- Deaf culture
- The socialization of deaf students with other deaf students where American Sign Language is used for communication.
- demonstration
- Teaching method that shows learners how to do a task using sequential instructions, with the end goal of having learners perform the tasks independently.
- depression
- A condition characterized by persistent feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and inadequacy. Students with depression may show a decline in academic performance, seem sad or irritable, lack energy, or no longer take pleasure in activities they used to enjoy.
- developmentally appropriate
- Consistent with a child's age, maturity, and/or readiness to master a particular concept or skill; of or related to teaching practices that take into account students' level of physical or mental development.
- dialogue journal
- Written conversations between students and teachers for exchange of experiences, ideas, or reflections. Dialogue journals are communication tools for sustained writing opportunities rather than an occasion for assessment or grading.
- didactic instruction
- Teacher-centered method of instruction in which teachers deliver and students receive lessons, best suited to brief delivery of factual information.
- differential reinforcement techniques
- Interventions other than punishment that a teacher uses when a student consistently behaves inappropriately in the classroom. These include differential reinforcement of low rates of behavior (DRL), differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO), and differential reinforcement of incompatible behavior (DRI).
- differentiation
- Instructional practice of tailoring a curriculum to diverse learners based on student readiness, interest, and learning styles.
- digital game-based learning
- Instructional method that incorporates educational content or learning principles into video games with the goal of engaging learners. Applications of digital game-based learning draw upon the constructivist theory of education.
- Dimensions of Learning model
- Model of learning developed by Marzano et al (1988) that links content area knowledge, metacognition, and critical and creative thinking with a taxonomy of thinking skills and thinking processes.
- direct instruction
- Teacher-centered instruction with methods that include scripted lesson plans, teacher lectures and presentations and student recitation, fast-paced delivery, careful attention to components of skill development, intense teacher-student and student-student interactions, homogenous skill grouping, and frequent assessments.
- discovery learning
- Learning that takes place, not through instruction, but through examination, analysis, or experimentation.
- discrete mathematics
- A branch of mathematics that focuses on the study of objects and ideas that can be divided into separated or discontinuous parts.
- distance education
- Instructional delivery option that takes advantage of various space or technology resources. Distance education enhances options for students to access educational resources to overcome geographic, mobility, or time constraints.
- double bubble chart
- See Venn diagram.
- Drop Everything and Read
- DEAR is classroom time set aside for teachers and students to Drop Everything and Read. The goal of DEAR is to encourage independent silent reading for extended periods of time on a daily or weekly basis. Students choose the book they wish to read based on interest and ability.
- dyscalculia
- The National Center for Learning Disabilities describes dyscalculia as "a wide range of lifelong learning disabilities involving math. There is no single type of math disability. Dyscalculia can vary from person to person. And, it can affect people differently at different stages of life."
- dysgraphia
- A neurologically-based learning disability characterized by distorted or incorrect formation of written words and symbols.
- dyslexia
- A neurologically-based learning disability in which students have difficulties accurately recognizing and decoding written symbols, resulting in poor comprehension of written text and numeric sequences and difficulties with spelling.
K–12 teaching and learning · from the UNC School of Education
