GTLE Junior High School Pedagogy key terms

Ongoing gathering of evidence about learning during instruction, used to adjust teaching and give learners feedback while the unit is still in progress rather than only at its end.

Judgement of learning made at the end of a unit, term or programme, typically reported as a grade or level and used for certification, placement or reporting to parents.

An approach in which evidence from classroom tasks is deliberately used to close the gap between a learner's present state and the intended learning goal, with learners as active partners.

Judging a learner's performance against stated learning outcomes or standards, so that success depends on meeting the criterion rather than on comparison with classmates.

Judging performance by ranking a learner against a comparison group, so results show relative standing (for example a percentile) rather than absolute mastery of specified outcomes.

A scoring guide that lists the criteria for a task and describes levels of quality for each criterion, making expectations visible to learners and judgements more consistent between markers.

The cycle in which a learner receives information about the gap between current performance and the goal, acts on it, and is then checked again so the effect of the feedback can be seen.

Designing a course so that intended learning outcomes, teaching and learning activities, and assessment tasks all point at the same knowledge and skills rather than pulling in different directions.

A precise statement of what a learner should know, be able to do, or value by the end of a lesson or unit, written so that achievement can be observed and assessed.

A medium-term plan that sequences topics across a term or year, showing the order of units, time allocation, key outcomes and links to the syllabus.

A written plan for a single lesson setting out objectives, prior knowledge assumed, sequence of activities, resources, timing, differentiation and how learning will be checked.

The official document specifying the content, aims, sequence and assessment requirements of a subject for a given stage, which teachers interpret when planning schemes of work.

The full set of intended learning experiences a school provides, including stated aims, subject content, sequencing, pedagogy and the values and competences the system expects learners to develop.

The unstated messages learners absorb from school routines, rules, teacher behaviour and structures, such as which voices count, how authority works and what counts as success.

In self-determination theory, the needs for autonomy, competence and relatedness; when school satisfies them, learners show more internal motivation and persistence.

Engagement in an activity because it is interesting, enjoyable or personally valued, rather than because of external rewards or pressure such as grades or punishment.

The belief that ability can be developed through effort, strategy and help; learners holding it tend to persist after difficulty rather than treating failure as evidence of fixed limits.

A learner's belief about whether they can succeed at a specific task, shaped by past success, vicarious models, persuasion and emotional state, and strongly influencing effort and choice.

The range of tasks a learner cannot yet do alone but can accomplish with timely guidance from a teacher or more capable peer, defining where instruction is most productive.

Temporary, targeted support such as models, prompts, worked examples or structured steps that lets a learner complete a task beyond independent reach and is gradually withdrawn as competence grows.

Deliberately adapting content, process, product or environment to learners' readiness, interests and profiles, so all can work toward the same core outcomes at appropriate challenge.

Proactively planning multiple means of engagement, representation and expression so the curriculum is accessible to the widest range of learners without retrofitting individual accommodations.

A change in how a learner accesses instruction or demonstrates learning, such as extra time or a reader, without altering the content or standard being assessed.

An adjustment that changes the content, level or expected standard of the curriculum for a learner, so assessment reflects different outcomes from those expected of peers.

A documented plan for a learner with identified needs, recording present levels, specific goals, supports, responsible staff, review dates and how progress will be monitored.

A commitment to educating learners with diverse needs in mainstream settings by removing barriers in curriculum, environment and attitudes, rather than segregating them by difference.

The planned use of routines, physical arrangement, expectations and relationships to sustain a safe, orderly environment in which teaching time is protected and engagement is high.

A proactive approach that teaches expected behaviours, arranges antecedents to prevent problems and reinforces appropriate conduct, rather than relying mainly on punishment after incidents.

Responding to harm by bringing those affected together to tell their story, understand impact and agree repair, aiming to restore relationships and responsibility rather than simply sanction.

The shared norms, values, rituals and expectations that shape how staff and learners treat one another and what the school community treats as normal and important.

Families' participation in children's schooling through communication with teachers, support for learning at home, attendance at school events and shared decision-making.

A group bound by shared interest who interact regularly, build a common repertoire of tools and language, and learn from one another through legitimate participation.

A teacher's disciplined habit of examining their own decisions and their effects on learners, using evidence such as lesson notes, peer observation and student work to plan improvement.

The knowledge, judgement, ethical commitment and accountability a teacher exercises in learners' interests, including confidentiality, fairness and continuing professional learning.

The legal and ethical obligation of school staff to take reasonable steps to protect learners from foreseeable harm, including adequate supervision, safe premises and prompt response to disclosure.

A legal requirement that teachers report reasonable suspicion of child abuse or serious neglect to designated authorities, following school procedure and without investigating the matter themselves.

The explanations learners give for their successes and failures, such as effort, ability, task difficulty or luck; these patterns shape persistence, emotion and future strategy use.

Awareness and regulation of one's own thinking, covering planning before a task, monitoring comprehension during it and evaluating and adjusting strategy afterwards.