Session Information
Contribution
Research into learning to teach has several important strands, in particular, the role of subject knowledge and its relationship with teaching (Shulman, 1986, 1987; Carter, 1990; Siedentop, 2002). The importance of subject knowledge and its connection with teaching is also reflected in its inclusion as one of 3 professional standards that student teachers are required to achieve to be awarded Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) upon completion of an Initial Teacher Education (ITE) course in England (DfES & TTA, 2003). However, given the importance of subject knowledge, what does it actually mean? This paper examines the complex nature of subject knowledge and discusses different schools of thought, from the literature, on what counts as subject knowledge. Shulman (1986, 1987) presents seven categories of teachers' knowledge which are often connected to the development of a knowledge base for teaching: (i) content knowledge, (ii) pedagogical content knowledge, (iii) general pedagogical knowledge, (iv) curriculum knowledge, (v) knowledge of learners and their characteristics, (vi) knowledge of educational contexts and, (vii) knowledge of educational ends, purposes and values. The influence of Shulman's conceptual framework of knowledge bases is illustrated by the number of scholars who have embraced the concept, sought to demonstrate its importance in teaching, reformulated it and, of course, criticised it. Thus, Shulman's knowledge bases for teaching model was used, in this study, as a framework to analyse student teachers' questionnaire, lesson observation and interview data on what constitutes subject knowledge. A questionnaire was administered, on two separate occasions, to 53 student teachers (28 or 53% males; 25 or 47% females) undertaking a one-year Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) Physical Education course at one university in England. In addition, 12 student teachers were interviewed and observed, also on two separate occasions. Results revealed that student teachers perceived subject knowledge as a combination of subject content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge, however, as the PGCE course progressed a wider, holistic and more integrated view of subject knowledge unfolded. Implications for teacher educators, practitioners and student teachers in ITE are discussed such as the usefulness of the full range of Shulman's knowledge bases both in designing the content and structure of ITE courses, and as a framework for assessing student teachers' needs at various stages in their development as teachers. (see above) (see above) Carter, K. (1990). Teachers' knowledge and learning to teach, in: W.R. Houston (Ed.) Handbook of research on teacher education. New York: Macmillan (pp 291-310). Shulman, L.S. (1986). Those who understand: Knowledge growth in teaching. Educational Researcher, 15 (2), 4-14. Shulman, L.S. (1987). Knowledge and teaching: Foundations of the new reform. Harvard Educational Review, 57 (1), 1-22.Teaching and Teacher Education
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