* Definitions from dictionary.com: http://dictionary.reference.com/search

Altruism
The desire to help another person even if it involves cost to the helper.

Apathy
1. Lack of interest or concern, especially regarding matters of general importance or appeal; indifference. Lack of emotion or feeling; impassiveness. According to the Stoics, apathy meant the extinction of the passions by the ascendency of reason. --Fleming.   2. a. Want of feeling; privation of passion, emotion, or excitement; dispassion; -- applied either to the body or the mind. As applied to the mind, it is a calmness, indolence, or state of indifference, incapable of being ruffled or roused to active interest or exertion by pleasure, pain, or passion. b. Lack of emotion or feeling; impassiveness.

Availability Heuristic
A mental rule of thumb whereby people base a judgment on the ease with which they can bring something to mind.

Benevolence
The disposition to do good; good will; charitableness; love of mankind, accompanied with a desire to promote their happiness. An act of kindness; good done; charity given.

Bystander Effect
The finding that the greater the number of bystanders who witness an emergency, the less likely any one of them is to help.

Commitment
The state of being bound emotionally or intellectually to a course of action or to another person or persons: a deep commitment to liberal policies; a profound commitment to the family.

Communal Relationships:
Relationships in which people's primary concern is being responsive to the other person's needs.

Commons Dilemma
A social dilemma in which everyone takes from a common pool of goods that will replenish itself if used in moderation but will disappear if overused.

Commune
1. A relatively small, often rural community whose members share common interests, work, and income and often own property collectively. 2. The people in such a community.  3. To be in a state of intimate, heightened sensitivity and receptivity, as with one's surroundings: hikers communing with nature.

Community*:
1. A group of people living in the same locality and under the same government. a. The district or locality in which such a group lives.  2. A group of people having common interests  3. A group viewed as forming a distinct segment of society  a. Similarity or identity  b. Sharing, participation, and fellowship.  c. Society as a whole; the public.
American Heritage Dictionary (Multimedia)  4.  A group with a shared experience (social, geographic, economic, physical, biological, etc.).

Content-Based Learning (or Project-Based Learning)
Project-based learning (PBL) is a model for classroom activity that shifts away from the classroom practices of short, isolated, teacher-centered lessons and instead emphasizes learning activities that are long-term, interdisciplinary, student-centered, and integrated with real world issues and practices. One immediate benefit of practicing PBL is the unique way that it can motivate students by engaging them in their own learning. PBL provides opportunities for students to pursue their own interests and questions and make decisions about how they will find answers and solve problems.

Project-based learning also provides opportunities for interdisciplinary learning. Students apply and integrate the content of different subject areas at authentic moments in the production process, instead of in isolation or in an artificial setting. PBL helps make learning relevant and useful to students by establishing connections to life outside the classroom, addressing real world concerns, and developing real world skills. Many of the skills learned through PBL are those desired by today's employer, including the ability to work well with others, make thoughtful decisions, take initiative, and solve complex problems.

Competence
Well read on a particular issue or knowledge base. The understanding may be experiential as well. Note: There are degrees of competency and when talking about competency, one should articulate the level or extent to which that competency exists.

Conformity
A change in behavior due to the real or imagined influence of other people.

Conscience
1. a. The awareness of a moral or ethical aspect to one's conduct together with the urge to prefer right over wrong: Let your conscience be your guide. b. A source of moral or ethical judgment or pronouncement: a document that serves as the nation's conscience. c. Conformity to one's own sense of right conduct: a person of unflagging conscience.  2. The part of the superego in psychoanalysis that judges the ethical nature of one's actions and thoughts and then transmits such determinations to the ego for consideration.

Consensus
An opinion or position reached by a group as a whole or by majority will: The voters' consensus was that the measure should be adopted. General agreement or accord: government by consensus

Dedication: Selfless devotion  -dictionary.com  (Perhaps when this word is used it would behoove us to ask the level of dedication... Seems that there are levels of selflessness and levels of devotion

Democracy:  Government by the people, exercised either directly or through elected representatives. A political or social unit that has such a government. The common people, considered as the primary source of political power. Majority rule. The principles of social equality and respect for the individual within a community. American Heritage Dictionary (Multimedia)

Deindividuation
The loosening of normal constraints of behavior when people are in a crowd, leading to an increase in impulsive and deviant acts.

Diffusion of Responsibility
The phenomenon whereby each bystanders sense of responsibility to help decreases as the number of witnesses increases.

Discrimination
Unjustified negative or harmful action toward a member of a group, simply because of his or her membership in that group.

Diversity: The fact or quality of being diverse; difference. A point or respect in which things differ. Variety or multiformity: (Scientific American). American Heritage Dictionary (Multimedia)

Empathy
Understanding and entering into another's feelings. Identification with and understanding of another's situation, feelings, and motives. The attribution of one's own feelings to an object.

Ethnography
The method by which researchers attempt to understand a group or culture by observing it from the inside, without imposing any preconceived notions they might have.

Facilitator*:
1. Someone who makes progress easier.

Fear
A painful emotion or passion excited by the expectation of evil, or the apprehension of impending danger; apprehension; anxiety; solicitude; alarm; dread. Note: The degrees of this passion, beginning with the most moderate, may be thus expressed, -- apprehension, fear, dread, fright, terror.  Fear is an uneasiness of the mind, upon the thought of future evil likely to befall us. --Locke.

Groupthink
A kind of thinking in which maintaining group cohesiveness and solidarity is more important then considering the facts in a realistic manner.

Humor
A witty response that makes one laugh but not limited to verbal tendencies. Humor may also exist in action.  "It was humorous that Billy painted his friends arm in his sleep." Also tied to the ability to be light hearted, not staunch and not take offense too easily.

Independent view of the self
A way of defining oneself in terms of one's own internal thoughts, feelings, and actions and not in terms of the thoughts, feelings and actions of other people.

Individualism: Belief in the primary importance of the individual and in the virtues of self-reliance and personal independence. Acts or an act based on this belief. A doctrine advocating freedom from government regulation in the pursuit of a person's economic or social goals. The doctrine that the interests of the individual should take precedence over the interests of the state or social group.  American Heritage Dictionary (Multimedia)

Informative social influence
The influence of other people that leads us to conform because we see them as a source of information to guide our behavior; we conform because we believe that others' interpretation of an ambiguous situation is more accurate then ours and will help us choose the appropriate course of action.

Intention
A stretching or bending of the mind toward of the mind toward an object; closeness of application; fixedness of attention; earnestness. A determination to act in a certain way or to do a certain thing; purpose; design; as, an intention to go to New York. The object toward which the thoughts are directed; end; aim.

Intentional
1. Done by intention or design; intended; designed; as, the act was intentional, not accidental. 2. Done or made or performed with purpose and intent.

Investment
1.  Using monetary savings to undertake hopefully profitable new projects.  2. A commitment, as of time or support.

Justice: The principal of moral rightness; equity.  -dictionary.com  (I attach a almost an absolute amount of fairness when I talk about justice.  This statement begs the question... absolute amount of fairness in who's eyes...  Well, perhaps this too should be discussed when talking about justice.)

Leadership
1. Capacity or ability to lead: showed strong leadership during her first term in office. 2. Guidance; direction: "The business prospered under the leadership of the new president."  3.  The position or office of a leader.

Marginalize
To relegate or confine to a lower or outer limit or edge, as of social standing.

Mindless Conformity
Obeying internalized social norms without deliberating one's actions.

Motivation
To provide with a motive; to move; impel; induce; incite. The psychological feature that arouses an organism to action; the reason for the action.

Mutual Interdependence
A situation where two or more groups need each other and must depend on each other to accomplish a goal that is important to both of them.

Norm of Reciprocity
The expectation that helping others will increase the likelihood that they will help us in the future.

Perseverance Effect
The finding that people's beliefs about themselves and the social world persist even after the evidence supporting these beliefs is discredited.

Phenomenology*
1. A philosophy or method of inquiry based on the premise that reality consists of objects and events as they are perceived or understood in human consciousness and not of anything independent of human consciousness.  2. A movement based on this, originated about 1905 by Edmund Husserl.

Procedural Justice
People's judgments about the fairness of the procedures used to determine outcomes, such as whether they are innocent or guilty of a crime.

Psychology - The science that deals with mental processes and behavior. The emotional and behavioral characteristics of an individual, a group, or an activity: the psychology of war.  American Heritage Dictionary (Multimedia)

Qualitative*:
1. Of, relating to, or concerning quality (see: quality)

Quality*:
1. An inherent or distinguishing characteristic; a property.  2. A personal trait, especially a character trait.  3. Essential character; nature.

Quantitative*:
1. A resolution of anything, whether an object of the senses or of the intellect, into its constituent or original elements; an examination of the component parts of a subject, each separately, as the words which compose a sentence, the tones of a tune, or the simple propositions which enter into an argument.  2. The tracing of things to their source, and the resolving of knowledge into its original principles.  3. The resolving of problems by reducing the conditions that are in them to equations.

Querencia
A place where one feels safe, a place from which one's strength of
character is drawn, a place where one feels at home.

Realistic Conflict Theory
The theory that limited resources lead to conflict between groups and result in increased prejudice and discrimination.

Reliability
Characteristic of a test for which a student's scores are nearly the same in repeated measurements, and of a test that consistently measures what it says it measures

Religion
Belief in and reverence for a supernatural power or powers regarded as creator and governor of the universe. A personal or institutionalized system grounded in such belief and worship. The life or condition of a person in a religious order. A set of beliefs, values, and practices based on the teachings of a spiritual leader. A cause, a principle, or an activity pursued with zeal or conscientious devotion.  American Heritage Dictionary (Multimedia)

Reminiscence
The phenomenon that after rest, memory seems to improve.

Representation
The manner in which information is recorded or expressed.

Respect
To feel or show deferential regard for; esteem. To avoid violation of or interference with. A feeling of appreciative, often deferential regard. The state of being regarded with honor or esteem. Willingness to show consideration or appreciation.

Response Cost
A form of punishment involving the loss of a positive reinforcer (e.g., after misbehavior, a student may no longer be a classroom monitor).

Restricted Response
A form of essay question that asks for specific information.

Retrieval
The act of recognizing, recalling, and reconstructing what we have previously stored in memory.

Retrieving
Ability to access information in stored memory.

Ripple Effect
The phenomenon in which punishment is not confined to one student; its effects spread to other .class members

Rubric
1.  The directions and rules for the conduct of service, formerly written or printed in red; hence, also, an ecclesiastical or episcopal injunction; -- usually in the plural. An authoritative rule; an explanation or definition of an obscure word in a text [syn: gloss];  a heading that is printed in red or in a special type (v : adorn with ruby red color)  2.  Authoritative or established criteria used to evaluate student performance; usually consists of a fixed scale and a list of characteristics describing performances for each point on the scale.

Scapegoating
The tendency for individuals, when frustrated or unhappy, to displace aggression onto groups that are disliked, visible and relatively powerless.

Schemata
Mental frameworks that modify incoming data; plural of schema.

Schemes
Piaget's term for organized patterns of thought.

School Delivery Sandards
A school's effectiveness in instruction.

Scripts
Ways of behaving socially that we learn implicitly from our culture.

Self-efficacy
1.  An individual's estimate or personal judgment of his or her own ability to succeed in reaching a specific goal.  2.  Individuals' beliefs in their abilities to exert control over their lives; feelings of competency.

Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
The phenomenon that when teachers expect more of children, the students tend to meet the expectations, and vice versa.

Self-Regulated
Describing an individual's ability to control his or her own learning or behavior through cognitive processes.

Semantic Memory
Memory necessary for the use of language.

Semantics
The meaning of words; the relationship between ideas and words

Service: employment in duties or work for another.  -dictionary.com  (When I use this term, service may extend beyond employment or official duties or actual work.  Service may include a favor or act of kindness or a conversation that brightens someones day.  There is a general connotation of exchange when service is mentioned but let us not exclude acts that don't necessarily yield a return.)

Service-Learning
"At their best, service-learning experiences are reciprocally beneficial for both the community and students. For many community organizations, students augment service delivery, meet crucial human needs, and provide a basis for future citizen support. For students, community service is an opportunity to enrich and apply classroom knowledge; explore careers or majors; develop civic and cultural literacy; improve citizenship, develop occupational skills; enhance personal growth and self-image; establish job links; and foster a concern for social problems, which leads to a sense of social responsibility and commitment to public/human service."

"Social Change"
A difference in society. The alteration may be good, bad, indifferent.  It is necessary to mention the direction of the social change when talking about it.

Social Roles
Shared expectations in a group about how particular people are supposed to behave.

Stereotype Threat
The apprehension experienced by members of a minority group that their behavior might confirm a cultural stereotype.

Student Learning Outcomes
Learning outcomes define what students should be able to do at the end of the course; represent an ultimate measureable goal. Enable students to focus on items of value (study strategies) that contribute to the final course products (behaviors and skills) they are to fulfill.

Teamwork
Cooperative effort by the members of a group or team to achieve a common goal.

Thanatos
According to Freud, an instinctual drive toward death, leading to aggressive actions.

Tolerance
The capacity for or the practice of recognizing and respecting the beliefs or practices of others. Leeway for variation from a standard. The permissible deviation from a specified value of a structural dimension, often expressed as a percent. The capacity to endure hardship or pain.

Understanding
The quality or condition of one who understands; comprehension. The faculty by which one understands; intelligence. Individual or specified judgment or outlook; opinion. A compact implicit between two or more people or groups. The matter implicit in such a compact. A reconciliation of differences; a state of agreement: They finally reached an understanding. A disposition to appreciate or share the feelings and thoughts of others; sympathy. (adj. Characterized by or having comprehension, good sense, or discernment. Compassionate; sympathetic.)

Unity
1. The state or quality of being one; singleness.  2. The state or quality of being in accord; harmony. 3. a. The combination or arrangement of parts into a whole; unification.  b. A combination or union thus formed.  4. Singleness or constancy of purpose or action; continuity: “In an army you need unity of purpose” (Emmeline Pankhurst).

Urban Overload Hypothesis
The theory that people living in cities are constantly being bombarded with stimulation and that they keep to themselves to avoid being overloaded by it.

Volunteer
1. To perform or offer to perform a service of one's own free will. 2. To do charitable or helpful work without pay.
 
 

Consciousness
Awareness
Phenomenology
Knowledge:
    Intersubjectivity
    Objective Methodologies
    Reflective Methodologies (Phenomenology, Meditation)

Choice:
    Intentionality
    Ethics (Axiology)
    Decision-Making
    Wisdom

Cognition
Representation
Symbolic Forms
Horizons, Domains
Multiple Intelligences
    Emotional Intelligence

Culture, Society
“Usages”  (Ortega y Gasset)
Conscious Assumptions
Unconscious assumptions

Reptilian, Mammalian & Human “Brains”

Ego
Self (Higher Self, Satori Mind)