MFLE
Glossary
Keyword search
| PAT (Professional Association of Teachers) | The Professional Association of Teachers is an independent trade union and professional association for teachers, headteachers, lecturers, education support staff , nursery nurses, nannies and other childcarers. |
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| PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) | Personal digital assistant, a digital device which can include the functionality of a computer, a mobile phone, a music player and a camera. |
| Peer assessment | Where pupils or colleagues provide feedback on another's work. This works best if the criteria have been shared and fully understood; if the teacher has modelled the process; and if quality is monitored as it is undertaken. Peer assessment can provide the bridge between teacher assessment and self-assessment. That is, it can be a stage in the process of helping pupils become confident and skilled in self-assessment, as opposed to relying always on the teacher. |
| Peer feedback | Pupils or colleagues provide advice on others' work, based on peer assessment, making clear the strengths and an area for improvement. In some schools 'two stars and a wish' has established a culture where everyone expects constructive advice. |
| Peer observation | Staff seeking to improve their practice ask a colleague to watch them as a critical friend and make notes on points agreed. This provides a non-threatening opportunity for objective assessment. Points raised in subsequent discussion become ideas for improvement. |
| Peer teaching | A strategy for checking how well pupils have understood a topic or issue – or, perhaps more significantly, one of ensuring high motivation in undertaking a task or project. For example, in jigsawing, pupils might read materials and research a range of resources, becoming 'experts' on a topic, which they then teach to others. |
| Personal learning plan | Any means used to record outcomes of discussions in which learners are involved in identifying strengths, areas for development and targets for improvement. In Assessment is for Learning, it is the process of planning which is valued and learners may record the outcomes in any way agreed. |
| Personal learning planning | The process in which pupils, teachers and other relevant stakeholders, including parents and carers, are involved in discussions about an individual's strengths, areas for development and goals for self-improvement. Personal learning planning is key in addressing individual learning needs, and covers concepts such as self-evaluation, identifying and reflecting on the evidence of learning, planning, goal-setting and monitoring. This process feeds into a range of developmental areas including career and personal development. The discussions between the teacher and the learner can help to define objectives, highlight progress and illustrate the way forward (next steps). |
| PGCE (Postgraduate Certificate in Education) | If a person already has a degree, they can do a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) course to obtain either the Teaching Qualification (Primary Education) or the Teaching Qualification (Secondary Education). (For entry to the PGCE secondary course, their degree must have sufficient breadth and depth in the subject they wish to teach.) |
| Physical disability | The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 defines a person as disabled who has ‘a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on his ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities’. There is a wide range of physical disabilities among pupils. Some are able to access the full curriculum and learn effectively without additional educational provision. Others may have significant additional support needs, which an inclusive education system seeks to meet. |
| Podcast | An audio file, usually in MP3 format that is available online. The files can be downloaded and listened to at the users convenience. Distributed via rss feeds |
| POP Point of presence | Point of presence. This is a connection point to a carrier network, such as the internet. |
| Portal | A portal is a website that is a major starting site for users. There are general portals and specialised or niche portals. Some major general portals include Yahoo, Netscape and Lycos. |
| Protocol | A set of rules which determine how computers are able to communicate with each other. |
| PTA (Parent-Teacher Association) | Many schools have PTAs as well as, or instead of, school boards. They exist to work on behalf of or in support of the school. |
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