Ch. 16 Definitions Flashcards
Constructivist approach
Learner-centered approach that emphasizes individual’s active, cognitive construction of knowledge and understanding with guidance from the teacher
Direct instruction approach
Teacher-centered approach characterized by teacher direction and control, high expectations for students’ progress, and maximum time spent on academic tasks
Child-centered kindergarten
Education that involves the whole child by considering both the child’s physical, cognitive, and socioemotional development and the child’s needs, interests, and learning styles
Montessori approach
Educational philosophy in which children are given considerable freedom and spontaneity in choosing activities and are allowed to move from one activity to another as they desire
Developmentally appropriate practice (DAP)
Education that focuses on the typical developmental patterns of children (age appropriateness) and the uniqueness of each child (individual appropriateness).
Contrasts with developmentally inappropriate practice which has an academic, direct instruction approach focused largely on abstract paper-and-pencil activities, seat work, and rote/drill practice.
Project Head Start
Compensatory prekindergarten education designed to provide children from low-income families the opportunity to acquire skills and experiences important for school successes
Top-dog phenomenon
The circumstance of moving from the top position in elementary school to the youngest, smallest, and least powerful position in middle/junior high school.
Learning disabilities
Disabilities in which children experience difficulty in learning that involves understanding or using spoken or written language; the difficulty can appear in listening, thinking, reading, writing, and spelling, or math.
Not primarily the result of visual, hearing, or motor disabilities; intellectual disability; emotional disorders; or environmental, cultural, or economic disadvantage
Dyslexia
Learning disability that involves a severe impairment in the ability to read and spell
Dysgraphia
Learning disability that involves difficulty in handwriting
Dyscalculia
Learning disability that involves difficulty with math computation (aka, developmental arithmetic disorder)
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
Disability in which children consistently show one or more of: inattention, hyperactivity, impulsivity
Autism spectrum disorders
Characterized by problems in social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication, repetitive behaviors (aka: pervasive developmental disorder)
Autistic disorder
Severe autism spectrum disorder that has its onset in the first three years of life and includes deficiencies in social relationships; abnormalities in communication; restricted, repetitive, stereotyped patterns of behavior
Asperger syndrome
Relatively mild autism spectrum disorder in which the child has relatively good verbal language skills, milder nonverbal language problems, restricted range of interests and relationships
