AAER-Word of the Day

A set of assumptions about the nature of human learning that guide constructivist learning theories and teaching methods. Constructivism values developmentally appropriate, teacher-supported learning that is initiated and directed by the student.

A technique for visualizing the relationships between different concepts. A concept map is a diagram showing the relationships between concepts. 

What people in common would agree; that which they "sense" in common as their common natural understanding.

An umbrella term for a variety of approaches in education that involve joint intellectual effort by students or students and teachers.

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. 

A term used by many teachers to describe the process of ensuring lessons run smoothly without disruptive behaviour by students.

A young human. Depending on context it may mean someone who is not yet an adult, or someone who has not yet reached puberty 

An organized approach for producing ideas by letting the mind think without interruption. The term was coined by Alex Osborn. Brainstorming can be done either individually or in a group

A hierarchy of learning objectives that range from the simplest form (knowledge) to the most complex form (evaluation).

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.

Education where two distinct languages are used for general teaching; education designed to help children become bilingual 

A conviction to the truth of a proposition. Beliefs can be acquired through perception, contemplation or communication. In the psychological sense, belief is a representational mental state that takes the form of a propositional attitude.

The process of identifying desired outcomes and determining acceptable evidence of learning before planning learning experiences and instructional methods that will lead to desired outcomes

The term "arts education" implies many things, but it is defined as: Instruction and programming in all arts disciplines—including but not limited to dance, music, visual art, theater, creative writing, media arts, history, criticism, and aesthetics. 

An approach to learning and teaching that focuses on how academic subjects (communications, mathematics, science, and basic literacy) can apply to the real world

A theory of adult education proposed by the American educator Malcolm Knowles (April 24, 1913—November 27, 1997).

Knowles held that andragogy (from the Greek words meaning "man-leading") should be distinguished from the more commonly taught pedagogy (Greek: "child-leading").