-centered approach to teaching
  1. Cooperative learning lessons can be characterized by the following features EXCEPT ______.
a.Teams are made up of high-average-, and low-achieving students
b.Whenever possible, teams include a racial, cultural and gender mix
c.Students work in terms to master learning goals
d.Competition among teacher and students
  1. Jigsaw is characterized by all of the following except ______.
a.Students are assigned to five-or-six member heterogeneous study teams.
b.Academic materials are presented to the students in text form and each student is responsible for learning a portion of the material.
c.The primary responsibility was to engage students in inquiry into important social and interpersonal problems.
  1. In cooperative learning, teachers have responsibility for ______.
a.acquiring sufficient resource materials
b.determining group composition
c.facilitating appropriate seating arrangements
d.all of the above
  1. One reason that cooperative learning is important is that ______.
a.it allows students more control over time
b.it is congruent with democratic values
c.it reduces the need for teachers to manage student behavior
d.it allows individuals to set their own learning goals
  1. Which of the following is not an outcome of cooperative learning?
  1. Academic achievement.
  2. Individualistic self-reliance.
  3. Social skills.
  4. Acceptance of diversity.
  1. Which of the following is one of the elements that define true cooperative learning in groups?
  1. Positive interdependence c. Group processing
  2. Individual accountability d. Collaborative skills
  1. All of the answers are correct

  1. Computer Based Learning:(sometimes abbreviatedCBL) Refers to the use ofcomputersas a key component of the educational environment. While this can refer to the use of computers in aclassroom, the term more broadly refers to a structured environment in which computers are used for teaching purposes. The concept is generally seen as being distinct from the use of computers in ways where learning is at least a peripheral element of the experience (e.g. computer games and web browsing).

Quiz
What do you think about the following statements? How do you agree or disagree?

  1. Concept mapping:A technique forvisualizingthe relationships between different concepts. Aconcept mapis a diagram showing the relationships between concepts. Concepts are connected with labelled arrows, in a downward-branching hierarchical structure. The relationship between concepts is articulated in linking phrases, e.g., "gives rise to", "results in", "is required by," or "contributes to". Concept mapping serves several purposes. One, which takes place via knowledge elicitation, is to represent the mental models, i.e., thecognitive map of individuals, teams and organizations. Another, which takes place by knowledge capture, is to represent the structure of knowledge gleaned from written documents. The addition of knowledge resources, e.g., diagrams, reports, other concept maps, spreadsheets, etc., to the concept nodes (attached during or after construction) has been found to significantly improve the level of meaningful learning of the concept mapper. Educators are increasingly realising the utility of such maps and have started using them in classroom.

Quiz

  1. Constructivism:A set of assumptions about the nature of human learning that guide constructivistlearning theoriesand teaching methods. Constructivism values developmentallyappropriate, teacher-supported learning that is initiated and directed by the student.

Quiz
  1. Which of the following statement is correct about Constructivism?
a.Meaning is created rather than acquired.
b.Methods include the use of instructional cues, reinforcement, and practice.
c.Students learn basic skills before they move to more complex processes.
  1. One of the examples of content taught based on the constructivism theory is:
a.Giving feedback on a posted topic.
b.Driving a stick shift car.
c.Listing State capitals.
  1. The constructivism learning theory argues that people produce knowledge and form meaning based upon their experiences.
a.True b. False
  1. In a constructivist classroom______.
a.the teacher asks open ended questions and answers them his/herself.
b.students are engaged in dialogue with the teacher, but not with the other students.
c.students are engaged in experiences that challenges hypotheses and encourage discussion.
d.higher-level thinking is discouraged.
  1. Which is not one of the premises of constructivism?
a.Knowledge is constructed, not transmitted
b.Prior knowledge does not impact the learning process
c.initial understanding is local, not global