GTLE Pedagogy Primary key terms

The gap between what a learner can do alone and what they can do with guidance from a more capable person. Instruction is most effective when pitched inside this gap rather than far below or above it.

Temporary, gradually withdrawn support a teacher provides so a learner can complete a task just beyond independent ability. Supports may be verbal prompts, models, worked examples, or structured materials.

A teaching progression that introduces a concept with physical objects, then diagrams or pictures, then symbols and abstract notation. It is widely used in early numeracy to anchor meaning before procedure.

The limited mental workspace used to hold and manipulate information during a task. Primary learners can manage only a few items at once, so chunking and reducing extraneous load support learning.

The total mental effort a task demands. When instructions, materials, or the environment add unnecessary demand, learners have less capacity left for the actual learning.

Grouping separate pieces of information into meaningful units so they are easier to hold in mind and recall. Examples include grouping counters in fives or breaking a long instruction into steps.

Deliberately recalling information from memory rather than rereading it. Short low-stakes quizzes, blank-page recall, and oral questioning strengthen long-term retention of foundational facts.

Ongoing gathering of evidence about learning during teaching, used to adjust instruction and give feedback while there is still time to act. It is assessment for learning, not a grade event.

Assessment carried out at the end of a unit, term, or stage to judge achievement against standards and to report it. Results typically inform records, reports, and progression decisions.

The cycle in which a learner receives information about the gap between current performance and the goal, acts on it, and shows changed performance that the teacher checks again.

Plain statements describing what a finished piece of work should include so learners can judge their own progress. They are usually shared before the task and written in learner-friendly language.

A scoring guide that lists criteria and describes levels of quality for each. Rubrics make judgements consistent across learners and can be shared with pupils to clarify expectations.

A short statement of what learners should know or be able to do by the end of a lesson or sequence. It guides task design, questioning, and the evidence a teacher collects.

Planning that begins with the desired learning outcome and acceptable evidence, then designs activities. It prevents activity-led lessons where tasks are busy but do not serve a clear goal.

A medium-term plan mapping topics, sequence, time allocation, and assessment points across a term or year. It shows how individual lessons build coherently toward curriculum goals.

A written outline of a single lesson covering objectives, prior knowledge, sequence of activities, resources, differentiation, and how learning will be checked.

Adjusting content, process, product, or support so learners with different starting points can access the same core objective. It is planned in advance, not improvised after failure.

A planning approach that builds multiple ways of representing content, engaging learners, and letting them show learning, so fewer individual adjustments are needed later.

A targeted change to environment, materials, timing, or assessment that removes a barrier for a specific learner without lowering the learning standard.

The principle and practice of teaching all learners in the same classroom community, adapting teaching rather than removing pupils, and valuing diversity as normal.

A documented plan for a learner with identified needs, setting specific goals, support strategies, responsible staff, and review dates. It is agreed with parents or guardians and reviewed regularly.

An organised system of increasingly intensive help: quality teaching for all, short targeted group support for some, and individualised support for a few, with progress monitored at each tier.

Frequent, brief measurement of a learner's growth on a specific skill, used to judge whether an intervention is working and to decide whether to continue, change, or stop it.

Awareness of the sound structure of spoken language, including syllables, rhymes, and individual sounds. It is an oral skill and a strong predictor of later reading success.

The specific ability to notice and manipulate individual sounds in spoken words, such as blending, segmenting, and deleting phonemes. It develops without letters but supports letter-sound learning.

Teaching the relationships between letters or letter groups and the sounds they represent, and how to use these to read and spell words.

Converting printed letters into spoken words by applying letter-sound knowledge. Accurate decoding frees attention for meaning, so it is a foundation of reading comprehension.

Reading text accurately, at a reasonable pace, and with appropriate expression. Fluency bridges word recognition and comprehension, and is built through repeated reading of familiar text.

Constructing meaning from text by connecting words, sentences, background knowledge, and purpose. It is supported by explicit teaching of vocabulary and strategies such as predicting and summarising.

Planned teaching of word meanings, including direct explanation of important words and strategies for working out unfamiliar ones. Breadth and depth of word knowledge strongly affect comprehension.

A flexible understanding of quantity, place value, and how numbers relate, so a learner can estimate, compare, and choose sensible strategies rather than only follow procedures.

Physical objects such as counters, blocks, or bead strings used to model mathematical ideas. They are most effective when the teacher links the object explicitly to the written symbol.

Demonstrating a skill or thought process aloud so learners can see how an expert performs it. It is most useful when followed by guided practice and then independent application.

A stage where learners attempt a new skill with close teacher monitoring and immediate correction, before working independently. It catches misconceptions while support is still available.

Clearly stated, positively framed rules for conduct that are taught, practised, and consistently reinforced. They work best when few in number and paired with routines.

Repeated procedures for common events such as entering, handing out materials, or transitioning. Predictable routines reduce lost time and behaviour problems and free attention for learning.

Strengthening a desired behaviour by following it with something the learner values, such as specific praise or a privilege. It is most effective when immediate and descriptive.

The school's duty to protect learners from harm, including abuse, neglect, and exploitation, through clear procedures, staff training, and prompt reporting to designated officers.

The legal and professional obligation to take reasonable steps to keep learners safe and avoid foreseeable harm while they are in the school's charge.

The requirement that teachers report suspected abuse or serious harm to the designated authority, following school procedure, without first investigating the claim themselves.

Appropriate limits in relationships with learners and families, covering physical contact, private communication, gifts, and personal disclosure, so that trust is protected and misuse prevented.

The documented standards of behaviour expected of teachers, covering integrity, confidentiality, fairness, and relationships with learners, colleagues, and the community.

A working relationship in which school and family share information and agree on how to support a child's learning, behaviour, and wellbeing, with regular two-way communication.

Planned, two-way exchange between teachers and families about progress, events, and concerns, using channels that suit the community, including meetings, messages, and shared learning records.

Systematically reviewing one's own teaching, often using lesson notes, learner work, or peer observation, to identify what worked and what to change next time.

A colleague observing a lesson against agreed focus points and giving structured feedback afterwards. It is a collaborative form of professional learning rather than an appraisal event.

A group of teachers who meet regularly to examine evidence of learner learning, share practice, and plan improvements together, with collective responsibility for results.