KEY TERMS USED IN LEARNX
Use the search bar below to find your key term in the list. Click on each key term to reveal its definition.
Alerting network
Part of the brain that maintains attention
Amygdala
Part of the limbic system involved in the processing of memory, decision-making, and emotional reactions
Attention regulation
The ability to filter out distractions while completing a task
Autotelic personality
The personality of one who performs activities for intrinsic reasons
Big question
A framing question for inquiry that stimulates higher order thinking
Cerebellum
Part of the brain that contributes to balance and motor control and other cognitive functions
Cognitive load
Total amount of mental effort being used in the working memory
Cooperative learning
Learners working together to accomplish shared goals
Corpus callosum
The largest fibre tract in the brain
Deep learning
Self-directed learning in which students think critically and work collaboratively to identify underlying connections and identify the transfer of knowledge from one situation to another
Dopamine
A compound present in the body as a neurotransmitter and a precursor of other substances including adrenaline
Electroencephalography
Measures electrical brain activity
Executive control network
Part of the brain that supports higher level control processes
Feed forward
The modification or control of a process as the result of feedback and with regard to its anticipated results or effects
Flow
Full immersion in the performance of an activity
Funds of knowledge
Accumulated cultural bodies of knowledge and skills
Frontal lobe
The part of the cerebral cortex responsible for reward, attention, short-term memory tasks, planning, and motivation
Group processing
Interpersonal, social, and collaborative skills needed to work successfully with others
Hippocampus
Elongated ridges in the brain thought to be the centre of emotion, memory, and the autonomic nervous system
Kinesthetic learner
Individuals that are kinestethic learn best with an active hands-on learning preference such as acting out or role playing
Limbic system
A set of brain structures located on both sides of the thalamus, immediately beneath the cerebrum
Mental flexibility
Ability to sustain or shift attention when necessary
Metacognition
The awareness and understanding of one's own thought processes
Mindfulness
Focusing one's awareness on the present moment
Myelination process
The process of coating neurons with myelin to conduct brain signals more efficiently
Neocortex
A sheet of neural tissue that covers the cerebrum
Neurotransmitter
Brain chemicals that communicate information throughout the brain
Occipital lobe
The part of the cerebral cortex responsible for visual processing
Orienting network
Part of the brain responsible for attention and information selection
Parietal lobe
The part of the cerebral cortex responsible for processing of sensory information such as spatial sense, navigation, and sense of touch
Pedagogy
The method and practice of teaching
Photo Story
Allows users to create a visual story from digital photographs
[Please note, links highlighted in blue will take you to an external site which opens in a new window. Once you have finished please close the window to return to the edX platform.]
Place-based learning
Participative learning in the local community
Positive interdependence
The success of the group is dependent on the contribution of all members
Pre-frontal cortex
Cerebral cortex which covers the front part of the frontal lobe
Process drama
Educational drama in which the teacher and learners take on role and learn through the process
Project based learning
A deep connection with real world problems over an extended period of time
Puzzlement
A sense that something that is difficult to understand but promotes further inquiry
Scaffolding
A process in which teachers model how to solve a problem and then support students' efforts to do the same
Self-control
The ability to set priorities, resist impulses, and correct performance
Self-determination
Addresses the distinction between autonomous motivation and controlled motivation as predictors of performance and outcomes
Self-regulation
The ability to control emotion, behaviour and thoughts
Social synchrony
The development of affiliative social bonds
Surface learning
The focus on learning and memorising pieces of loosely connected information
Tacit knowledge
Knowledge that is difficult to transfer to another person by means of writing it down or verbalising it
Temporal lobe
The part of the cortex responsible for processing sensory input for the appropriate retention of visual memory, language comprehension, and emotion association
Working memory
Responsible for sustaining attention and other executive functions