Learning About Learning
Glossary
This glossary explains terms used in Learning about Learning. It is not intended to be exhaustive in educational terms, nor does it include an explanation of every word used in the documents and movies. Instead, it seeks to clarify meanings in order to remove potential barriers to understanding and help the reader to appreciate the messages intended more fully.
Keyword search
| Amygdala | The emotional centre of the brain. |
|---|---|
| Animation | Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. This could be anything from a flip book or to a motion picture film. Pupils now create their own animations on a computer using special software. |
| Asperger syndrome | Asperger syndrome is a form of autism, a condition that affects the way a person communicates and relates to others. A number of traits of autism are common to Asperger syndrome including: difficulty in communicating, difficulty in social relationships, and a lack of social imagination and creative play. People with Asperger syndrome usually have fewer problems with language than those with autism, often speaking fluently, though their words can sometimes sound formal or stilted. |
| Auditory learning | Learning where learners can hear information. Auditory learners prefer group work and learn well through listening and talking. They enjoy: talking out loud and repeating things - even to themselves making up little stories and rhymes to remember how things are connected using mnemonics and other tricks for improving memory talking about what they have learned or what they don't understand teaching parents or friends while learning themselves listening to an audio recording. |
| Autistic savant | An autistic savant is a person with both autism and Savant Syndrome. Savant Syndrome describes a person having both a severe developmental or mental handicap and extraordinary mental abilities not found in most people. The Savant Syndrome skills involve striking feats of memory and often include arithmetic calculation and sometimes unusual abilities in art or music. |
| Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) | A continuum of characteristics and disorders displayed by individuals with autism: a lifelong developmental disability affecting the social, communication and imagination skills of individuals. The 'triad' of impairments has different levels of severity and may occur in varying combinations; and there is a wide spectrum of intellectual ability amongst those affected, ranging from people with learning difficulties to those with above average intelligence. There is no known cure; however, early and appropriate intervention can help maximise skills and potential. |
| Avatar | An avatar is an internet user's representation of him or herself, whether in the form of a three-dimensional model used in computer games or a two-dimensional icon (picture) used on internet forums and other communities. |