DPE Primary Teacher key terms

Teaching that matches activities and expectations to children's age, individual needs, and social context. It balances what is typical for an age group with each child's actual abilities and background.

The gap between what a learner can do alone and what the learner can do with help from a more capable person. Instruction is most effective when aimed inside this range.

Temporary support a teacher gives so a learner can complete a task just beyond independent ability. Support is gradually withdrawn as competence grows, shifting responsibility to the learner.

A view of learning in which learners actively build understanding by connecting new information to what they already know, rather than passively receiving facts from the teacher.

What a learner already knows and believes about a topic before new teaching begins. It shapes how new information is interpreted, so teachers check and build on it deliberately.

The drive to do something because the activity itself is interesting or satisfying, not for rewards or punishment. It supports sustained effort and independent learning over time.

Planning lessons so content, process, or product can vary to suit learners' readiness, interests, and learning profiles, while all students work toward the same core learning goals.

An approach where students investigate genuine questions, gather and interpret evidence, and construct explanations, with the teacher guiding rather than simply presenting conclusions.

Extended learning around a real problem or theme, usually producing a tangible outcome. Students plan, research, and present over several days, integrating skills from more than one subject.

A written outline of a single lesson stating objectives, materials, sequence of activities, timing, and how learning will be checked. It guides delivery and supports reflection afterwards.

A clear statement of what students should know or be able to do by the end of a lesson or unit, written in observable terms so success can be judged.

The ability to notice and manipulate individual sounds in spoken words, such as blending or deleting sounds. It is oral, does not involve letters, and underpins later decoding.

Teaching the relationships between letters or letter groups and the sounds they represent, so learners can decode unfamiliar written words systematically rather than by memorising whole shapes.

Using knowledge of letter-sound correspondences to convert printed words into spoken words. Fluent decoding frees attention for meaning, so it is a foundation of reading comprehension.

Reading text accurately, at a reasonable pace, and with appropriate expression. Fluent readers recognise words automatically and can therefore concentrate on understanding the message.

Making meaning from written text by linking words, sentences, and background knowledge, and by inferring what is implied. It is the goal that decoding and fluency serve.

A class where students speak different home languages, including Nepali, local languages, and others. Teachers use the home language as a bridge while building skills in the school language.

Early teaching that uses the child's first language as the main medium, adding the second language gradually. It supports comprehension and confidence before transition to the school language.

The principle that a digit's value depends on its position in a number, so in 352 the 3 means three hundreds. It underpins written calculation and the decimal system.

A flexible understanding of quantity, magnitude, and relationships among numbers, letting a learner estimate, compare, and judge whether an answer is reasonable without exact calculation.

Moving from handling real objects, to pictures or diagrams, to symbols and rules. Each stage anchors the next, which suits young learners and those struggling with purely symbolic work.

Any physical object such as counters, sticks, or blocks that learners move to model mathematical ideas. Handling them makes abstract relationships visible and supports reasoning before written symbols.

A structured way of investigating: ask a question, predict, test fairly, record observations, and draw conclusions. In primary classes it is simplified into hands-on exploration and discussion.

A written or drawn note of what a learner actually sees, measures, or notices during an activity, kept as evidence for later discussion and conclusion drawing.

Teaching knowledge and habits that protect well-being, such as hygiene, nutrition, safe water, first aid, and disease prevention, connected to students' daily life in school and at home.

Practical abilities for handling everyday demands, such as decision making, communication, problem solving, and managing emotions. They are taught through practice and discussion, not memorisation.

Using nearby features such as fields, rivers, markets, temples, and local people as material for lessons. It makes learning concrete, free, and connected to students' own community.

An organised visit outside the classroom to observe something real, planned with clear learning aims, preparation, safety arrangements, and follow-up discussion to consolidate learning.

The full set of intended learning: aims, content, suggested activities, and expected outcomes for each level, usually set out in a national framework and subject syllabuses.

Ongoing checking of learning during teaching, used to adjust instruction and give feedback. It is low stakes and informs next steps rather than producing a final grade.

Assessment at the end of a unit, term, or year that judges how much has been learned, usually for reporting or certification. It summarises achievement rather than guiding immediate teaching.

A scoring guide listing criteria and describing levels of quality for each, so judgement is consistent and students know what success looks like before they begin work.

Judging progress from a purposeful collection of a student's work over time, chosen to show growth and reflection rather than a single test performance.

Checking learners' existing knowledge and difficulties before teaching a topic, so instruction can start at the right level and common misunderstandings can be addressed early.

Information given to a learner about the quality of work and what to do next. It is most useful when specific, timely, and focused on the task rather than on the person.

Arranging ordinary schools so that all children, including those with disabilities or from marginalised groups, learn together with suitable support and without exclusion.

A written plan for one student with identified needs, stating specific goals, the support and adjustments to be provided, who is responsible, and when progress will be reviewed.

The routines, rules, physical arrangement, and teacher behaviour that keep a class orderly, safe, and focused so that teaching time is protected and all students can participate.

Encouraging wanted behaviour by promptly acknowledging it, for example with praise or privileges. It works best when specific and when expectations have been clearly taught beforehand.

The standards teachers are expected to follow, such as fairness, honesty, confidentiality, avoiding corporal punishment, and not exploiting students or their families for personal gain.

Safeguarding children from abuse, neglect, and exploitation, including knowing the signs, reporting concerns through proper channels, and keeping the school environment physically and emotionally safe.

Being answerable for one's duties: regular attendance, punctuality, honest record keeping, fair assessment, and responsible use of school resources and the trust placed in the role.

A practical document setting out a school's main weaknesses, realistic targets, activities, responsible persons, and timelines, reviewed regularly with staff, parents, and the community.

A body of parents, teachers, and community representatives that oversees a community school, helping plan, monitor resources, and link the school with local needs and support.

Using digital tools such as computers, projectors, radio, or mobile phones as part of ordinary teaching to explain, practise, or assess, chosen because they add value to the lesson.

Presenting information through combined words and pictures, such as narration with diagrams, which usually aids understanding when extraneous detail is kept low.

Combining face-to-face classroom teaching with some supervised online or digital learning, so each mode does what it does best and students get flexibility with teacher guidance.

Teaching learners to use devices and the internet without harm: protecting personal information, recognising risky contact or content, and knowing whom to tell when something feels wrong.

Students act out a short situation in assigned roles to practise language, social skills, or problem solving, followed by reflection on what happened and why.