A collection of words and phrases often used in Education with specific purpose and definitions. The list will continue be developed as the lexicon of Education continues to evolve.
Note: Some of definitions were created using ChatGPT, then edited or modified to match an education-based context.
Accommodations [Programming & Special Education & ESL/ELD]
Definition: Modifications or supports provided that help students with different needs access and demonstrate their learning of curriculum expectations as written. (e.g. Type book report instead of writing by hand for student with fine motor challenges.)
Observed Context: Multiple
Activation Pathways [Cognitive Development]
Definition: The specific routes or sequences of events in the brain that are triggered by a stimulus (e.g. making a sound when viewing a specific letter in a word).
Observed Context: Training - The Reading Teacher's Top Ten Tools
Assessment [Assessment & Techniques]
Definition: The systematic process of gathering and evaluating information to make informed judgments and decisions about a student or groups learning.
Observed Context: Text - Student-Led Conferences
Variations:
Authentic Assessment - An evaluative approach that focuses on real-world tasks and meaningful demonstrations of knowledge, skills, and understanding.
Observed Context: Text - Student-Led Conferences
Diagnostic Assessment - A form of evaluation designed to identify an individual's strengths, weaknesses, and specific learning needs to inform instructional strategies and interventions.
Observed Context: Text - Student-Led Conferences
ELOT, Early LIteracy Observation Tool - An assessment tool used to evaluate early literacy skills and behaviours in young children.
Observed Context: Multiple
Formative Assessment - An ongoing, continuous process of gathering and using information to provide feedback and guide instructional adjustments during the learning process.
Observed Context: Text - Student-Led Conferences
Self-Assessment - The process through which students evaluate their own learning, progress, and understanding, fostering metacognition and empowering them to take ownership of their educational journey.
Observed Context: Text - Student-Led Conferences
Conferencing [Assessment]
Definition: A structured and collaborative meeting to discuss progress, set goals, and exchange valuable insights to support the student's academic and personal development.
Observed Context: Text - Student-Led Conferences
Variations:
Parent-Teacher Interview - A meeting in which the teacher presents the student's academic progress, achievements, and goals to the parents.
Observed Context: Text - Student-Led Conferences
Student-Led Conference - A collaborative meeting in which students take an active and leading role in presenting their academic progress, achievements, and goals to their teachers and parents, fostering self-advocacy and ownership of their learning journey.
Observed Context: Text - Student-Led Conferences
Three-Way Conference - A collaborative meeting in which students take an equal role with their teachers in presenting their academic progress, achievements, and goals to their parents, fostering self-advocacy and ownership of their learning journey.
Observed Context: Text - Student-Led Conferences
Cooperative Learning [Techniques]
Definition: A collaborative instructional approach where students work together in small groups to achieve shared learning goals, promoting active engagement, peer interaction, and the development of social and academic skills.
Observed Context: Training - The Reading Teacher's Top Ten Tools
Corrective Feedback [Assessment & Techniques]
Definition: A response given in order to help the student improve or correct their actions, behaviours, or performance by pointing out errors, providing guidance, or suggesting alternatives.
Observed Context: Training - The Reading Teacher's Top Ten Tools
Cultural Proficiency - An educator’s ability to effectively teach and interact with students from diverse cultural backgrounds. It involves understanding, respecting, and valuing cultural differences and incorporating this awareness into teaching practices.
Observed Context: Tiered Intervention Protocol for English Language Learners (OCDSB)
Cycle of Effective Instruction - A systematic and differentiated approach to teaching that ensures students receive high-quality instruction and achieve learning goals: Planning, Instruction, Assessment, Reflection, Adjustment.
Observed Context: Tiered Intervention Protocol for English Language Learners (OCDSB)
Discourse [Literacy]
Definition: The extended and organized communication of ideas, information, and meaning within written texts, encompassing the structure, style, and interaction of language elements (aka. text that is two or more sentences).
Observed Context: Training - The Reading Teacher's Top Ten Tools
Etymology [Language]
Definition: The study of the origins, historical development, and changes in meaning of words, providing insights into their roots and connections to other languages or cultural contexts.
Observed Context: Training - The Reading Teacher's Top Ten Tools
Evaluation [Assessment & Techniques]
Definition: The process of critically assessing and analyzing the effectiveness, value, or quality of something based on predetermined criteria or standards.
Observed Context: Text - Student-Led Conferences
Variations:
Self-referenced evaluation - A form of self-assessment where students measure their progress and achievements against their own previous performance and personal learning goals rather than external standards or peers' accomplishments.
Observed Context: Text - Student-Led Conferences
Executive Functioning [Cognitive]
Definition: A set of cognitive processes that involve the ability to plan, organize, manage time, pay attention, regulate behaviour, and solve problems, which are essential for effective learning and academic success.
Observed Context: Training - The Reading Teacher's Top Ten Tools
Explicit Teaching [Techniques]
Definition: A systematic and direct approach where teachers provide clear and structured explanations, models, and guided practice to explicitly teach concepts, skills, or strategies, ensuring that students understand and acquire the intended knowledge or abilities.
Observed Context: Training - The Reading Teacher's Top Ten Tools
Grammar [Language]
Definition: The system of rules and principles governing the structure, formation, and usage of language, including aspects such as sentence construction, verb tenses, and word order.
Synonym: Syntax
Observed Context: Training - The Reading Teacher's Top Ten Tools
Identification, Placement and Review Committee [Special Education]
Definition: Team of educators and professions that handle the process of identifying students with special needs, determining their educational placement, and reviewing their progress.
Observed Context: Multiple
Inclusive Education [Programming]
Definition: Principles of accepting and including all individuals regardless of social, academic or family challenges through the curriculum, physical surroundings of the classroom and school environment.
Observed Context: Multiple
Individual Education Plan, IEP [Programming, Special Education]
Definition: A formal document developed for students with special education challenges to outline personalized educational goals and the support they need to succeed in school. The IEP is designed to ensure that students receive tailored instruction and resources to meet their unique needs.
Observed Context: Multiple
Interactive Reading Strategies [Literacy]
Definition: Instructional approaches that actively engage students in interactive and meaningful activities, discussions, and tasks to develop their literacy skills, promote comprehension, and foster critical thinking.
Observed Context: Training - The Reading Teacher's Top Ten Tools
Just Right Books [Literacy]
Definition: Books that are appropriately matched to a student's reading level, ensuring that the text is neither too easy nor too difficult for them. These books strike a balance that allows students to read with sufficient fluency and comprehension while still providing some level of challenge to promote growth and development in reading skills.
Observed Context: Original Text - Guided Reading: Good First Teaching for All Children
Language Rich Classroom [Environment]
Definition: An educational environment where language is actively promoted and nurtured through meaningful interactions, extensive exposure to diverse texts, and intentional instruction, fostering students' language development and literacy skills.
Observed Context: Training - The Reading Teacher's Top Ten Tools
Learning Outcome [Planning & Assessment]
Definition: A specific and measurable statement that describes the intended knowledge, skills, or abilities that learners should acquire at the end of a learning experience.
Observed Context: Text - Student-Led Conferences
Model [Techniques]
Definition: The act of demonstrating or showing how to perform the task correctly, serving as an example for the student to follow and learn from.
Observed Context: Training - The Reading Teacher's Top Ten Tools
Modifications [Programming]
Definition: Changes to the curriculum expectations to support a student with challenges that limit their academic progress (e.g. ESL, Autism).
Observed Context: Multiple
Morphology [Literacy]
Definition: The study of word structure, including the way words are formed from meaningful units called morphemes, such as prefixes, suffixes, and root words.
Variations: Morphemes
Observed Context: Training - The Reading Teacher's Top Ten Tools
Multi-sensory Instruction [Techniques]
Definition: An approach that engages multiple senses (such as visual, auditory, and tactile) simultaneously to enhance learning and memory retention by providing varied and interconnected pathways for information processing.
Observed Context: Training - The Reading Teacher's Top Ten Tools
Neural Plasticity [Cognitive]
Definition: The brain's ability to change and adapt through the formation of new connections and the modification of existing ones in response to experiences, acquiring new knowledge and skills.
Observed Context: Training - The Reading Teacher's Top Ten Tools
Oracy [Language]
Definition: The development and proficiency in spoken language skills, encompassing the ability to express oneself effectively, engage in meaningful conversations, and understand spoken communication.
Observed Context: Article - MindShift
Orthographic [Literacy]
Definition: The aspect of written language that relates to the correct spelling, formation, and arrangement of letters and words.
Variations: Orthography
Observed Context: Training - The Reading Teacher's Top Ten Tools
Pacing [Literacy]
Definition: The speed or rate at which a reader move through the text, often influenced by factors such as fluency, comprehension, and expression.
Observed Context: Training - The Reading Teacher's Top Ten Tools
Pedagogy [Professional Practice]
Definition: The principles, methods, and strategies employed in teaching and education to facilitate learning and promote effective instruction.
Observed Context: Training - The Reading Teacher's Top Ten Tools
Phonology [Language]
Definition: The sounds and sound patterns of spoken words, including phonemes, syllables, and phonological awareness, which are essential for decoding and understanding written language.
Variations: Phonics, Phonological
Observed Context: Training - The Reading Teacher's Top Ten Tools
Phonological working memory [Literacy]
Definition: The capacity to temporarily hold and manipulate speech sounds or phonemes in memory, playing a crucial role in tasks such as decoding, word recognition, and comprehension during reading.
Variations: Phonics, Phonological
Observed Context: Training - The Reading Teacher's Top Ten Tools
Polysemous [Language]
Definition: A word or phrase that has multiple related meanings or interpretations within a particular context or across different contexts.
Observed Context: Training - The Reading Teacher's Top Ten Tools
Portfolio [Assessment & Techniques]
Definition: A purposeful collection of students' work, showcasing their progress, achievements, and reflections over time, serving as evidence of their learning and growth.
Observed Context: Text - Student-Led Conferences
Pragmatics [Language]
Definition: The understanding and application of social and contextual rules for effective communication, including the use of language in different situations, understanding implied meanings, and interpreting non-verbal cues.
Observed Context: Training - The Reading Teacher's Top Ten Tools
Reading Components [Literacy]
Definition: Five categories that make up the process of reading:
1. Phoneme awareness - ability to recognize and manipulate individual sounds (phonemes)
2. Phonics - the relationship between letters (graphemes) and their corresponding sounds (phonemes), helping readers decode and sound out words.
3. Fluency - the ability to read accurately, smoothly, and with appropriate speed, expression, and comprehension, demonstrating a level of automaticity and ease in reading.
4. Vocabulary - the collection of words, both known and understood by a reader, which plays a crucial role in understanding and expressing meaning within written text.
5. Reading comprehension -the ability to understand, interpret, and make meaning from written text.
Observed Context: Training - The Reading Teacher's Top Ten Tools
Rigorous Vocabulary Instruction [Language]
Definition: A systematic and intensive approach that provides explicit teaching, repeated exposure, and active practice of words and their meanings to enhance vocabulary acquisition and usage skills.
Observed Context: Training - The Reading Teacher's Top Ten Tools
Scaffolding [Technique]
Definition: The instructional support and guidance provided by an educator to help a student learn new concepts or skills, gradually reducing the support as the student becomes more independent and proficient or breaking a larger skill into smaller steps.
Observed Context: Training - The Reading Teacher's Top Ten Tools
Self-Assessment - See the entry for Assessment
Sentence Frames [Technique]
Definition: Partially constructed sentence templates or structures provided to students as a scaffold, guiding their language production and supporting their ability to express ideas or responses using complete and grammatically accurate sentences.
Observed Context: Training - The Reading Teacher's Top Ten Tools
Sheltered Instruction Lessons (SIOP) [Technique]
Definition: An instructional approach designed to support English language learners by providing comprehensible content, language scaffolding, and explicit instruction to facilitate their understanding and participation in academic lessons.
Observed Context: Training - The Reading Teacher's Top Ten Tools
Simple View of Reading [Philosophy]
Definition: Developed by Gough and Tunmer in 1986, it is a model that suggests reading comprehension is determined by two key components: decoding (the ability to convert written words into spoken language) and language comprehension (the understanding of spoken or written language). It emphasizes that their independent and combined contributions support the overall reading ability.
Observed Context: Training - The Reading Teacher's Top Ten Tools
Specific Praise [Assessment & Technique]
Definition: To provide positive feedback that highlights the specific action or skill that the student demonstrated (e.g. "Great job at remembering to include an s at the end of this plural noun.").
Observed Context: Training - The Reading Teacher's Top Ten Tools
Syntax [Language]
Definition: The set of rules and principles governing the arrangement and combination of words to form grammatically correct sentences and phrases in a language.
Synonym: Grammar
Observed Context: Training - The Reading Teacher's Top Ten Tools
Systemic [Technique]
Definition: An approach that is planned, structured, and consistent, following a deliberate and organized sequence to ensure comprehensive coverage and skill development.
Observed Context: Training - The Reading Teacher's Top Ten Tools
Tired Intervention [Special Education, ESL/ELD, Behaviour Management]
Definition: A protocol for identifying supports to assist a Student of Concern with three levels from universal (classroom) interventions to targeted interventions (e.g. small-group lessons) and intensive interventions (e.g. Empower).
Observed Context: Multiple
Unison response [Technique]
Definition: A synchronized and collective response from students, where they all respond simultaneously or in perfect alignment to a prompt or cue given by the teacher.
Observed Context: Training - The Reading Teacher's Top Ten Tools
Vocabulary [Language]
Definition: The collection of words and their meanings that a person possesses, enabling them to understand, express, and communicate ideas effectively.
Observed Context: Training - The Reading Teacher's Top Ten Tools
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Family Reception Centre (FRB) [Ottawa - Community Service]
Definition: Support Centre that assists families that are new to Canada by connecting them with community resources, collecting intake information for schools and assessing language ability.
Observed Context: Training - The Reading Teacher's Top Ten Tools
In-School Team [Ottawa - Special Education]
Definition: A group of educators and school professionals who collaborate to support the academic, behavioural, and emotional needs of students within a school setting.
Observed Context: Multiple
Learning Support Teacher [Ottawa - Special Education]
Definition: An educator who leads the Special Education teach (e.g. EAs) and teachers in schools. They are responsible for extended documentation and arranging official assessments with external professionals.
Observed Context: Multiple
Multicultural Liaison Officer, MLO [Ottawa - ESL/ELD]
Definition: A professional from the FRC who supports students and families from immigrant communities, racial and ethnocultural minorities through oral language interpretation and providing community resource information etc.
Observed Context: Multiple
Ontario Student Record, OSR [Ottawa - Documentation]
Definition: A confidential record of a student's academic progress and personal information within the Ontario education system. It is maintained by the school and contains various documents and data.
Observed Context: Multiple
Student of Concern, SOC [Ottawa - Special Education, ESL/ELD, Behaviour Management]
Definition: A student who requires support or additional services due to behaviour, academic or personal challenges. Often leading to official assessments, IPRCs, IEPs or other specialized support.
Observed Context: Multiple
Ontario Student Record, OSR [Ottawa - Documentation]
Definition: A confidential record of a student's academic progress and personal information within the Ontario education system. It is maintained by the school and contains various documents and data.
Observed Context: Multiple
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