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.

Pacing Guide A document created by school district administrators to assist educators in staying on track and ensure the continuity of curriculum across schools within the district.

Paired Bilingual Education A pedagogical structure or institution in which students are taught reading or other subjects in both their native language and English.

Paired Questioning A teaching idea where students take turns making questions and responding to those questions about a text.

Paired Summarizing A reading comprehension tool used after reading to give a format for students to work in pairs to express their understanding of the text, summarize the narrative, or explain the informational text.

Paired-Associate Learning A learning method in which items are connected into pairs so that the recognition of one of the pairs assists in the recollection of the other.

Paradigm A pattern or process which can provide a model or framework.

Parallel Play The act of engaging in recreational activities with others but with little interaction amongst the participants.

Paraphrase To summarize or restate something spoken or written in one’s own words. In doing so, one substitutes synonyms into the place of existing words, rearrange existing words, or both.

Paraprofessional An educator who is delegated to perform certain educational tasks within and outside of the classroom but is not yet licensed as a teacher.

Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS) The part of the brain that allows us to calm down and relax.

Parent Teacher Association (PTA) Refers to a formally organized association of parents, who work in conjunction with the school teachers in bringing about changes within the school. PTAs can receive federal funds.

Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) Refers to a locally organized group of parents who work in conjunction with teachers in bringing about changes in a school. PTOs do not receive federal funds.

Parental Involvement Reported parental participation in at least one school event or meeting during a school calendar year. This can involve 1. Participation in a parent/teacher conference; 2. Attendance at a PTA meeting, athletic event, etc.; 3. Volunteering in the classroom, for a field trip, at a school event, or serving on a school committee.

Parenting Style Is a construct representing standards and approaches that parents use during the course of child rearing.

Parent-Teacher Conference A prearranged meeting that provides an opportunity for parents and teachers to communicate about how to help a student succeed inside and outside of the classroom.

Participatory Culture An environment which actively uses social media through online communities, creative platforms such as “zines,” collaborative problem-solving, and blogging.

Passage Dependent Questions which can be answered directly or through inference after reading a specific passage.

Patterned Partner Reading A teaching idea that provides structure for strategic reading while working interactively with a partner. Two students will take turns reading the text or a section of the text together.