8 FIELD STUDY 1
Module 2: Content
Knowledge and Pedagogy
1a Demonstrating Knowledge of Content and Pedagogy - Katy Miller ([Link])
Module Overview
Module 2 is concerned with the content and pedagogical knowledge of
teachers. Teachers must be content experts to guide their students' learning.
Knowledge of teaching methods and strategies for structuring subject matter
is also vital for teachers. Professional teachers understand the skills and
concepts required for effective discipline implementation, and all teachers
should strive to learn these abilities and concepts. Before they can understand
others, they must first understand the relationships between disciplines, and
the concepts and skills. Teachers should keep track of their student’s
academic progress. Students cannot be content with simply knowing the facts.
Motivation Question
How do you differentiate content knowledge from pedagogical
knowledge?
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Lesson 2.1: Pedagogical Content
Knowledge (PCK) and Its Application
across the Curriculum
Lesson Summary
PCK is a unique synthesis of teacher content and pedagogical
knowledge. It is the body of knowledge that the teacher uses to connect
his or her pedagogical and content knowledge to make the lesson more
relevant and comprehensive for students.
Mastery of comprehensive pedagogical content knowledge
(PCK) in a subject area is one of the competencies required of a
graduate of teacher education (CHED 2017).
Lesson Outcomes
At the end of this lesson, I must be able to:
a. distinguish the relevance of content knowledge from pedagogical
knowledge and curricular knowledge
Motivation Question
What is the benefit of understanding pedagogical content
knowledge?
Discussion
Pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) is an intriguing academic
concept. It is widely held that teaching entails much more than imparting
subject-matter knowledge to students and that student learning entails
much more than absorbing information for subsequent accurate
regurgitation. PCK refers to the knowledge teachers gain over time and
through experience about how to teach specific content in specific ways
that result in increased student understanding. PCK, on the other hand,
is not a uniform entity shared by all teachers in a given subject area. It is
a distinct expertise with distinct idiosyncrasies and significant
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10 FIELD STUDY 1
differences influenced by (at the very least) the teaching context,
content, and experience. It may be identical (or similar) for some
teachers and dissimilar for others, but it is an essential component of
teachers' professional knowledge and expertise (Loughran, J. et al.
2012).
What is PCK?
In 1986, Dr. Lee Shulman spoke to the American Educational
Research Association. He was concerned about teacher education,
believing that an undue emphasis was placed on teaching methods at
the expense of content. “Where did all the content go?” he wondered.
Most importantly, he distinguished between a teacher and a subject
matter expert. He attributed this distinction to teachers' specialized
knowledge, which enabled them to transform content knowledge into
teachable form (Rollnick & Mavhunga, 2017). As a result, he coined the
phrase "pedagogical content knowledge" (PCK), which he defined as
follows:
“Within the category of PCK, I include, for the most frequently
taught topics in one's subject area, the most useful forms of those
representations of those ideas, the most powerful analogies,
illustrations, examples, explanations, and demonstrations – in a
nutshell, the ways of representing and formulating the subject that
make it understandable to others. PCK also includes an
understanding of what makes specific topics easy or difficult to
learn: the conceptions and preconceptions that students of various
ages and backgrounds bring to the learning of those most
frequently taught topics and lessons. If those preconceptions are
misconceptions, as they frequently are, teachers must be aware of
the strategies that are most likely to be effective in reorganizing
learners' understanding, because those learners are unlikely to
appear before them as blank slates (Shulman, 1986, pp. 9-10).”
Since then, much has been published on PCK, but the most difficult
challenge has been precisely defining it and providing examples so that
new teachers can grasp it and apply it in their classrooms. We've
discovered that this is much easier when PCK is defined as being
specific to each topic taught and to each class taught (Rollnick &
Mavhunga, 2017).
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Shulman (2004) asserts that PCK is a synthesis of subject matter
knowledge and pedagogical knowledge that teachers must possess.
These two domains are inextricably linked. Subject matter knowledge,
also referred to as content knowledge (CK), is the knowledge of a
particular subject that a teacher must teach. Another area of expertise
is pedagogical knowledge (PK). According to Shulman (2004), PK entails
the teaching principles and strategies used in classroom management
and organization. Additionally, the PK incorporates the teacher's
knowledge of students' learning, assessment, and educational
objectives (Kultsum, U., 2017). The figure below illustrates the
integration of two domains.
Content Knowledge - Knowledge of the subject matter or academic
course being taught or expected to be learned by students,
requiring an understanding of facts or principles.
Pedagogical Knowledge – knowledge of teaching, including
methods and strategies for structuring subject matter to make it
more understandable to learners.
Curricular Knowledge – an understanding of the curriculum, as
represented by a comprehensive range of programs designed to
teach a specific subject/course at a particular level.
PCK does not simply employ a teaching procedure because it
"works" or merely breaks down the content knowledge into manageable
"chunks". It is the synthesis of extensive knowledge of pedagogy and
content, each shaping and interacting with the other so that what is
taught and how it is constructed is purposefully designed to ensure that
certain content is better understood by students.
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12 FIELD STUDY 1
Learning Task
It’s time to observe and investigate. Discover the content
knowledge and pedagogical practices of your cooperating teacher.
ASSESSMENT
Instruction: Create a Venn diagram that illustrates the interrelationships
between the various types of knowledge (Content, Pedagogical,
Curricular). Each section must include examples, after which, explain
further your diagram.
Read the questions carefully, answer the questions
comprehensively.
1. Does the teacher consider the learner’s prior knowledge in the
lesson you have observed?
_______________________________________________________________
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2. Does the teacher use varied teaching strategies to deliver the
subject matter?
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3. Does the teacher provide updated information regarding the
lesson?
_______________________________________________________________
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