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.

Commencement A graduation celebration and ceremony during which students are conveyed their degrees.

Common Application A uniform admissions application that is accepted by 750 institutions of higher education. Students can submit this application to the colleges they would like to gain admission to, rather than filling out applications for each school.

Common Core Model of Text Complexity A three-component model that accounts for the quantitative factors, qualitative factors, reader, and text considerations when determining the overall difficulty of the text.

Common Core Standards for Speaking and Listening Standards that focus on the ability to work with peers on projects, participate in classroom discussions, understand speakers, create presentations, and use digital media in the classroom.

Common Planning Time A block of time that is scheduled for several teachers to work together to plan instruction.

Communication Intentions Skills associated with communication, including formulating questions, articulating a problem, narrating a story, telling jokes, writing a message, and giving directions.

Communication System A mode through which meaning is expressed and transmitted, such as drawing, music, drama, and poetry.

Communication The verbal and nonverbal exchange of information between individuals.

Communicative Competence Having the skills to use language proficiently in a variety of social contexts.

Community College An Institution of higher learning that offers associate’s degrees for two years of study in a program, and serves as a bridge to a four-year program leading to a bachelors’ degree.

Community Guides Individuals who are respected in the community who are familiar with a family’s unique culture, traditions, attitudes, and perceptions.

Community of Practice Is a group of educators who share a passion or affinity for something that they do or a type of work that they perform. They band together to learn how to become the best they can be. Also, know as collective learning or a personal learning network.

Community Projects Group efforts which students take on to improve neighborhood conditions or solve issues while getting valuable leadership experience.

Community-Based Learning Various instructional strategies that teachers employ to correlate  being taught and  going on in a student’s community, which includes institutions, literature, history, cultural history, etc.

Comparison and Contrast A text pattern that highlights similarities and differences.

Comparison Group A group of students who can be compared to the students of a particular program to determine how effective it is.

Comparison/Contrast Clue A type of context clue that provides information about an unknown word using clues about something similar or something different.

Competency-Based Education (CBE) CBE is self-paced, mastery-oriented programs that often include the use of technology. Students must master and demonstrate competency in various tasks and skills, to obtain their degree. CBE offers an alternative to traditional courses, whether held in-person or online, for a set amount of time with the goal of earning a passing grade and credit hours that apply toward graduation.

Comprehensible Input Techniques which present information in a way that assist English language learners with comprehension. For example, the use of graphic organizers, visuals, and physical movement to make content more accessible to English language learners.

Comprehension Monitoring Ongoing observation and assessment of one’s understanding of the content while engaged in the act of reading.

Comprehension Strategies The tactics fluent readers use as they are reading. Examples include: asking questions, making predictions or creating mental images.

Comprehension The construction of the meaning of a written, spoken, or visual communication through an exchange of ideas between the learner and the composer.

Compulsive High Achievement A student’s pursuit of multiple goals that may induce stress or exhaustion to preserve self-concept. A defense mechanism.

Computational Thinking According to Jeannette M. Wing, “Computational thinking involves solving problems, designing systems, and understanding human behavior, by drawing on the concepts fundamental to computer science. Computational thinking includes a range of mental tools that reflect the breadth of the field of computer science.” In other words, computational thinking focuses on problem-solving skills and trial and error exploration.

Computer-Adaptive Test A form of assessment where the rigor or questions is adjusted based on the student’s response. For instance, if the student a question correctly, the next question will be harder; if a student answers incorrectly, the next question will be easier. In essence, the assessment adapts to accommodate the test takers ability level. This customization provides a more accurate assessment of a student’s present level of academic functioning. The learning potential is endless, as the best computer-adapted tests pull from a large pool of test items designed to both assess and improve a student’s knowledge of a particular subject or skill.