EdSpeak or Educationese for Progress Reports

Learning activities that we once knew by simple names have been given new industry-generated names in recent years that are supposed to be more descriptive of subtle differences. Called “edspeak” or “educationese”, these words or phrases are often used by professional educators. If you are required to file some form of proof of progress to your school district, you may find some of these terms helpful in describing your child’s activities. Additionally, if you are working with a school system because your child has an IEP, the ability to understand the language commonly used by professional educators is helpful. A good place to look for some of the phrasing that educators use is the standards that your state uses for public schools. Although your state likely does not require you to meet those specific standards, they are a good resource of educational phraseology.

Here are some sites that can help:

A Lexicon of Learning
What educators mean when they say…

Glossary of Educational Terms
From School Wise Press

Psychobabble and Edspeak
“Let’s face it. Linguistics, psychology and education are all notorious for creating jargon. Every time you turn around, somebody in one of these fields is coining a new term to describe something that we thought we already understood.

Schools Are from Mars, Homeschoolers Are from Earth
Patrick Farenga writes, “I’m all for schools and homeschoolers figuring out how to peacefully co-exist — indeed, even cooperate! — but sometimes I wonder if we’re even talking about the same thing when we discuss children and learning. Judging by the language we use, I wonder if we’re even on the same planet. For instance, a mother tells me how her son read Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix twice on his own initiative. She allows him all day to read if he wishes. Most of us recognize what is going on here: A child is enjoying reading a book at home. But if you take that very same action and place it in a school, this no longer takes place. What happens in school is called ‘uninterrupted silent sustained reading.'” Farenga’s post goes on to discuss the changes in evaluative language and ways to deal with them.

Mary Ann Kelley lives in Virginia with her husband and has two daughters, both homeschool graduates. Mary Ann, who homeschooled off and on for 16 years, believes in school choice as well as allowing children to direct their own learning with guidance and input from their parents. Her desire is to encourage parents and children to take personal responsibility for their own educational options and choices.

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