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.

M-learning A division of elearning, m-learning is learning that takes place via smartphones and other mobile devices using technologies such as educational apps

Mnemonic Devices Rhymes, acronyms, or other mental tricks employed to aid with memory.

Mnemonics Devices, such as a pattern, ideas, or relationships, which are used for memory assistance or improvement.

Mobile Learning Tablets and smartphones in the classroom are no longer a matter of “if,” but “when, and how quickly” Administrators and educators can tap into the convenience of mobile technology in the classroom and the potential for student learning adaptation. Over half of school administrators say there is some form of mobile technology in their classrooms and that they plan to implement more when it is financially feasible. School districts should keep in mind that the purchase of mobile devices for K-12 use is only one piece of the learning puzzle. There must be funding for teacher training and maintenance of the devices too.

Mock Participation A situation in which students only appear to be performing the appropriate tasks, but are not engaged in the learning or involved in a meaningful way.

Modalities of Learning The variety of ways in which different sensory pathways are recognized and utilized to provide a range of diverse methods and authentic learning environments for students to demonstrate their knowledge.

Modeling A child’s imitation of the actions of adults or caregivers.

Modern idealism Is hypothesized by both René Descartes (1596–1650) and George Berkley (1685–1753). Modern idealists also believed in two worlds: a material world and a world of the mind. Modern idealists questioned existence, God, and perception, most famously in Descartes’ declaration: “I think, therefore I am.” Modern idealist educators consider their students to be rational, thinking beings who are capable of seeking and understanding the truth.

Modern Realism Was fashioned by the philosophers Francis Bacon (1561–1626) and John Locke (1632–1704). Locke conjectured that everything we know comes from experience and from reflecting on that experience. We are not born with any innate or preconceived ideas, but rather are a blank slate. Bacon attempted to change the structure of realism from deductive reasoning to an inductive approach. The inductive approach would reform realists’ thinking from a specific idea in the physical world to a more general assumption, ignoring preconceived notions. Bacon identified the origins of our preconceived notions, encouraging humanity to disregard these ideas.

Modifications Alterations that are made to what a child is taught or expected to learn in school.

Monitoring Tests are evaluated by descriptive criteria. Monitoring is an evaluating method of the informative assessment technique.

Monitoring/Clarifying A reading comprehension strategy where the reader constantly asks whether the text makes sense to them and then implementing strategic processes to make the text clearer.

Monologue When a child talks constantly while playing or working. They seem to be practicing the relationship between action, language, and thought.

Montessori Preschool Programs One of the most well-known preschool programs is the Montessori program, which started in Rome by Maria Montessori. Montessori education is child-centered with the teachers merely acting as learning guides. Each child learns at his/her own pace through play and manipulatives. This philosophy also means children of various ages may be in the same classroom.

MOOC This stands for Massive Open Online Course. MOOCs are courses that are made freely available to a substantial number of people over the internet.

Mood/Tone Clue A type of context clue that gives a description of mood related to the word in order to help students understand the unknown word’s meaning.

Moral Dilemmas In Kohlberg’s theory of moral reasoning, hypothetical scenarios that ask an individual to consider values and ethical principles or to determine right from wrong.

Morpheme One or several letters that represent a unit of meaning; a whole word, prefix or suffix.

Morphemic Analysis A structural analysis that examines the word parts having meaning such as prefixes or suffixes.

Morphological Rules The combination of syntax and morphology that helps with pluralization and noun-verb agreement in sentences.

Morphological Synthesis

Morphology The study of the smallest units of language including the construction of words using affixes, roots, and suffixes (morphemes).

Motivated Learners Learners who believe they can find success in the classroom.

Motivated Readers Readers who are willing to attempt more challenging material. They have intrinsic reasons for reading such as a desire to gain new knowledge or enjoyment. Motivated readers also tend to enjoy the social aspect of discussing the things they learned from their readings.

Motivation, or Mastery Motivation An individual’s willingness to attempt to reach a goal or master a skill which is at least moderately difficult for them through focused and persistent action.

Motor Mimicry The copying of the facial expressions, posture or vocal tone of someone feeling distressed by another person, resulting in the observer experiencing the same emotion.