To be considered a competent educator, there are almost 2000 strategies, concepts, and terms that you must know. However, since teachers wear so many hats, who has the time to learn them all? Don’t worry; we have you covered. In this series, we will discuss all the teaching and learning strategies, concepts, and terms that you need to know to be considered an effective educator. There are over 70 articles in this series, so pace yourself. We recommend reading one piece per weekday, which will allow you to complete the series in three to four months. We hope you enjoy it.

Click here to read all the articles in this series.

Audit To take a higher education course to obtain knowledge, but without receiving degree credits that could be used towards a degree.

Auditory Acuity The degree to which a person can hear sounds in particular ways.

Auditory Brain Response (ABR) An auditory evoked potential pulled from electrical activity in the brain that is recorded through electrodes on the scalp.

Auditory Comprehension The ability to understand oral language, ranging from understanding the literal meaning to engaging in a critical evaluation of the message.

Auditory Perception Aptitude in sound recognition and determination which includes auditory memory and sound blending capability.

Auditory Processing Disorder Is a disorder in which a child has issues processing and understanding the information that they hear. This disorder makes it hard for them to notice subtle differences in the way words sound.

Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) Assistive technology that helps students with communication.

Augmentative Communication The process of helping students or other individuals to communicate using either high-tech or low-tech devices.

Authentic Assessment This type of evaluation demands that students provide answers to real-life situations using critical thinking. Authentic assessment emphasizes problem-solving by integrating content students have studied. Oral presentations are an example of this type of assessment. Other activities related to authentic assessment include role-playing, debating, journal writing, or portfolios. Portfolios document the history and process of learning; they are generally used as springboards for feedback.

Author’s Chair A learning tool, also called a chair of “distinction,” on which students sit when sharing their written work with classmates.

Authoritarian Parenting Style Authoritarian parents have high demands and are less responsive and warm toward their children. They emphasize obedience and may enforce behavior with shaming, unexplained punishment, and threats. They’re impatient and unforgiving of mistakes, don’t offer choices to their children, and likely come across as cold and aloof.

Authoritative Parenting Style Authoritative parents demonstrate “high responsiveness and high demands.” They’re extremely warm and responsive to the child’s physical and emotional needs, but they also hold the child to high standards. Expectations and boundaries are clearly and consistently enforced.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Children diagnosed with this disorder usually have difficulty with social interactions including reading facial expressions and following a conversation. They might become easily upset by changes in routine, experience sensitivity to environmental stimuli, and become easily fixated on things. All of these present a problem for teachers, but there are lots of options for assistive technology that can help.

Auto-education Self-directed education using self-correcting materials.

Automaticity The capacity to look at a word and read it within one second of seeing it. Word automaticity is essential for fluency and comprehension.

Automaticity The meticulous perception and comprehension of units of text which requires almost no effort to recognize new words in whole or in part.

Autonomous Morality The stage in Piaget’s theory of moral development in which an individual comes to understand that rules are changeable as people create them, and thus they will not be punished necessarily for breaking them.

Autonomy One’s belief that they can think and act for themselves and control outcomes in their own lives.

Autonomy The ability to think and make decisions for oneself, act for oneself, and set one’s direction.

Autonomy vs. Doubt At this stage (18 months to age three), because children have the dual desire to hold on and to let go, overly restrictive parenting can make children feel powerless and doubt their abilities.

Avoidance Behaviors The focus of an underachiever (gifted or another student) on nonproductive actions to avoid effort toward success at school.

Axiology Is the branch of philosophy that considers the study of principles and values. These values are divided into two main kinds: ethics and aesthetics. Ethics is the questioning of morals and personal values. Aesthetics is the examination of  beautiful, enjoyable, or tasteful. In axiology, education is more than just about knowledge but also the quality of life.