PSTET flashcards
138 cards from 12 fact-checked topic notes · English
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Learners from Disadvantaged Backgrounds — Child Development and Pedagogy · 12 cards
- Disadvantaged groups
- in education include SC, ST, OBC, minorities (religious and linguistic), children from Below Poverty Line families, migrant workers' children, and children in difficult circumstances (street children, child labourers).
- First-generation learners
- are children whose parents have never attended formal schooling. They lack academic support at home and often face language barriers when the medium of instruction differs from their mother tongue.
- Cultural capital
- refers to knowledge, skills, and cultural familiarity that children from privileged backgrounds bring to school. Disadvantaged learners often lack this, making school culture feel alien and unwelcoming.
- Hidden curriculum
- unwritten rules, expectations, and middle-class values embedded in schooling — can marginalise children from disadvantaged backgrounds who may not understand these implicit norms.
- Deficit thinking
- is the harmful assumption that disadvantaged children are inherently less capable. Teachers must reject this and adopt an asset-based approach that recognises strengths these children bring from their communities.
- Social exclusion
- in schools manifests through discrimination, isolation from peer groups, lower teacher expectations, and tracking into lower-ability groups based on social identity rather than actual ability.
- Compensatory education
- programmes provide additional support (mid-day meals, scholarships, remedial teaching) to bridge gaps created by socio-economic disadvantage.
- Constitutional Provisions
- Article 15(4) — special provisions for SC/ST advancement; Article 46 — educational interests of weaker sections; Article 350A — mother-tongue instruction for minorities
- RTE Act 2009
- 25% reservation for disadvantaged children in private unaided schools; no denial of admission for lack of age proof; prohibition of screening and capitation fees
- SC/ST Population
- SC — approximately 16.6% of India's population; ST — approximately 8.6% (Census 2011)
- Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan
- Special focus on girls' education, SC/ST children, and children with special needs
- Mid-Day Meal Scheme
- Improves enrolment, attendance, and nutrition; reduces classroom hunger affecting concentration
How Children Think and Learn — Child Development and Pedagogy · 8 cards
- Children as active constructors
- Children do not absorb knowledge like empty vessels. They build mental models by interacting with their environment, manipulating objects, asking questions, and testing ideas.
- Prior knowledge matters
- Every child comes to the classroom with existing ideas, beliefs, and experiences. New learning occurs when children connect new information to what they already know.
- Learning is a process, not a product
- Understanding develops gradually through exploration, trial-and-error, and reflection—not through one-time transmission of facts.
- Errors are learning opportunities
- Mistakes reveal how a child is thinking. They are not failures but windows into the child's reasoning that teachers can use for further instruction.
- Social interaction aids learning
- Children learn by discussing, debating, and collaborating with peers and adults. Language is a tool for thinking, not just communication.
- Concrete before abstract
- Young children understand through direct, hands-on experience. Abstract concepts should be introduced only after concrete foundations are established.
- Intrinsic motivation drives deeper learning
- When children are curious and find tasks meaningful, they engage more deeply than when motivated only by rewards or fear of punishment.
- Multiple pathways to understanding
- Different children may arrive at the same concept through different routes. There is no single "correct" way to learn.
Inclusive Education and CWSN — Child Development and Pedagogy · 12 cards
- Inclusive Education vs Integration
- Integration places CWSN in regular schools but in separate classes; inclusion means all children learn together in the same classroom with differentiated support. PSTET favours the inclusion model.
- Categories of CWSN under RPWD Act 2016
- The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act recognises 21 disabilities including locomotor, visual, hearing, intellectual disability, autism spectrum disorder, specific learning disabilities (dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia), cerebral palsy, and multiple disabilities.
- Zero Rejection Policy
- No child can be denied admission to a neighbourhood school on grounds of disability. This is mandated under RTE Act 2009 and reinforced by RPWD Act 2016.
- Least Restrictive Environment (LRE)
- Children should be educated in settings that are as close to the general classroom as possible, with removal only when supplementary aids prove insufficient.
- Individual Education Plan (IEP)
- A customised learning plan developed for each CWSN, specifying learning goals, teaching strategies, resources, and evaluation methods suited to the child's needs.
- Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
- Curriculum designed from the start to be accessible to all learners—multiple means of engagement, representation, and expression.
- Resource Room Model
- A support system where CWSN receive specialised instruction in a separate room for part of the day while spending the majority of time in the regular classroom.
- Barrier-Free Environment
- Physical accessibility (ramps, accessible toilets, appropriate seating) and attitudinal accessibility (teacher and peer acceptance) are equally important.
- RTE Act 2009
- Mandates free and compulsory education for all children aged 6–14, including CWSN, in neighbourhood schools
- RPWD Act 2016
- Recognises 21 disabilities; mandates at least 5% reservation of seats in government and government-aided higher education institutions for persons with benchmark disabilities
- Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan
- Includes component for inclusive education of disabled children
- Samagra Shiksha
- Merged scheme continuing inclusive education provisions with support for resource teachers and assistive devices
Influence of Heredity and Environment — Child Development and Pedagogy · 11 cards
- Heredity (Nature)
- refers to the biological transmission of traits from parents to offspring through genes. It sets the potential or upper limit for physical and some cognitive traits.
- Environment (Nurture)
- includes all external influences after conception—family, school, peers, community, nutrition, and socio-economic conditions—that shape how hereditary potential is expressed.
- Interaction Principle
- Development is always H × E (heredity multiplied by environment), not H + E. A child with high genetic potential for intelligence may not develop it without a stimulating environment.
- Maturation vs Learning
- Maturation is the unfolding of genetically programmed changes (e.g., puberty); learning is the change in behaviour due to experience. Both work together.
- Critical and Sensitive Periods
- Certain environmental inputs have maximum impact during specific developmental windows (e.g., language acquisition before age 6–7).
- Co-twin Studies and Adoption Studies
- Research comparing identical twins reared apart, or adopted children with biological vs adoptive parents, helps separate hereditary and environmental effects. PSTET may reference these as evidence.
- Plasticity
- The brain and behaviour remain modifiable by environment, especially in early childhood—supporting the importance of quality schooling and parenting.
- Physical traits
- Primarily Hereditary: Eye colour, blood group, height potential, genetic disorders · Primarily Environmental: Actual height (nutrition), weight, physical fitness
- Intelligence
- Primarily Hereditary: Basic cognitive capacity (IQ heritability ≈ 50–70%) · Primarily Environmental: Language, reasoning skills, academic achievement
- Temperament
- Primarily Hereditary: Activity level, emotional reactivity · Primarily Environmental: Emotional regulation, social behaviour
- Personality
- Primarily Hereditary: Introversion/extroversion tendency · Primarily Environmental: Values, attitudes, interests
Learning and Pedagogy — Child Development and Pedagogy · 12 cards
- Children as active learners
- Children construct knowledge through interaction with their environment rather than passively absorbing information. They form hypotheses, test them, and revise their understanding.
- Learning is a social process
- Knowledge is co-constructed through dialogue, collaboration, and interaction with peers and teachers. Vygotsky's emphasis on social mediation is central here.
- Prior knowledge matters
- What children already know (or believe they know) significantly affects what they can learn next. New learning must connect to existing mental frameworks.
- Motivation drives learning
- Both intrinsic motivation (curiosity, interest, satisfaction) and extrinsic motivation (rewards, grades, praise) influence learning outcomes, with intrinsic motivation producing deeper engagement.
- Cognition and emotion are interconnected
- Emotional states like anxiety, fear, or excitement directly affect attention, memory, and problem-solving. A safe, supportive classroom enhances cognitive functioning.
- Errors are learning opportunities
- Children's mistakes reveal their thinking processes and alternative conceptions. Errors should be analysed, not punished.
- Multiple factors influence learning
- Learning outcomes depend on personal factors (intelligence, health, interest), environmental factors (home, school, community), and instructional factors (teacher quality, materials, methods).
- Constructivism
- Learners build knowledge actively; teacher is facilitator, not transmitter
- Maslow's Hierarchy
- Basic needs (food, safety, belonging) must be met before higher learning can occur
- Intrinsic motivation
- Driven by internal satisfaction, curiosity, mastery
- Extrinsic motivation
- Driven by external rewards, grades, certificates, avoiding punishment
- Zone of Proximal Development
- Gap between what child can do alone and with guidance — optimal teaching zone
Cognition and Emotion — Child Development and Pedagogy · 12 cards
- Interdependence of cognition and emotion
- Emotions are not separate from thinking; they occur together. A child feeling anxious during a test experiences reduced working memory capacity, while a curious child shows heightened attention and better retention.
- Role of the limbic system
- The amygdala (emotion centre) and hippocampus (memory centre) are closely connected in the brain. Emotionally charged experiences are remembered more vividly and for longer periods.
- Positive emotions enhance learning
- Feelings like curiosity, interest, joy and pride broaden attention, encourage exploration and strengthen memory encoding. This is linked to Fredrickson's "broaden-and-build" theory.
- Negative emotions can impair cognition
- Fear, anxiety, shame and boredom narrow attention, reduce working memory efficiency and trigger avoidance behaviour. However, mild stress can sometimes improve focus.
- Emotional regulation
- The ability to manage one's emotions is a learnable skill. Children who can regulate emotions perform better academically because they can sustain attention and persist through challenges.
- Teacher-student relationship
- A warm, supportive relationship creates emotional safety, reducing fear of failure and encouraging risk-taking in learning.
- Classroom climate
- The overall emotional tone of a classroom—whether it feels safe, respectful and encouraging—directly affects cognitive engagement of all learners.
- Motivation as an emotion-cognition bridge
- Emotions fuel motivation (intrinsic and extrinsic), which in turn drives cognitive effort and persistence.
- Amygdala
- Processes emotional reactions; can "hijack" rational thinking during high stress
- Hippocampus
- Critical for forming long-term memories; works closely with amygdala
- Emotional Intelligence (EI)
- Ability to perceive, understand and manage emotions—predicts academic and life success
- Test anxiety
- Common negative emotion that reduces retrieval of learned material
Piaget's Cognitive Development — Child Development and Pedagogy · 11 cards
- Schema
- Mental frameworks or categories that help organise and interpret information. A child's schema for "dog" might initially include all four-legged animals until refined through experience.
- Assimilation
- Fitting new information into existing schemas. A child who knows "dog" sees a cat and calls it a dog—using the existing schema for a new object.
- Accommodation
- Modifying existing schemas or creating new ones when new information doesn't fit. The child creates a separate schema for "cat" after learning the difference.
- Equilibration
- The balance between assimilation and accommodation. Cognitive development occurs when disequilibrium (confusion from new information) drives the child to restore balance through learning.
- Invariant sequence
- All children pass through the four stages in the same order; no stage can be skipped, though the pace varies individually.
- Qualitative change
- Each stage represents a fundamentally different way of thinking, not just "more" knowledge.
- Active learning
- Children learn best through hands-on exploration and discovery, not passive reception.
- Sensorimotor
- Age Range: 0–2 years · Key Characteristics: Learning through senses and motor actions; develops object permanence
- Pre-operational
- Age Range: 2–7 years · Key Characteristics: Symbolic thinking, language development; egocentrism, centration, lack of conservation
- Concrete Operational
- Age Range: 7–11 years · Key Characteristics: Logical thinking about concrete objects; achieves conservation, reversibility, classification
- Formal Operational
- Age Range: 11+ years · Key Characteristics: Abstract and hypothetical thinking; deductive reasoning, systematic problem-solving
Factors Affecting Learning — Child Development and Pedagogy · 12 cards
- Learning is multi-determined
- No single factor explains learning outcomes; it is always a combination of personal (internal) and environmental (external) factors working together.
- Personal factors are within the learner
- These include physical health, intelligence, motivation, emotional state, age, maturation, and prior knowledge—factors the child brings to the classroom.
- Environmental factors are outside the learner
- Family, school, peer group, community, socio-economic status, and cultural context shape learning opportunities and attitudes.
- Maturation sets readiness
- A child cannot learn certain skills until biological maturation permits—teaching reading before perceptual readiness is futile regardless of method.
- Motivation is the engine of learning
- Without interest or purpose, even capable learners underperform; intrinsic motivation produces deeper learning than extrinsic rewards alone.
- Teacher and school quality mediate all other factors
- A skilled teacher can compensate for disadvantaged backgrounds; a poor school environment can waste high potential.
- Socio-economic status (SES) has pervasive effects
- SES influences nutrition, access to books, parental involvement, and aspirations—acting as a "super-factor" that touches many others.
- Emotional security enables cognitive engagement
- Anxiety, fear of punishment, or family instability diverts mental energy away from learning tasks.
- Physical
- Examples: Health, nutrition, sensory abilities, fatigue · Impact on Learning: Poor health/hunger reduces attention and retention
- Intellectual
- Examples: Intelligence, aptitude, cognitive style · Impact on Learning: Determines pace and depth of concept acquisition
- Emotional
- Examples: Interest, attitude, anxiety, self-concept · Impact on Learning: Positive emotions enhance; negative emotions inhibit
- Motivational
- Examples: Intrinsic vs extrinsic, level of aspiration · Impact on Learning: High motivation sustains effort and persistence
Vygotsky's Socio-cultural Theory — Child Development and Pedagogy · 12 cards
- Social origin of cognition
- Higher mental functions (reasoning, problem-solving, memory) originate in social interaction and are later internalised by the child. Learning is first inter-psychological (between people), then intra-psychological (within the child).
- Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)
- The gap between what a child can do independently (actual developmental level) and what the child can achieve with guidance (potential developmental level). Teaching should target this zone for optimal learning.
- More Knowledgeable Other (MKO)
- Any person with greater knowledge or skill than the learner—could be a teacher, parent, older sibling, or even a peer. The MKO guides the learner through the ZPD.
- Scaffolding
- Temporary, adjustable support provided by the MKO that is gradually removed as the learner gains competence. Like construction scaffolding, it is withdrawn once the structure (understanding) can stand alone.
- Language as a tool of thought
- Language is not just communication—it is the primary tool for cognitive development. Children use private speech (talking to themselves) to regulate behaviour and thinking, which later becomes inner speech.
- Cultural tools
- Every culture provides symbolic tools (language, writing, number systems) and physical tools that shape how children think. Cognitive development varies across cultures because tools differ.
- Mediation
- Learning is mediated through tools and signs. The teacher or MKO acts as a mediator between the child and knowledge, using language, symbols, and activities to bridge understanding.
- Collaborative learning
- Group work, peer tutoring, and cooperative activities are highly effective because they create social contexts where ZPD can be addressed and multiple MKOs can contribute.
- ZPD
- Distance between independent performance and assisted performance
- MKO
- Teacher, peer, or adult with superior knowledge who guides learning
- Private speech
- Self-directed speech children use to guide their own thinking (ages 3–7)
- Inner speech
- Internalised, silent form of private speech in older children and adults
Child-Centred and Progressive Education — Child Development and Pedagogy · 12 cards
- Child as an active constructor of knowledge
- Children are not empty vessels to be filled; they actively build understanding through interaction with their environment, people, and materials.
- Learning by doing (Activity-based learning)
- Concrete experiences, hands-on activities, and experimentation form the foundation of meaningful learning, especially at the primary level.
- Individual differences matter
- Every child learns at their own pace and style; curriculum and teaching must accommodate diversity rather than impose uniformity.
- Intrinsic motivation over external rewards
- Progressive education emphasises curiosity, interest, and joy in learning rather than marks, punishments, or competition.
- Democratic classroom environment
- Children participate in decision-making, express opinions freely, and learn through collaboration rather than passive obedience.
- Integration of knowledge
- Subjects are not taught in isolation; learning connects to real life and cuts across disciplinary boundaries (thematic/integrated approach).
- Teacher as facilitator, not dictator
- The teacher guides, supports, and scaffolds learning rather than simply transmitting information through lectures.
- Process over product
- How a child learns (thinking, exploring, questioning) matters as much as what the child learns (final answers or scores).
- Focus
- Traditional Approach: Teacher and textbook · Child-Centred Approach: Child's needs and interests
- Learning
- Traditional Approach: Rote memorisation · Child-Centred Approach: Understanding and exploration
- Discipline
- Traditional Approach: Punishment-based · Child-Centred Approach: Self-regulation and intrinsic motivation
- Curriculum
- Traditional Approach: Rigid, fixed · Child-Centred Approach: Flexible, adaptive
Language and Thought — Child Development and Pedagogy · 12 cards
- Language as a tool for thought
- Language is not merely for communication—it serves as a mental tool that helps children organise, categorise, and manipulate ideas internally.
- Private speech and inner speech
- Children often talk aloud to themselves while solving problems. This self-directed speech gradually becomes internalised as silent inner thought—a key mechanism linking language to cognition.
- Linguistic relativity (Sapir-Whorf hypothesis)
- The language we speak influences how we perceive and think about the world. Children speaking different languages may categorise experiences differently.
- Cognitive prerequisites for language
- Piaget argued that certain cognitive abilities (like object permanence and symbolic thinking) must develop before meaningful language can emerge.
- Language as a social tool
- Vygotsky emphasised that language first develops through social interaction, then becomes internalised to guide individual thought.
- Critical period for language
- There exists a sensitive developmental window (roughly birth to puberty) during which language acquisition occurs most naturally and efficiently.
- Vocabulary and concept formation
- A child's vocabulary size correlates strongly with their ability to form and manipulate abstract concepts.
- Piaget
- Core Position: Thought precedes language · Key Idea: Language reflects cognitive development but does not drive it
- Vygotsky
- Core Position: Language and thought merge · Key Idea: After age 2, language and thought become interdependent; social speech becomes inner speech
- Chomsky
- Core Position: Language is innate · Key Idea: Language Acquisition Device (LAD) is biologically programmed; universal grammar
- Sapir-Whorf
- Core Position: Language shapes thought · Key Idea: Linguistic relativity—language structure influences perception and cognition
- Bruner
- Core Position: Language amplifies thought · Key Idea: Language is a cultural tool that extends cognitive abilities