TNTET Paper 1 key terms

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 it targets this range.

Temporary support a teacher or peer gives a learner - hints, models, prompts or step-by-step guidance - that is gradually withdrawn as the learner gains competence and can work independently.

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

A school-based assessment approach that monitors learning throughout the year and covers scholastic plus co-scholastic areas, using both formative and summative tools instead of a single terminal examination.

Schooling in which children with disabilities, different home languages or other diverse needs learn in the same regular classroom, with curriculum and environment adapted so that all can participate.

A specific learning disability affecting accurate and fluent word reading and spelling, despite normal intelligence and adequate teaching. It is neurological, not caused by laziness or poor eyesight.

Gardner's proposal that intelligence is not one score but a set of relatively separate abilities - linguistic, logical-mathematical, spatial, musical, bodily-kinaesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal and naturalistic - that teachers can reach through varied activities.

Doing an activity because it is interesting, enjoyable or personally meaningful, rather than for external rewards or punishments. It usually sustains learning longer than marks or prizes do.

Assessment used during teaching to find out what learners understand, so instruction and feedback can be adjusted immediately; it is usually ungraded and precedes any final judgement of achievement.

The basic sound-letter unit of Tamil. Tamil has 12 vowels (uyir), 18 consonants (mei), 216 combined letters (uyirmei) and the āyttam, giving 247 letters taught in the primary Tamil curriculum.

A suffix in Tamil grammar showing how a noun relates to the verb. Tamil has eight cases, with markers such as -ஐ (accusative), -ஆல் (instrumental), -க்கு (dative) and -இல் (locative).

A Tamil word class describing a noun's quality (பெயர் உரிச்சொல், e.g. நல்ல) or a verb's manner (வினை உரிச்சொல், e.g. நன்றாக). It is one of the four word classes in traditional Tamil grammar.

A complete finite verb form that ends a Tamil sentence and carries tense, person, number and gender agreement, for example படித்தான். It differs from echcham forms, which cannot end a sentence.

Tamil prosody: the rules for composing verse, covering அசை (syllabic units), சீர் (metrical feet), தளை (linking of feet) and பா (metre), taught through classical and devotional poems.

A figure of speech that makes Tamil literary language more vivid, such as உவமை (simile), உருவகம் (metaphor), தீவகம் and சிலேடை. Pupils learn to identify and use them in poetry and composition.

Teaching reading by linking letters and letter groups to the sounds they represent, so beginners can decode unfamiliar words instead of memorising each one as a whole picture.

Common words such as the, said, was and you that young readers learn to recognise instantly, because many are irregular and cannot be decoded using basic phonics rules.

Reading quickly to grasp the general idea or gist of a passage, for example by looking at headings, first sentences and key words, without attending to every detail.

Reading quickly through a text in search of one specific piece of information, such as a date, name or number, ignoring everything that is not relevant to that search.

Working out meaning that is not stated directly, by combining clues in the text with the reader's background knowledge, for example deducing a character's feelings from their actions.

A passage with words removed at regular intervals or selectively; the learner supplies words that fit the meaning and grammar, demonstrating comprehension together with control of vocabulary and structure.

An approach in which the goal of instruction is real communication, so classroom tasks involve meaningful interaction, pair and group work, and language used for a purpose rather than drilled in isolation.

The habitual partnership of words, such as make a decision, heavy rain or take an exam. Knowing collocations helps learners produce natural English instead of grammatically correct but odd combinations.

The value a digit has because of its position in a number: in 3,472 the 4 stands for four hundreds. This idea underpins reading, comparing and calculating with multi-digit numbers.

An intuitive grasp of quantities, their sizes and relationships - estimating, calculating mentally, judging whether an answer is reasonable - built from concrete experience rather than memorised procedures alone.

A teaching sequence moving from concrete objects such as counters and blocks, to pictorial representations such as drawings and number lines, to abstract symbols and algorithms; it gives pupils meaning before procedure.

Fractions that name the same quantity, such as 1/2, 2/4 and 5/10. Multiplying or dividing both numerator and denominator by the same non-zero number produces an equivalent fraction.

Perimeter is the distance around a closed shape, measured in linear units; area is the surface it covers, measured in square units. Pupils frequently confuse the two ideas.

Nervousness or fear about mathematics that interferes with working memory and performance; it can be reduced by error-friendly classrooms, concrete materials and success built in small steps.

Assessment that identifies the specific misconception or missing prerequisite behind a pupil's error - for example, whether 1/2 + 1/3 = 2/5 comes from adding numerators and denominators separately.

A description of how geometric reasoning develops: from recognising shapes visually, to analysing their properties, to informal and then formal deduction. Teaching tasks should match the learner's current level.

Carefully using the senses and simple tools to notice and record details about an object or event; it is the first step of scientific enquiry and a core EVS process skill.

Grouping objects or organisms according to shared features such as shape, material, habitat or food habit, and explaining the criteria used; a basic process skill developed through EVS activities.

The sequence showing how energy passes from one living thing to another, for example grass, grasshopper, frog, snake; arrows point from the organism eaten to the one that eats it.

A community of living organisms interacting with one another and with their non-living surroundings - soil, water, air and sunlight - within a defined area.

The continuous movement of water through evaporation, condensation, precipitation and collection or run-off, driven by the sun, which recycles Earth's available fresh water.

Renewable resources are replenished by nature within a human lifetime, such as sunlight, wind, water and biomass; non-renewable ones, such as coal and petroleum, form over millions of years.

The variety of living things - species, genetic differences within species, and ecosystems - in a place; it supports stability and is threatened by habitat loss, pollution and climate change.

Meeting present needs without destroying the resources and environment that future generations will depend on; taught through examples such as saving water, reducing waste and planting trees.