Vocabulary For Education And Schooling

Vocabulary for Education And Schooling

curriculum = the full range of subjects offered by a school or group of schools

Sentence-The curriculum in private schools is sometimes wider than in state schools, because they have more resources.

pedagogical (experts) = (experts in) education and teaching

Sentence-I admire pedagogical pioneers such as the Victorian English thinkers who began free schools for all children.

syllabus = the content of elements taught in a specific subject

Sentence- The syllabus for geography at my school included volcanoes, earthquakes and tidal waves, which we found fascinating.

formal examinations = exams where students answer set written or spoken questions without assistance

Sentence- Kids are normally afraid of formal examinations

continuous assessment = giving students marks for course work or projects, rather than formal exams

Sentence- At my school, our grades were based 50/50 on formal examinations and continuous assessment, which we thought was very fair to all the children.

academic achievement = the measurable performance of a student in marks, exam results etc.

Sentence- In my country, children enjoy school, but academic achievement is frankly quite low.

further education = education after leaving school at the minimum age

Sentence- Some governments encourage further education by allowing teenagers to claim benefits while they study.

higher education = education after age 18 at college or University, usually for a Degree When I pass IELTS.

Sentence- I plan to go on to higher education in Canada and do a degree in engineering.

group work = study where pupils discuss and agree a project together

Sentence- Personally, I think that group work enables lazy children to do less work than the eager ones.

teacher-led lessons = traditional lessons where the teacher delivers a long talk and the students take notes.

Sentence- In my country, lessons are still very teacher-led and interaction is rather limited.

autonomous learning = when a student learns through independent study and research

Sentence- At University, you are expected to be an autonomous learner far more than at High School, which is quite exciting for me.

study skills = the skills of organising, using and checking study work

Sentence- My study skills were rather weak until I read an excellent book by a Japanese pedagogical expert.

to synthesise sources = to use a variety of sources and combine them in one project.

Sentence-I use the Internet to synthesise my sources, and I always cite the origin of the information. (to cite sources = to acknowledge publicly)

rote-learning = learning by repetition and memorising items

Sentence- I used to think that rote-learning was a negative approach, but my recent experiences teaching in a South African school have changed my view.

to supplement = to add extra content or material

Sentence- My supervisor said that I should supplement my essay with more examples of experiments.

to assimilate knowledge = to absorb and understand it

Sentence- I always use a dictionary when I study in English, to help me assimilate new phrases.

guided learning = learning under the supervision of a teacher

Sentence-Lessons in Primary Schools should always contain guided learning, otherwise the children will lose focus.

data-gathering = collecting information, usually in numerical form.

Sentence- Mobile phone companies employ many people in data-gathering Tasks, to see how users are using the phones and Internet.

distance learning = learning by the Internet or email, rather than face-to-face

Sentence- My mother took an entire degree by distance learning over a period of five years.

self-study = studying using a course without a teacher’s involvement

Sentence- There are many self-study guides to improving your English, and some of them are actually quite good.

to discriminate between sources = to decide whether one source is better or more reliable than another source

Sentence- Children should not study using unsupervised Internet access, because they can’t discriminate between the sources of information they find.