Unit 1: Making Connections with Learners' World

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering educational theories, Bloom's taxonomy domains, and pedagogical strategies for connecting with learners' worlds.

Learners' worlds

The life experiences and events of learners that affect how they feel and view the world around them, encompassing family, peers, culture, community, and technological interactions.

Prior knowledge

The existing knowledge and understanding learners develop from family, community, media, and digital technologies, which they link with new information to construct meaning.

The World of Learners Wheel

A visual framework illustrating four key dimensions of learner development: Motivation, Social/Emotional, Academic Skills, and Self-Regulation.

Operant Conditioning (Skinner)

A behaviorist learning theory stating that desirable behaviors are reinforced with positive rewards, whereas negative behaviors are punished.

Classical Conditioning (Pavlov)

A learning process where a neutral stimulus (such as a bell) is paired with an unconditioned stimulus (such as food) to elicit an unconditioned response.

Self-efficacy (Bandura, 1986)

A learner's belief in their ability to perform tasks, which shapes their learning capacity, motivation, and academic aspirations.

Cognitivism

A learning theory focusing on internal mental actions and information processing, examining how thought processes directly affect learner behavior.

Spiral Curriculum (Bruner)

A cognitive curriculum design concept where key ideas are revisited repeatedly at increasing levels of complexity.

Humanism

A learning perspective that views the learner as a whole person, emphasizing emotional and physical well-being alongside motivation based on personal needs.

Social Constructivism

A learning theory asserting that knowledge and understanding are actively built through social and cultural interactions within a community.

Three Domains of Bloom's Taxonomy

The categorization of learning tasks into three psychological domains: Cognitive, Affective, and Psychomotor.

Cognitive Domain

The psychological domain in Bloom's taxonomy dealing with mental skills, knowledge retrieval, and processing information ('minds-on').

Affective Domain

The psychological domain in Bloom's taxonomy concerned with attitudes, values, emotions, and feelings ('heart-on').

Psychomotor Domain

The psychological domain in Bloom's taxonomy related to physical movement, coordination, and motor skills ('hands-on').

Bloom's Taxonomy Revised Terms (Pohl, 2000)

The updated active-verb hierarchy of cognitive processing: Remembering, Understanding, Applying, Analysing, Evaluating, and Creating.

Differentiated Instruction

An educational approach where lessons, formats, and student groupings are modified to address diverse learning styles, needs, and interests.

Universal Design for Learning (UDL)

A curriculum framework designed to accommodate diverse learners by offering multiple means of representation, expression, and engagement.

Episteme and Phronesis (Korthagen, 2001)

A dual concept of teacher knowledge contrasting academic theoretical knowledge (episteme) with practical classroom wisdom (phronesis).

Traditional Teaching Method

A teacher-centered approach where the educator fully controls the learning environment, causing students to act as passive listeners memorizing content.