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.

Concentration In individual’s capacity to engage in a task or problem for an extended period without becoming distracted.

Concept An abstract idea that is often a generalization of specific examples related to a topic.

Concept Ladder A study tool for the examination of relationships between certain words.

Concept of Definition Map A graphic organizer used to help students make connections between their previous knowledge and a new topic. It might provide information such as definitions, descriptions, and examples. This tool can be used before, during, or after reading to create a Concept of Definition Map Summary.

Concept Web The visual mapping of related ideas.

Concrete Operational Stage A phase in which children develop logical reasoning skills and the ability to comprehend conversations but are only able to apply these skills effectively in contexts and situations familiar to them.

Concrete Referent The clear visual image that certain words evoke. Examples of such words include a dog, table, and blue.

Concurrent Validity The degree two which test scores will agree if two different forms of a test are administered at the same time.

Conditional Admission Acceptance to a school that is dependent on the student completing additional requirements.

Conditioned Behavior Refers to behavior that responds to a stimulus that doesn’t normally cause that reflexive response. (Also known as “reflexive conditioning” or “classical conditioning.”)

Conditioned Stimulus A previously neutral condition within the environment that induces a specific reaction in the senses after pairing up with an unconditioned stimulus.

Conductive Loss Hearing loss that is caused by issues with the middle ear or outer ear.

Confidence Self-assurance in one’s capabilities.

Connected Learning Is a form of personalized learning where a person pursues something of interest to them, with the aid of a caring support system. In the process of pursuing connected learning, new opportunities and possibilities open up for them.

Connection Stems An idea that helps students to make connections between the text they are reading, their own lives, other texts, and the world around them. These stems can be used before, during, or after a student is assigned to read a given text.

Consequences A part of the Behavioral Theory that states they are the direct results of a response to stimuli, including both positive and negative outcomes.

Consequences Outcomes, which may be favorable or unfavorable that result after specific actions and affect future conduct.

Consequential Validity A test’s reliability in promoting the intended consequences.

Conservation Problems The problems that occur when a child has difficulty focusing on the transformation from state to state when it comes to mass, length, number, volume, and area. The age at which children can comprehend conservation varies. For conservation of number, children can generally achieve this by age six. They can also understand conservation of mass and length by age seven, conservation of weight by age nine, and conservation of volume by age eleven.

Conservation The phenomenon in which certain properties of an object (such as weight) remain unchanged despite changes in other properties (such as length).

Conservatism The opposite of liberalism is conservatism. Conservatism is the belief that institutions should function according to their original intended purpose and that any concepts that have not been maintained should be restored. Certain core principles shape the beliefs of a conservative, and conservatives believe these core principles come from a higher power. The first core principle is that all humans are imperfect by nature, and there is no way to create a perfect society on earth. Second, the past is the basis for our social sensitivity and human relationships. Finally, tradition provides cohesion and stability for the society and culture.

Consonant The letters: b, c, d, f, g, h, j, k, l, m, n, p, q, r, s, t, v, w, x, y, and z.

Construct Validity The degree to which an assessment accurately measures a psychological construct or trait.

Constructed Spelling A form of spelling which assists the development of phonological awareness and is appropriate to the stages of spelling development (precommunicative, semi-phonetic, phonetic, and transitional). It is also referred to as invented or temporary spelling.

Constructive Play When a child uses materials to construct objects that mirror the real world.

Constructivism A theory of learning which explains children’s accumulation of beliefs and knowledge as the result of the child interacting with the world – meeting people, manipulating materials and engaging in experiences – as well as internal processes.

Content Area Inventories A survey method in which students record their thoughts about specific content areas.

Content Evidence An examination of the degree to which a test’s content and the instructional content preceding the test match.

Content History An account of an individual’s development in a particular content area from the earliest stages of their memory to the present.

Content Integration The incorporation of examples, data, and other aspects from a variety of cultures into teaching.

Content Is the information presented during a lesson.

Content Literacy The use of literacy in specific areas such as math literacy or science literacy.

Content or Subject Area Describes a defined area of knowledge or skill in a curricular program. For example, reading, language arts, math, science, and social studies are all content or subject areas.

Content Validity The degree to which an assessment’s questions accurately measure the objectives it was created to measure.

Content Words Words holding their meanings within a text or a particular passage.

Content-Area Reading Describes opportunities for students to read for information rather than just for pleasure.

Content-Related Words Vocabulary words related to the content area being taught such as math, science, or social studies.

Context An aspect of language that most people refer to as semantics.

Context Clues A vocabulary strategy to figure out unknown words in a text by using surrounding information.

Contextualized A principle of the constructivist classroom where learning should make sense to the child.

Conventional A stage of moralistic thinking in which the individual focuses on acting in line with social conventions, expectations, rules, laws, and stereotypes. Based on the theory developed by Kohlberg.

Conventional Level of Morality The third and fourth stages in Kohlberg’s model of moral reasoning in which individuals weigh value-laden factors and make moral judgments in view of the interests of others.

Conventional Spelling Spelling words the way that they should be spelled.

Conventional Spelling The standard or widely practiced formulation of letters to form a word, which is accepted as the correct arrangement of letters.

Convergent Assessment A process to blend information collected using multiple methods, sources, settings, and times.

Convergent Questions Allow students a chance to provide simple, single answer to questions, which can even be narrowed down to yes or no responses.

Conversation The verbal and nonverbal communication of dialogue on a topic between two or more people, resulting in greater understanding of the topic and each participant’s point of view.