Glossary

Searchable glossary containing hundreds of definitions and descriptions of education terms, acronyms and abbreviations used by the LTS online service and in Scottish education.

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CAME (Cognitive Acceleration in Mathematics in Education)	An acronym for Cognitive Acceleration in Mathematics Education.
CAPEX (Capital expenditure)	Funds used by a company to acquire or upgrade physical assets such as property or equipment.
Carousel	A co-operative learning strategy that gets its name from the physical movements of groups as they engage in a collaborative activity. Groups process around in a loop that takes them to different 'stations' in the loop one or more times depending on the design of the activity. Content topics that can be easily separated into several categories are ideal for a carousel activity.
Catch question	A question carefully structured to discover whether or not true understanding has taken place.
CCEA (Northern Ireland Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment)	A non-departmental public body established on 1 April 1994 which reports to the Department of Education in Northern Ireland.
CCT (Cross-Curricular Themes)
CEC (Catholic Education Commission)	This is the principal advisory body to the Bishops' Conference of Scotland on Scottish education in general and Catholic education in particular.
CERES (Centre for Education for Racial Equality in Scotland)	This national centre was set up in 1991 following consultation with minority ethnic representatives, racial equality practitioners, teachers and academics in Scotland. It is funded by the Scottish Government and concentrates on specific project work for the schools sector in Scotland.
CETIS (Centre for Educational Technology Interoperability Standards)	A Research Centre within the Department of Education and Society at the University of Edinburgh. It conducts multi-disciplinary research on education, training, the youth labour market and transitions to adulthood, with a complementary research interest in information systems.
Chartered Teacher	The Chartered Teacher Programme was established to provide opportunities for experienced teachers to extend and revitalise their knowledge, understanding and skills without having to leave the classroom. The award is a means of valuing and recognising teachers who wish to pursue a challenging career whilst continuing as a classroom teacher.
CHAS (Catholic Headteachers Association of Scotland)	CETIS represents UK higher education and further education institutions on international learning technology standards initiatives.
Chatroom	An online venue for people where people who share a common interest can communicate in real time – typing out conversations on their keyboards. See newsgroups.
Christianity	Christianity is the world's biggest religion. It is based on the teachings of Jesus Christ who lived in the Holy Land 2,000 years ago. There are subdivisions within Christianity, the two biggest denominations being Protestant and Catholic though there are others such as Eastern Orthodox, Quakers and Mormons. Followers of Christianity are called Christians. It is the predominant religion in Britain.
CIDREE (Consortium of Institutions for Development and Research in Education in Europe)	A self-managing network of educational bodies that play a recognised national role in the field of curriculum development and/or educational research.
CILT (The National Centre for Languages)	The Government's recognised centre of expertise on languages. The organisation's mission is to promote a greater capability in languages amongst all sectors of the UK population.
Circle time	A whole-school approach to enhancing self-esteem and positive behaviour and relationships, developed by Jenny Mosley.
Clip art	Free graphics that can be used to illustrate your documents. There are hundreds available on the web, and many software packages, for instance, most word processing programs come with their own clip art.
Close reading	In English language lessons, an exercise to promote pupils' abilities to analyse and evaluate a text, concentrating for instance, on the writer's craft and point of view.
cluster	A group of schools which have elected to work together. Typically this might be a high school and its associated primary schools.
CME (Children Missing from Education)	'Children missing from education' refers to all children of compulsory school age who are not on a school role, nor being educated otherwise (e.g. privately or in alternative provision) and who have been out of any educational provision for a substantial period of time (usually agreed as four weeks or more).
coach	The listener; the other person being the talker, the one who is dealing with some special issue that needs the time, attention and service of another human being.
Coaching	Individual or small-group tutorials with a particular focus. These often follow a self-assessment exercise which has revealed a misunderstanding or an area of concern.
Cognitive psychology	Cognitive psychology is the psychological science that studies cognition, the mental processes that are assumed as the reasons for our behaviour.
Cognitive therapy	Cognitive therapy, or cognitive behaviour therapy, is a treatment method focusing on treating depression, anxiety disorders, phobias and other forms of mental disorder. It involves recognising distorted thinking and learning to replace it with more realistic ideas.
COLEG (Colleges Open Learning Exchange Group)	COLEG (Colleges Open Learning Exchange Group) provides top quality learning materials for use by Scotland's further education colleges.
Collaborative	(Girls are more collaborative.) Girls find it easier to work together towards a common goal.
collaborative enquiry	A technique used to explore an issue through sharing thoughts and ideas and agreeing a way forward.
collegiality	Working together with shared values and aims, developing the potential of others to assume leadership responsibility and aiming for organisational improvement.
Comenius	Comenius, one of four actions of the EU Lifelong Learning Programme (previously known as Socrates), provides opportunities for schools and colleges to introduce or strengthen the European dimension in their curriculum.
Comments-only marking	An assessment that makes no reference to grades or marks achieved. Comments advise on how to bridge the gap between present performance and desired goal. The emphasis is on strengths but also on ways of making the present or future work even better.
Commercial off the shelf (COTS)	Commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) is a software or hardware term and is usually applied to technology or computer products. COTS games are ready-made and available for sale or license to the public, often these products can be customised to a user's own specifications.
Community Schools Partnership	Collaborative arrangements among local schools in an area. Typically in groups consisting of a secondary school and its associated primary schools, the aim is to ensure continuity and progression in curriculum and learning/teaching, and to support pupils effectively in transferring from primary to secondary school.
Comparability (of assessment)	The extent to which assessments are reliable, valid and dependable.
Competencies	Generic knowledge and skills required to carry out tasks to required standards, or to deal effectively with new challenges, lifelong learning needs, etc. Knowledge competence can be measured by questioning or testing, whereas skills-based competence is usually observed.
Concept cartoon	A technique often used when introducing a new topic or theme in primary science work, in which characters in a drawing offer varying views on an issue. The drawing is the stimulus for pupils' initial discussion or hypothesis before they carry out relevant investigations, for example whether warm or cold water will dissolve more or less salt, or whether it will dissolve it faster or more slowly.
Concept mapping	Concept mapping is the strategy employed to develop a concept map, which is a form of web diagram for exploring knowledge, and gathering and sharing information. Concept maps are sometimes referred to as ‘mind maps’.
Consequential validity (of assessment)	This is about the educational and social implications of the way assessment results are interpreted and used. Even a well-constructed test is not valid for all purposes, and its results can be used inappropriately.
Construct validity (of assessment)	The extent to which any assessment matches the particular ‘construct’, or underlying skills and abilities, that it is intended to match. For example, there are different ways of interpreting reading test information depending on what is meant by ‘reading’ in that assessment.
Constructive motivation	Motivation that is purposeful and structured in thinking. It is always intrinsic, ie, comes from the person and is not imposed by another or others.
Constructivist model	Constructivism is an approach to teaching based on research about how people learn. Many researchers say that each individual constructs knowledge rather than receiving it from others. It is based on the belief that students learn best when they gain knowledge through exploration and active learning. Hands-on materials are used more than textbooks, and students are encouraged to think and explain their reasoning instead of memorising and reciting facts.
Content validity (of assessment)	This is about coverage of a scheme of work. For example, does an end-of-topic science assessment cover a good sample of the knowledge, skills and concepts in the relevant scheme of work?
Context question	In English language lessons, an activity where the class is asked to look closely at an extract from a longer piece of writing. The focus is on the writer's craft, how the extract links to the whole, and how ideas are developed through skilful use of language.
Control group	Those pupils who are not included in the research activity in order to validate the results of the test being carried out with other pupils.
Cooperative learning	Co-operative learning is the use of small groups through which pupils work together to maximise their own and each other's learning. The following four elements distinguish co-operative learning from other forms of group work: Positive Interdependence, Individual and Group Accountability, Interpersonal and Small Group Skills, Face-to-Face interaction.
Corporate parent	Glossary definition of the formal and local partnerships needed between all local authority departments and services, and associated agencies, who are responsible for working together to meet the needs of looked after children and young people and care leavers.
Corpus callosum	The corpus callosum is a structure of the brain that connects the left and right cerebral hemispheres.
Cortex	The cerebral cortex is a structure within the brain with distinct structural and functional properties. It plays a central role in many complex brain functions including memory, attention, perceptual awareness, 'thinking', language and consciousness.
COSLA (Convention of Scottish Local Authorities)	COSLA, the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, is the representative voice of Scottish local government and also acts as the employers' association on behalf of all Scottish councils.
CPD (Continuing Professional Development)
CPD coordinator	The school leader with responsibility for supporting the professional development of colleagues.
CPD manager	The officer in the local authority with responsibility for teacher CPD.
CPD plan	Individual teachers on an annual basis construct a plan of continuing professional development to address their development needs and share their strengths.
CPD portfolio	A document of reflection and evidence maintained by an individual teacher and relating to their professional development.
CPD profile	An account of an individual teacher's experience of activities and opportunities in continuing professional development.
CPD provider	Any person or organisation who is a source of CPD to colleagues. This can range from large-scale organisations such as universities to classroom teachers willing to share practice.
CPD record	An account of an individual's CPD plan for professional development.
CPD Scotland	The CPD team project designed to help educators with online CPD. Visit the CPD team website at: www.ltscotland.org.uk/cpdscotland
CPDConfer	An online tool to make thought-pieces available and promote discussion.
CPDFind	An online database of CPD opportunities from the CPD Team and Learning and Teaching Scotland.
CRAC (Careers Research and Advisory Centre)	An independent educational charity founded in 1964. Based in Cambridge and Birmingham, it aims to advance the education of the public, and young persons in particular, in lifelong career-related learning for all.
Crash	A sudden failure in either the software or hardware on your computer. You have to restart your computer and there is a danger that any unsaved work will be lost
Creative Commons	A non-profit organisation founded on the notion that some authors may not want to exercise all of the intellectual property rights the law affords them. Creative Commons has developed a set of free public licences to enable authors to share their work with others. This means that digital media can be used by others.
Creativity	Creativity is the process of seeing new possibilities. It is often held that there are two main modes to creative thinking. The first is generative thinking - imagining and creating ideas that will provide the framework and motivation for carrying out tasks. The second relates to making judgements and evaluating ideas in order to attribute purpose, value and practical outcomes.
Criteria	Standards or measures by which performance can be measured.
Criterion-referenced assessment	Assessment that measures pupils' knowledge and understanding against specific standards, as opposed to the performance of other pupils. With this type of assessment, it is possible for all pupils to earn the highest grade, if all meet the established criteria.
Critical friend	Someone who acts as a peer reviewer, by asking questions in supportive yet challenging ways. This could be characterised as a kind of partnership in investigation of practice that supports the reflective process through dialogue following, for example, observation of lessons or reading feedback comments to pupils.
Critique sessions	In groups, pupils offer constructive suggestions and comments about ways to improve each other’s work.
Cross-cutting skills	Generic skills like communication and problem solving which are relevant in different curriculum areas.
Cross-referencing	Comparing a range of evidence before arriving at a judgement. As part of the local moderation process, teachers, in discussion, come to an agreement on learners’ achievements by comparing each others’ decisions and justifying a professional judgement.
CS (Communities Scotland)	A Scottish Government agency. Its aim is to work with others to ensure decent housing and strong communities across Scotland.
CUBE strategy	An acronym for: Circle the words that tell you what to do; Underline the key words; Box any sources you have to refer to; Explain in your own words what you have to do. The strategy was devised to help pupils to understand the questions in Standard Grade Geography and so construct better answers. It appeared in a unit of work produced by Glasgow Corporation (now Glasgow City Council) Geography Group.
Cult	The word cult is derived the Latin cultus, which simply means "worship." In practice, it often serves as a negative label for any religious group which has little power and is not widely liked by more mainstream religious believers; the term's ambiguity makes it necessary to determine in what sense the word is used.
Cultural literacy	Our ability to read and understand other cultures. Our identities comprise different senses of belonging to different groups at different times. This skill is necessary to promote understanding and prevent hostility between people.
Culture	The fundamental values, attitudes and behaviour that are characteristic of the school or educational establishment.
Curriculum areas and subjects	Definition of curriculum areas and subjects within Curriculum for Excellence.
Curriculum for Excellence	The updated single, coherent Scottish curriculum for all young people between the ages of 3 and 18 is called Curriculum for Excellence. Its starting point has been to build on the best practice that already exists in Scottish education. It aims to provide more freedom for teachers and greater choice and opportunity for pupils.
Curriculum for Excellence	Curriculum for Excellence sets out the Scottish Government's vision for transforming Scottish education by 2007. It seeks to establish the values, purposes and principles of education in Scotland for children between the ages of 3 and 18.
curriculum manager	School leader with responsibility for a particular curricular area. Also known as Principal Teacher or Faculty Leader.