a priori
academy
a term for a secondary school, most common in the independent sector. With 'the' definite article, it is also a term for the higher education community generally. In England, since 2000 a (city) academy is a secondary school, centrally funded but with sponsorship from business, faith, or voluntary groups, the aim being to improve standards in areas of disadvantage. The Academy was originally the name given to the school of Plato (427-347 BCE).
accelerated learning
any approach which aims to increase learning capacity and so achieve desired outcomes speedily. It is a highly commercialized field within the business sector but claims to effectiveness are challenged.
accommodation
accountability
accreditation
acculturation
the process of acquisition of the values and customs of the social group into which an individual enters. This may occur unconsciously, in schools for example through the workings of the hidden curriculum (see socialisation).
achievement
action plan
action research
active learning
adaptation
both Jean Piaget (1896-1980) and John Dewey (1859-1952) stress learning as an adaptive process whereby the learner makes adjustments in response to interaction with the environment, physical and social. Learning enables one to proceed successfully as a result of such adaptation. Paulo Freire (1921-1997) disliked the term as he felt it lacked a sufficient sense of agency and he preferred to use the term 'integrative' to show the way in which the learner, when free, not only responds to, but is able to act upon, the environment.
adhocracy
administration
adolescence
adult education
courses often of an informal nature aimed at learners beyond the immediate school-leaver cohort. Some may be for interest or pleasure but others lead to qualifications. They can be offered in different models including extra-mural classes, distance learning, within the community, or as weekend and summer schools.
affirmative action
agency
aggregation
aims
alienation
alignment
alumni (pl.) / alumnus (sing.)
analogy
analysis
analytic phonics
anomaly
anomie
anthroposophy
anti-social
antithesis
aphasia
appraisal
apprenticeship
aptitude
arts
asocial
Asperger's syndrome
assertive discipline
assessment
assimilation
a term from the work of Jean Piaget (1896-1980), referring to the way in which a learner can make sense of new experiences by incorporating them into their existing conceptions (see accommodation, schema).
assumptions
at risk
atomistic
attainment gap
attendance
attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
attitude
a person's tendency to feel about certain people or situations in a particular way. The development of 'positive' attitudes in relevant areas is seen as important for effective learning.