Terminology

Accountability
The notion that people (e.g., students or teachers) or an organization (e.g., a school, school district, or state
The department of education should be held responsible for improving student achievement and should be rewarded.
or sanctioned for their success or lack of.
Achievement test
A test to measure a student's knowledge and skills.
Alternative assessments
Ways other than standardized tests to gather information about what students know and where they need assistance.
such as oral reports, projects, performances, experiments, and class participation.
Bilingual education
An in-school program for students whose first language isn't English or who have limited English skills. Bilingual
Education provides English language development plus subject area instruction in the student's native language.
The goal is for the child to gain knowledge and be literate in two languages.
Block scheduling
Instead of traditional 40- to 50-minute periods, block scheduling allows for periods of an hour or more so that
teachers can accomplish more during a class session. It also allows for teamwork across subject areas in some
schools. For example, a math and science teacher may teach a physics lesson that includes both math and
physics concepts.
Certificate/credential
A state-issued license certifying that the teacher has completed the necessary basic training courses and passed
the teacher exam.
Content standards
Standards that describe what students should know and be able to do in core academic subjects at each grade.
level.
Closed-book test: a test during which students are not allowed to refer to their textbooks or their course notes.
Contemplative reading practice
Contemplative reading occurs when a reader absorbs a text more fully than if he or she were simply reading the
text to gain knowledge about the information presented. Contemplative reading involves reading to gather a
deeper understanding of what, how, and why the text presents the information it does.
Differentiated Learning
is a teaching method that adjusts the presentation of the instructional material to better suit each individual
student. While the learning goals are the same for all, some students learn differently than others, and so
Differentiated learning seeks to meet each student halfway, as it were, rather than forcing all the students to learn.
via the same method.
Demonstrations
are often a practical exhibition or explanation of how something works/is performed, for example, in the
laboratory or studio.
Deep learning
As compared to Surface, Deep learning is an approach to study that focuses on what is signified, relates
previous knowledge to new knowledge, relates knowledge from different courses, relates theoretical ideas to
everyday experience, relates and distinguishes evidence and argument, organizes and structures content into a
coherent whole, and has an internal emphasis from within the student.
E-learning
may include a range of technology-based activities which can be completed on or off-site and may include video
lectures and tutorials, podcasts and the use of Library e-resources. In some cases, the whole module or course
may be delivered through online learning or certain subject areas within a module.
Essay question
Flipped Classroom
is one in which teachers do not simply lecture to students for the entire class period. Rather, teachers work
with students to solve problem sets or otherwise directly interact with the students. What would traditionally
A face-to-face lecture is then (at least in many cases) recorded and posted online for the students to access.
watch as 'homework.'
Thus the traditional lecture at school and do problems at home model is inverted, or 'flipped.'
Grade Point Average
the cumulative average of a student’s performance over the course of a term or entire undergraduate program
graduate career. This is calculated on a point system with the highest being a 4.0 (receiving all A’s).
Inquiry-based approach
An active learning teaching strategy that, within a broader subject matter, presents students with specific
questions or hypothetical situations to solve or address. Instead of receiving general information passively,
students more deeply internalize knowledge by applying it to concrete concerns.
Immersion education
A program that teaches children to speak, read, and write in a second language by surrounding them with
conversation and instruction in that language. Note that English immersion may differ from other immersion
programs.
Independent learning
is an important aspect of developing knowledge and understanding by exploring ideas, reading and thinking
critically. Study is supported through a range of resources; e-resources, digital resources and texts, and
builds upon the work undertaken in scheduled contact time.
An independent study can also be a term which means a project, assignment or dissertation.
Lab (laboratory)
a designated class period of a course where students meet in small groups facilitated by an instructor.
The purpose is to apply course material in a laboratory setting using specialized laboratory equipment or
computers.
Lecture
is a timetabled session where a subject specialist will deliver and discuss subject content, and identify
further areas of wider learning through the Blackboard VLE, e-resources and library. Lecture content will be
appropriate for the subject and level of module, and may provide a contextual background to tutorial work or
practical sessions, be delivered by a practitioner, or be research-led.
Make up
a term used to refer to completing a missed exam (e.g. make up test) or assignment. The decision to allow
Whether students can take a make-up exam or assignment is often left at the discretion of the course instructor.
NCLB (No Child Left Behind)
Signed into law by President Bush in 2002, No Child Left Behind sets performance guidelines for all schools.
and also stipulates what must be included in accountability reports to parents. It mandates annual student
testing, includes guidelines for underperforming schools, and requires states to train all teachers and
assistants to be "highly qualified." Soon to be reauthorized to ESEA, the Elementary and Secondary
Education Act.
Online study
This can refer to the availability of resources online for you to use as part of your programme of study, e.g. e-
resources from the library.
Open-book test
a test in which students are allowed to refer to their textbooks and course notes.
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