Glossary of terms
Clear definitions of the pedagogical and cognitive science terms used throughout our guides.
Anagram
A word, phrase, or name formed by rearranging the letters of another, using all the original letters exactly once. In educational contexts, often used interchangeably with scramble.
Cognitive Load
The amount of working memory resources used. Excessive cognitive load (giving a 3rd grader a 12-letter scramble) impedes learning, while desirable cognitive load strengthens memory.
Desirable Difficulty
A learning task that requires a considerable but desirable amount of effort, thereby improving long-term retention. Scrambling letters is a classic desirable difficulty.
Differentiation
Tailoring instruction to meet individual needs. In puzzles, this means providing easier short words for some students while giving longer, complex words to advanced learners within the same topic.
Formative Assessment
A range of formal and informal assessments conducted by teachers during the learning process to modify teaching. Using a daily scramble to see who grasps a spelling rule is a formative assessment.
Morphology
The study of words, how they are formed, and their relationship to other words in the same language. It analyzes the structure of words and parts of words, such as stems, root words, prefixes, and suffixes.
Orthographic Mapping
The mental process used to store words for immediate, effortless retrieval. It requires readers to link specific letter sequences to spoken sounds.
Scaffolding
Breaking up the learning into chunks and providing a tool, or structure, with each chunk. For a word scramble, scaffolding might be revealing the first letter or providing a category hint.
Spaced Repetition
An evidence-based learning technique that is usually performed with flashcards, incorporating increasing intervals of time between subsequent review of previously learned material.