A Lexicon of Learning

What Educators Mean When They Say...

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V

validity

In testing, validity means how well a test measures what it is intended to measure. For example, a test in history may be so difficult for young students to read that it is more of a reading test than a test of historical knowledge. That makes it invalid for its intended purpose.

values education

Teaching children about basic human values including honesty, kindness, generosity, courage, freedom, equality, and respect. The goal is to raise children to become morally responsible, self-disciplined citizens. Because some values are controversial (such as attitudes toward homosexuality), parent groups have occasionally insisted that schools should not attempt to teach values at all. 

Taken literally, that would be impossible, because for children to live and work together, some values must be communicated and enforced. Character education programs frequently focus on a set of values arrived at by community consensus. These values may be taught through telling stories, holding discussions, and pointing out examples when they occur.

Values clarification, a form of values education used in some schools in the 1960s and '70s, has been strongly criticized as misguided and irresponsible. Proponents advised that students should discuss complex value issues (such as who should be thrown from an overloaded lifeboat) while teachers were to remain neutral. 

Even some of the advocates now admit that, without reasonable adult guidance, values clarification can be harmful. On the other hand, experienced parents and teachers know that, although it is important for adults to be clear about where they stand, students also benefit from opportunities to express their honest views as they think things out for themselves.

visualization

Consciously creating a picture of something in the mind. Teachers sometimes encourage students to visualize situations to help them remember information or to prepare them for creative activities such as writing stories. 

For example, a history teacher might ask students to imagine themselves at Gettysburg on the morning before a day of heavy fighting, asking them to think about the sights, the sounds, and the smells around them, and how they would be feeling. Then, still pretending to be Civil War soldiers, the students might write a letter to a parent or friend about the battle of Gettysburg.

vocational education

Schooling at the high school level that allows students to spend a part of the school day attending traditional classes and the rest of the day learning a trade, such as auto repair or cosmetology. Vocational classes may be held in the same school building as the other classes or in a separate vocational-technical school. Students may also train at real work sites.

voucher

A certificate issued to parents that can be used as full or partial payment of tuition for any nonpublic school. 

Advocates of vouchers say low-income parents should be able to choose the kind of school their children will attend and that competition will improve the public schools. They argue that citizens should not be required to pay both school taxes and private school tuition. 

Opponents say that using government funds for private religious schools violates the separation of church and state, and that vouchers reduce the amount of funding available to public schools.

This document contains some material that was previously published in The Language of Learning: A Guide to Educational Terms, edited by J. Lynn McBrien and Ronald Brandt, 1997, ASCD.