8:2 - Precocious

When & Where: One of my professors used this word to describe an imaginary student that was used to model some of the assessments included in the Observation Survey. It only just occurred to me that I don't actually know what that word means, now that I am reflecting back on that night in class.

Definition: According to dictionary.com, precocious means, "unusually advanced or mature in development."

Level of Familiarity: We were talking about the imaginary child's disposition when this word was mentioned. I did not recognize any part of the word except for the prefix, "pre." I know that anything beginning with pre means "before."

Reflective Commentary: I don't like the way this word sounds, and I'm not sure why. I probably won't ever use it, but in that context I was not following the conversation simply because I did not know what the word meant. I would not say that this is absolutely something to know, unless you plan on using it to describe your students' characteristics or behavior for any reason.