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Module C ButtonTopic C2: Importance Of Knowing A Term's Definition

Introduction
Why is it important to know all of the terms used in a textbook?

What happens when a term's definition is not known?

 

Why is it important to know the definition of all of the terms used in a textbook?

To demonstrate what happens when you do not know the meaning of a term used in a textbook, a definition will be given from a textbook used to train travel agents. Notice how the term “breakage” is used in the statement.

Package is the number of services such as room, food, transportation, and entertainment usually purchased separately but put together and marketed at a reduced price made possible by volume and breakage.

After reading this statement, you wonder how “breakage” could reduce the price of a package developed by a travel agent. In your mind breakage means to make something unusable.

If something is made unusable by a tour group, it is logical that the price of a tour package would be increased to cover this cost.

However, in the travel industry breakage is defined as the financial gain to a hotel when meals or other services included in a package are not used by the guests.

Now the reason why breakage can reduce the price of a travel package becomes clear. People are paying for something they are not using. The definition of package you have now in your mind is as follows:

Package is the number of services such as room, food, transportation, and entertainment usually purchased separately but put together and marketed at a reduced price made possible by volume and the financial gain to a hotel when meals or other services included in a package are not used by the guests.

By learning the definition of breakage, you can now understand and learn the definition of package. When the terms "package" and "breakage" are later used in this textbook for travel agents, knowing these definitions will permit understanding the new information found in the textbook.

It is important that students always learn the definition of all of the terms used in all of the new definitions that are introduced in your class. Without knowing the definition of a term used in a new term’s definition, the new term’s meaning will not be understood and therefore be useless information.

 

What happens if a familiar term's meaning is not known?

Frequently, a familiar term is used without anyone knowing the term's definition. Because a certain term is used frequently, you must never think that everyone knows the term’s definition.

An example of a familiar term used frequently is the term “candy.” Everyone has no trouble recognizing a piece of candy. Everyone probably has eaten candy. 

However, you probably cannot define the term candy. In other words you cannot answer the question, "What is candy?" Think about this for a moment before continuing.

After reading the following list of associations of candy manufactures, you will know what is candy.

ASSOCIATIONS OF CANDY MANUFACTURES
1. National Confectioners Association
2. Retail Confectioners International
3. Pennsylvania Manufactures Confectioner's Association
4. Confectionery Manufactures Association Of Canada
5. Confectionery Manufactures Association of Australia
6. Brazilian Chocolate, Cocoa and Confectionery Association
7. Association Of The Chocolate, Biscuit, And Confectionery Industries Of The European Union

TRADE JOURNALS
1. Confectioner Magazine
2. The Manufacturing Confectioner
3. U.S. Market For Confectionery Product

 

As you can see, the term "confection" is widely used by candy manufactures. If you want to see how widely this term is used, enter "confection" on the Internet and see how many sites are found (Thousands).

Now you know that candy is classified as a confection. Knowing candy is a confection does not help you know what is candy unless you know the definition of confection. 

The definition of confection is as follows:

Confection is anything prepared by mixing or combining

Now you know candy is prepared by mixing or combining something. While the definition of candy is now starting to become obvious, it was not obvious until the definition of confection, "prepare by mixing or combining," was given.

However, many things can be mixed together to make a product. Cement is a mixture of concrete, water, and sand.  What is needed now is knowing what is mixed together to make candy. Candy's ingredients are sweet syrup or sugar, fruit, nuts, flavoring, or chocolate. Candy can now be defined as follows:

Candy is a confection of syrup, fruit, nuts, flavoring, or chocolate.

Term Being Defined: Candy
Classification: Confection - mixture
Identifying Characteristics: - one or more of the following:

1. sweet syrup or sugar
2. fruit
3. nuts
4. flavoring
5. chocolate

The definition of candy became obvious once it was given. Knowing the definition of candy now gives you a better understanding of exactly what is the mixture that is called candy.

There are many terms students will use daily that he or she is not able to define. If a student does not know the meaning of a term used in a definition, the student cannot use the definition to recognize an example of the term or understand information that uses the term.

Therefore, the students must be taught how to learn the definition and recognize examples of the terms introduced in their courses.

 

Teaching Suggestions

When students are having difficulty understand a concept or rule, determine if this problem is due to not knowing the definition of some of the terms used.

Ask the students to define terms used in the concept or rule.

Emphasize the consequences of not learning the new terms when they are introduced in the textbook or lecture.

Ask the students what will happen to someone who tries to learn the information in chapter two who does not know the definitions of the terms introduced in chapter one.

 

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