PCK MODELS Fernandez 2014

 (Fernandez, 2014)

Fernandez, C. (2014). KNOWLEDGE BASE FOR TEACHING AND PEDAGOGICAL CONTENT KNOWLEDGE (PCK): SOME USEFUL MODELS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR TEACHERS’ TRAINING. Problems of Education in the 21st Century. 60. 79-100. 10.33225/pec/14.60.79. 

Shulman (1987) and Wilson, Shulman and Richert (1987) defines seven categories for teacher knowledge: content knowledge, general pedagogical knowledge, curriculum, pedagogical content knowledge, students and their characteristics, educational contexts, and knowledge of 

purposes, aims, objectives and educational philosophies. Putnam and Borko (1997) recognize three: general pedagogical knowledge, content and pedagogical content. Calderhead (1996) identifies five components: knowledge of yourself, subject matter knowledge, students’ knowledge, curriculum and teaching methods. Grossman (1990) systematizes Shulman’s proposal on four components: content knowledge, general pedagogical knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge and context knowledge.(Fernandez, 2014)

In the same article of the year 1987, Shulman presents the Model of Pedagogical Reasoning and Action (MPRA, Figure 1). This model represents how the practical knowledge of 

teachers can be developed and points to the relevance of reflection in this process.(Fernandez, 2014)

Regarding to the MPRA model Shulman explains that most of the teaching begins by some form of “text”, a textbook, script or other material that the teacher or students would like to understand. According to the MPRA proposed by him, starting from a textbook, educational goals, and a set of ideas, the pedagogical reasoning and action involve a cycle through activities of comprehension, transformation, instruction, assessment and reflection. The starting point 

and end of the process is an act of understanding.(Fernandez, 2014)

This model seeks to embrace the knowledge that the teacher has on the subject matter and on methodological approaches that develops on a particular subject. At each step, a series of knowledge and skills is required. Thus, in the MPRA model Shulman represents the steps that occur in the development of professional practice of a teacher, particularly using a specific content.(Fernandez, 2014)

According to Shulman (1986) content knowledge includes: knowledge of concepts, theories, ideas, knowledge of proofs and evidences as well as practices and approaches to develop this knowledge. While the pedagogical knowledge includes the educational purposes, the methods of teaching and learning, that is, knowledge about techniques or methods used in the classroom, the nature of the target audience and strategies for assessing students’ knowledge. In general pedagogical knowledge encompasses educational purposes and values and, in addition, requires a cognitive, social and developmental theory of learning and how they apply within the classroom.(Fernandez, 2014)

Later, Shulman (1987) outlines the categories of teacher knowledge to promote understanding among its students, he considers seven types of basic knowledge that a teacher must have:

i.) Content Knowledge

ii.) General Pedagogical Knowledge

iii.) Curricular Knowledge

iv.) Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK)

v.) Knowledge of Learners and their characteristics

vi.) Knowledge of Educational Contexts

vii.) Knowledge of Purposes, educational purposes and educational values and 

their philosophical and historical bases

Shulman (1987) says that the Pedagogical Content Knowledge is that special amalgam 

of content and pedagogy that is uniquely the province of teachers, their own special form of 

professional understanding.

Shulman introduced the idea of Pedagogical Content Knowledge as an element of what he called a knowledge base for teaching.(Fernandez, 2014)

In the 1987 article, Shulman mentions the idea of PCK for the first time referring to the intersection of content and pedagogy, and says: “[...] that special amalgam of content and pedagogy that belongs only to the universe of teachers, their special form of professional understanding.” (Shulman, 1986, p. 9). For Shulman yet, is this ability to transform the content that distinguishes, for example, a chemistry teacher from an expert in chemistry. Shulman defined PCK as that knowledge which goes beyond knowledge of subject matter per se to the dimension of subject 

matter knowledge for teaching. (Fernandez, 2014)

From the moment that Shulman coined the term PCK, it gained momentum in investigations of knowledge of teachers and has been widely used. PCK is now a model for investigations of knowledge of teachers. Studies of PCK suggest that this knowledge is related to the planning and instruction in the classroom.(Fernandez, 2014)

Talks through all of the models since Shulman.(Fernandez, 2014)

In an attempt to compile data from the literature, Gess-Newsome (1999) proposes two theoretical models to explain the origin and development of PCK: the Integrative Model and Transformative Model (Figure 11). The Integrative Model considers PCK as the intersection between the educational, disciplinary and contextual knowledge. The Transformative Model puts PCK as a result of a transformation of pedagogical knowledge, subject matter knowledge 

and context knowledge (Figure 11).(Fernandez, 2014)

n a relatively recent review article on the PCK Kind (2009) lists the different approaches to understanding the PCK and points to two basic differences in the conceptions of the authors in relation to the position of content knowledge, namely: i.) the knowledge of content is a knowledge base of teachers but would not be part of PCK; ii.) the content knowledge is part of what is called pedagogical content knowledge. In the original proposal of Shulman (1987), content knowledge was not included in PCK, but it was one of the seven basic knowledge of teachers. The models of Grossman (1990), Magnusson, Kracjik & Borko (1999), Carlsen (1999), Abell (2008) and the model of PCK summit follow that line, leaving the content knowledge external to PCK and belonging to base knowledge. Other proposals differ from the original idea of Shulman, incorporating content knowledge to PCK (Fernandez-Balboa, Stiehl, 1995; Koballa, Gräber, Coleman, Kemp, 1999; Marks, 1990; Cochran, DeRuiter, King, 1993; Veal, Makinster, 1999; Banks, Leach, Moon, 2005). (Fernandez, 2014)

Regardless of the different interpretations, PCK currently has been considered the best theoretical framework to examine and understand the skills of teachers, systematizing empirical data and enables the documentation and exchange of ideas on relevant knowledge to teaching 

practice (Fernandez, 2013).(Fernandez, 2014)

But, on the other hand, since there are different ways of conceptualizing PCK and different authors propose different models in which some skills are prioritized over others, it is important to be aware and present which model is being used in research related to PCK. The lack of information may bring difficulties to the reader and can increase the amount of criticism that has been made to this concept. (Fernandez, 2014)