PCK papers

 (Park and Oliver, 2007)

Results of their study indicated that PCK is developed through reflection in action and reflection on action.  (Park and Oliver, 2007)

PCK has been described as the knowledge used to transform subject matter content into forms more comprehensible to students (Geddis et al, 1993; Grossman 1990; Marks 1999; Shulman 1986; 1987). In this regard the development of PCK involves a dramatic shift in teachers understanding “from being able to comprehend subject matter for themselves, to becoming able to elucidate subject matter in new ways, reorganise and partition it, clothe in it activities and emotions, in metaphors and exercises, and in examples and demonstrations, so that it can be grasped by students (Shulman, 1987, p.13). What distinguishes novice from expert teachers is the possession of such knowledge.  (Park and Oliver, 2007)

 (Park and Oliver, 2007) PCK has been identified as a knowledge base teachers should possess in educational reform documents (e.g. America Association of the Advancement of Science (AAAS) 1993; National Research Council (NRC), 1996).

Four commonalities have consistently appeared; pedagogical knowledge, subject matter knowledge and knowledge of the context.  (Park and Oliver, 2007)

Shulman (1987) defined PCK as: it represents the blending of content and pedagogy into an understanding of how particular topics, problems, or issues are organised, represented and adapted to the diverse interests and abilities of learners, and are presented for instruction (p.8).  (Park and Oliver, 2007)

This definition implies that PCK is an internal and external construct constituted by what a teacher knows, what a teacher does and the reasons for the teacher’s actions (Baxter and Lederman, 1999, p.158)  (Park and Oliver, 2007).

A growing number of scholars have worked on the PCK concept, mainly through the modification of Shulman’s original model (Cochran et al, 1993; Geddis et al, 1993; Grossman, 1990; Hashweh, 2005; Loughran et al, 2006; Marks, 1990; Magnusson et al, 1999; Van Driel et al, 1998)  (Park and Oliver, 2007).

The adaptation of subject matter knowledge for the purpose of teaching that sits at the heart of the PCK definition was referred to by Shulman (1987) as ‘transformation’, Ball (1990) referred to it as ‘representation of knowledge’ and Veal and MaKinster (1999) used the term ‘translation’.  (Park and Oliver, 2007)

 (Park and Oliver, 2007) No matter the term, most agree the main components are the combination of subject matter, instructional strategies to represent the subject matter and responses to student responses and conceptions in respect of the subject matter.

Novak (1993) stated that every educational event has a learner, a teacher, a subject matter and a social environment, but add a fifth dimension, the knowledge of assessment  (Park and Oliver, 2007).

The assessment of PCK requires a combination of approaches that can collect information about what teachers know, what they believe, what they do, and their reasons for their actions (Baxter and Lederman, 1999). In this regard we need to collect data from multiple sources, including classroom observations, semi-structured interviews, lesson plans, teachers written reflections, students work examples and researchers field notes  (Park and Oliver, 2007).

Interviews can provide access to the context of teachers action and what they know. Thus, we also conducted interviews in combination with classroom observations in a semi-structured way  (Park and Oliver, 2007).

PCK was manifested as a feature of knowledge in action. This term is defined as knowledge developed and enacted during teaching through ‘reflection in action’ (Schon, 1983; 1987). In particular, PCK as knowledge in action became salient in situations where a teacher encountered an unexpectedly challenging moment in a given teaching circumstance. In order to transform the challenging moment into a teachable moment, the teacher had to integrate all components of PCK accessible at that moment and apply them to students through an appropriate instructional response. In this respect the development and enactment of PCK is an active and dynamic process  (Park and Oliver, 2007).

Teachers often encounter students questions about knowledge the did not possess subject matter knowledge in a form from which answers or even a means to construct answers. Thus these questions made them look for things and questions that have never occurred to them (Park and Oliver, 2007).

The reflection shows that the act of responding to challenging questions results in a teachers subject matter being deepened  (Park and Oliver, 2007).

It is unlikely that teachers acquire PCK first, and then enact it. Rather, knowledge acquisition and knowledge are interwoven within the context of instructional practices (Eraut, 1994). Teachers develop PCK through a relationship found amid the dynamics of knowledge acquisition, new applications of that knowledge, and the reflections on the uses embedded in practice. This assertion also supports the idea that teachers do not simply receive knowledge that others create to teach, but produce knowledge for teaching through their own experiences. Most powerful changes result from experiences in practice. Teachers are knowledge producers not knowledge receivers  (Park and Oliver, 2007).

PCK is conceptually defined as a construct of the two dimensions of understanding and enactment  (Park and Oliver, 2007).

Teachers capacity to read students is essential to their PCK development because students responses can influence teaching practices, especially when a teacher is aware of their significance. Only when teachers grasp their students cognitive and affective status with regard to the learning of a particular topic can they apply pedagogically adjusted procedures on order to facilitate learning  (Park and Oliver, 2007).

When teachers develop the knowledge bases of PCK, they come to create personal theories and explanations based on them. Then those theories inform the teacher’s instructional decisions and actions  (Park and Oliver, 2007).

Teachers fill much of the school related parts of their lives with planning, enactment and reflection on instruction. At each phase, teachers continually assess their performance primarily based on interactions with students. As a result teachers develop a body of knowledge unique to the members of the teaching profession. In this regard, it is PCK that is at the heart of teacher professionalism  (Park and Oliver, 2007).

Given the significance of reflection on PCK development, understanding the relationship among a teachers reflective capacity, PCK, and students learning will provide a clearer picture of how students learning relates to the knowledge and thinking carried by teachers  (Park and Oliver, 2007).


(Saxena, 2015)

Stated by NCTE (1998) in Quality Concerns in Secondary Teacher Education-"The teacher is the most important element in any educational program’’. It is the teacher who is mainly responsible for implementation of the educational process at any stage (Saxena, 2015).

In Shulman’s view, pedagogical content knowledge is a form of practical pedagogical wisdom of able teachers to guide their actions in highly contextualized classroom settings (Saxena, 2015).

The most useful forms of content representation., the most powerful analogies, illustrations, examples, explanations, and demonstrations, in a word, the most useful ways of representing and formulating the subject that make it comprehensible to others (Saxena, 2015).

Cochran, et al.2 revised Shulman’s original model to be more consistent with a constructivist perspective and renamed PCK as pedagogical content knowing (PCKg) to acknowledge the dynamic nature of knowledge development (Saxena, 2015).

teacher ’s integrated understanding of four components pedagogy, subject matter content, student characteristics, and the environmental context of learning (Saxena, 2015).

Their definition of PCKg emphasized the development of pedagogical and subject matter knowledge in the context of two other components of teacher knowledge. The first additional component is teachers’ knowledge of students’ abilities and learning strategies, age and developmental levels, attitudes, motivations, and prior knowledge of the concepts to be taught (Saxena, 2015).

The other component of teacher knowledge that contributes to pedagogical content knowledge is teachers’ understanding of the social, political, cultural and physical environmental context that shapes the teaching and learning process (Saxena, 2015).

The model in figure 1 shows that these four components of teachers’ knowledge contribute to the integrated understanding that is called as pedagogical content knowledge; and the arrows indicate that pedagogical content knowledge continues to grow with teaching experience (Saxena, 2015).

Magnusson, et al.4 argued for the uniqueness and importance of pedagogical content knowledge in teacher preparation. According to them pedagogical content knowledge is often conceived as the transformation of several types of knowledge for teaching that are strongly related or integrated (Saxena, 2015).

They considered PCK as a separate domain of knowledge that is iteratively fueled by knowledge of its component parts: subject matter knowledge, pedagogical knowledge and knowledge of context (Saxena, 2015).

Pedagogical content knowledge is defined as a teacher’s understanding of helping students to understand specific subject matter (Saxena, 2015).

It includes knowledge of organising and representing particular subject matter topics, problems and issues to the diverse interest and abilities of learners and then presented for instruction. They consider “teaching” as everything that teachers must do to support the learning of their students (Saxena, 2015).

Ball et al. hypothesized that Shulman’s content knowledge could be subdivided into common content knowledge (CCK) needed by teachers and non teachers alike and specialized content knowledge (SCK) (Saxena, 2015).

According to Park and Oliver (2008) the transformation of content knowledge by the teachers for the purpose of effective teaching and enhancing student learning lies at the center of PCK (Saxena, 2015).

Van Driel9 focused on a model for the development of science teachers’ PCK. The model integrates the effects of external input, collegial interactions, and experimentation in practice on teachers’ PCK through processes of enactment and reflection. It is recommended to provide external input together with opportunities for teachers to experiment with new teaching approaches in their classroom, and to reflect on their experiences, both indivi- dually and collectively. In such cases, teachers then act as “architects for change”. Collegial interactions provided the input for a collective comparison of ideas about specific learning difficulties of students, or about particular teaching approaches (eg. using certain analogies to explain chemical equilibrium) (Saxena, 2015).

A common view of pedagogical content knowledge is that it is bound up and recognizable in a teacher’s approach to teaching particular content. Teacher should act as facilitator of children‘s learning in a manner that the child is helped to construct his/her own knowledge (Saxena, 2015).

Shing, Saat and Loke (2015)

Shing, C.L., Saat, R.M. and Loke, S.H., 2018. The knowledge of teaching –pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). MOJES: Malaysian Online Journal of Educational Sciences3(3), pp.40-55

https://mojes.um.edu.my/index.php/MOJES/article/view/12781/8206

Copy from doc…

From the past studies, scholars had forwarded many definitions of PCK. Some of the scholars shared similar view with Shulman on the definition of PCK such as Smith and Neale (1989) and Cochran, DeRuiter and  King  (1993).  Other  scholars  such  as  Veal  and  Makinster  (1999),  Cochran  et.  al  (1993)  and    Grossman(1990)  had  forwarded  some  critiques  on  Shulman’s  model  of  PCK.  Subsequently,  they  revised  and  refined  Shulman’s model. (Shing, Saat and Loke, 2015)

Smith, D. C., & Neale, D. C. (1989). The construction of subject matter knowledge in primary science teaching. Teaching and Teacher Education, 5(20), 1-20.

Veal,  W.  R.,  &  MaKinster,  J.  G.  (1999).  Pedagogical  content  knowledge  taxonomies.  Electronic  Journal  of  Science                     Education,                     3(4),                     Article                     Two.   

Grossman,  P.  L.  (1990).  The  making  of  a  teacher:  Teacher  knowledge  and  teacher  education.  New  York:  Teachers College Press.

....pedagogical content knowledge, which goes beyond knowledge of the subject matter per se to the dimension of the subject matter of teaching. (Shing, Saat and Loke, 2015)

he category of pedagogical content knowledge includes the most regularly taught topics in one’s subject area, the most useful forms of representation of those ideas, the most powerful analogies,  illustrations, examples, explanations and demonstration – in a word, ways of representing  and  formulating  the  subject  that  make  it  comprehensible  to  others. (Shing, Saat and Loke, 2015).

  teacher  is  said  to  teach  with  his/her  PCK  when  he/she has gone beyond understanding the content subject,  is capable of restructuring the subject content and  present  it  in  a  form  suited  to  the  diverse  interests  and  abilities  of  the  students  based  on  their  preconceptions and difficulties encountered (Shulman, 1986b, 1987). (Shing, Saat and Loke, 2015)

Smith and Neale (1989) also shared the similar view as they also believe that teachers with good PCK are aware of their students’ typical errors in a particular  topic.  As  such,  they  are  able  to  prepare  their  lessons  with  suitable  strategies  and  effective  elaboration  which  lead  to  students’  conceptual  understanding.  (Shing, Saat and Loke, 2015)

Cochran  et  al.  (1993)  further  express  that  “PCK concerns the manner in which teachers relate their subject matter knowledge (what they know about what they teach) to their pedagogical knowledge (what they know about teaching) and how subject matter knowledge  is  a  part  of  the  process  of  pedagogical  reasoning”  (pp.  263).  The  abilities  of  restructuring  the  subject  matter  knowledge  to  suit  the  diversities  of  the  students  further  distinguished  a  teacher  from  a  content specialist and verify PCK as the knowledge of teaching (Cochran et al., 1993; Shulman, 1987; Veal & Makinster, 1999). (Shing, Saat and Loke, 2015)

Grossman  (1990)  argues  that  teachers  draw  upon  more  than  subject  matter  knowledge  and  general  pedagogical  knowledge  while  teaching. (Shing, Saat and Loke, 2015)

Grossman  (1990)  further  expands  PCK  conception  to  include  four  central  components, namely: (1) knowledge and beliefs about the purposes of teaching a subject at different grade levels; (2) knowledge of students’ understanding, conceptions, and misconceptions of particular topics in a subject  matter;  (3)  curricular  knowledge  which  includes  knowledge  of  curriculum  materials  available for teaching particular subject matter, knowledge about both the horizontal and vertical curricula for a subject; and (4) knowledge of instructional strategies and representations for teaching particular topics (pp. 8-9). (Shing, Saat and Loke, 2015)

Teachers with student knowledge will ensure the appropriateness of the content and instructional strategies used in their teaching. (Shing, Saat and Loke, 2015)

An  appropriately  planned  lesson  is  one  which  takes  into  consideration  students’  characteristics  such as their prior knowledge and ability hence leading to meaningful and effective learning. (Shing, Saat and Loke, 2015)

PCKg is an integration of four types  of  teacher  knowledge,  namely  subject  matter  knowledge,  knowledge  of  pedagogy,  knowledge  of  students,  and  knowledge  of  environmental  contexts.  The  emphasis  is  on  the  last  two  components  with  teachers’  understandings  of  their  students  as  a  central  role  in  teaching. (Shing, Saat and Loke, 2015)

The components may grow in an integrated manner if the teachers experience the four components simultaneously. (Shing, Saat and Loke, 2015)

Barnett and Hodson (2001) believe that good teachers employ four categories PCK in their teaching, which  are:  (1)  knowledge  of  learners’  existing  knowledge;  (2)  knowledge  of  effective  teaching/learning  strategies according to particular content; (3) alternative ways of representing the subject matter; and (4) curricular  saliency.  Knowledge  on  curricular  saliency  enables  the  teacher  to  determine  the  depth  of  the  content and contextualisation. (Shing, Saat and Loke, 2015)

Barnett, J., & Hodson, D. (2001). Pedagogical context knowledge: Toward a fuller understanding of what good Science teachers know. Science Education, 85(4), 426-453.

in fact, many of the minor attributes are either clustered under an attribute as in the PCK definition of Cochran et al. (1993) and Grossman (1990) or as the knowledge bases upon which teachers draw when they teach, as in the PCK definition of Shulman (1986b).(Shing, Saat and Loke, 2015)

it  is  a  construct  made  up  of  attributes.  The  attributes  are  interrelated  and  connected  with  each  other,  they  also  integrate  with  each  other  and  operate  collectively  (Cochran  et  al.,  1993). (Shing, Saat and Loke, 2015)

The integration of PCK attributes is vital to effective science teaching; in fact the more integrated the attributes, stronger and more developed is the PCK (Smith & Neale, 1989; Tuan et al., 1995). (Shing, Saat and Loke, 2015)

Tuan,  H.,  Jeng,  B.,  Whang,  L.  &  Kaou,  R.  (1995).  A  case  study  of  pre-service  Chemistry    teacher  PCK  development.  Paper  presented  at  the  Annual  meeting  of  the  National  Association  for  Research  in  Science Teaching.

CK is only useful when it is applied (Davis, 2004). The growth and the development of these  attributes  can  happen  in  stages,  collectively  or  individually  and  at  different  rates. (Shing, Saat and Loke, 2015)

Davis, E. A. (2004). Knowledge integration in Science teaching: Analysing teachers’ knowledge development. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 34(1), 21-53.

PCK is expected to expand and grow with the teaching experience of a teacher. It is generally agreed  that  experienced  teachers  tend  to  have  a  richer  repertoire  of  instructional  strategies,  a  good  understanding  about  the  students  and  confidence  in  the  content  that  they  teach.  However,  it  is  not uncommon that under certain situations, experienced teachers may have little or no PCK, particularly when they have to teach a subject outside their subject areas (Hasweh, 1987; Marks, 1990; van Driel, Verloop & De Vos,  1998)  and  also  when  the  teachers  fail  to  learn  from  their  experience  because  they  do  little  or  no  reflection  on  their  teaching  (Berliner,  1987).   (Shing, Saat and Loke, 2015)

Hasweh, M. Z. (1987). Effects of subject-matter knowledge in the teaching of biology and physics. Teaching and Teacher Education, 3(2), 109-120.

Marks,  R.  (1990).  Pedagogical  content  knowledge:  From  a  mathematical  case  to  a  modified  conception.  Journal of Teacher Education, 41(3), 3-11.

van  Driel,  J.  H.,  Verloop,  N.,  &  De  Vos,  W.  (1998).  Developing  Science  teachers’  pedagogical  content  knowledge. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 35(6), 673-695.

Geddis et al. (1993) termed it crucial for student teachers to learn this  knowledge  of  experienced  teachers  or  “wisdom  of  practice”  (Shing, Saat and Loke, 2015)

Geddis, A. N., Onslow, B., Beynon, C., & Oesch, J. (1993). Transforming content knowledge: Learning to teach about isotopes. Science Education, 77(6), 575-591.

Sockett   (1987)   critiques   Shulman’s   PCK   conception   for   overlooking   the   tacit   knowledge   of   experienced teachers. He argues that experienced teachers do not necessarily articulate all their wisdom and experience at a particular moment as tacit knowledge is often difficult to articulate.(Shing, Saat and Loke, 2015)

Sockett,  H.  T.  (1987).  Further  comment:  Has  Shulman  got  the  strategy  right?  Harvard  Educational  Review,57(2), 208-219.

Although little is known about how teachers develop their PCK, two  ingredients  are  assumed  to  contribute  to  its  development,  that  is,  subject  matter  knowledge  and  teaching experience (Lederman, Gess-Newsome & Latz, 1994; Tuan et al., 1995; van Driel, De Jong & Verloop, 2002; van Driel et al., 1998).(Shing, Saat and Loke, 2015)

Lederman, N. G., Gess-Newsome, J., & Latz, M. S. (1994). The nature and development of preservice Science teachers’ conceptions of subject matter and pedagogy. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 31(2), 129-146.

van  Driel,  J.  H.,  Verloop,  N.,  &  De  Vos,  W.  (1998).  Developing  Science  teachers’  pedagogical  content  knowledge. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 35(6), 673-695.

PCK  is  perceived  as  the  integration  of  subject  matter  knowledge  and  pedagogy knowledge (Marks, 1990) and as a synthesis from the simultaneous development of the various domains (van Driel et al., 1998). (Shing, Saat and Loke, 2015)

Marks,  R.  (1990).  Pedagogical  content  knowledge:  From  a  mathematical  case  to  a  modified  conception.  Journal of Teacher Education, 41(3), 3-11.

Thus the prospective and novice teachers tend to have inadequate or no PCK at their disposal. (Shing, Saat and Loke, 2015)

Many  researchers  do  agree  that  the  development  of  PCK  is  embedded  in  classroom  practice  (van  Driel et al., 1998) because teachers derive PCK from their own practice and also from formal training.(Shing, Saat and Loke, 2015)

It  is  possible  to  enhance  novice  teachers” PCK through intensive intervention with short-term skills-oriented workshops (Clermont, Krajcik & Borko, 1993). (Shing, Saat and Loke, 2015)

Clermont,  C.  P.,  Krajcik,  J.  S.,  &  Borko,  H.  (1993).  The  influence  of  an  intensive  in-service  workshop  on  pedagogical content knowledge growth among novice chemical demonstrators. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 30(1), 21-43.

As  knowledge  of  teaching,  PCK  therefore  is  influenced  by  factors  which  affect  teaching  such  as  personal  learning  history,  beliefs,  conception  of  teaching  and  learning,  teaching  preferences  or  values,  teacher education, teaching practice experience, reflection, students and others (Berliner, 1987; Grossman, 1990; Gudmundsdottir, 1990; Hauge, 2000; van Driel et al., 1998; Tuan et al., 1995). (Shing, Saat and Loke, 2015)

Berliner, D.C. (1987). Ways of thinking about students and classrooms by more and less experienced teachers. In Calderhead, J. (Ed.), Exploring teachers’ thinking, (pp. 60-83). London: Cassell Education.

Gudmundsdottir, S. (1990). Values in pedagogical content knowledge. Journal of Teacher Education, 41(3), 44-52.

Hauge, T. E. (2000). Student teachers’ struggle in becoming professionals: Hopes and dilemmas in teacher education.  In  Day,  C.,  Fernandez,  A.,  Hauge,  T.  E.,  &  MØller,  J.  (Eds.),  The life  and  work  of  teachers:  International perspectives in changing times (pp. 159-171). London: Falmer Press.

Shulman (1987) had identified six processes in his Pedagogical Reasoning and Action Model (PRA Model)that generate PCK and support the development of PCK among teachers. The six processes are comprehension, transformation (preparation, representation, selection, adaptation and tailoring to student characteristics), instruction, evaluation, reflection and new comprehension (Figure 3). (Shing, Saat and Loke, 2015)

 

A Model of Pedagogical Reasoning and Action - Shulman (1987, p. 15)

No

Process

Description

1

Comprehension

Of purpose, subject matter structures, ideas within and outside the discipline.

2

Transformation

 

 

(i) Preparation

Critical interpretation and analysis of texts, structuring and segmenting, development of a curricular repertoire, and clarification of purposes

 

(ii) Representation

Use of a representational repertoire which includes analogies, metaphors, examples, demonstrations, explanations, and so forth

 

(iii) Selection

Choice from among an instructional repertoire which includes modes of teaching, organizing, managing, and arranging

 

(iv) Adaptation and tailoring to student characteristics

Consideration of conceptions, misconceptions, and difficulties, language, culture, and motivations, social class, gender, age, ability, aptitude, interests, self-concepts, and attention

3

Instruction

Management, presentations, interactions, group work, discipline, humour, questioning, and other aspects of active teaching, discovery or inquiry instruction, and the observable forms of classroom teaching

4

Evaluation

Checking for student understanding during interactive teaching. Testing student understanding at the end of lessons or units. Evaluating one’s own performance and adjusting for experiences.

5

Reflection

Reviewing, reconstructing, re-enacting and critically analysing one’s own and the class’s performance, and grounding explanations in evidence

6

New Comprehension

Of purposes, subject matter, students, teaching, and self. Consolidation of new understandings, and leanings from experience

 

Teachers  need  to  understand  subject  matter  knowledge  in  order  to  carry  out  good  teaching  and  enhance  student  understanding  (Cochran,  King  &  DeRuiter,  1991).  (Shing, Saat and Loke, 2015)

Cochran,  K.F.,  King,  R.A.,  &  DeRuiter,  J.  A.  (1991).  Pedagogical  content  knowledge:  A  tentative  model  for  teacher   preparation.   Chicago:   American   Educational   Research   Association.   (ERIC   Document   Reproduction Service No. ED340683)

Shulman  (1986b)  argues  that  “comprehension alone is not sufficient as the usefulness of such knowledge lies in its value of judgments and action” (pp. 14). Teachers with more subject matter knowledge are capable in reorganizing material in the textbook to match with their own understanding and spotting misleading or poorly articulated themes. They are  more  sensitive  to  students’  misconceptions  and  made  more  intra-disciplinary  connections  in  the  instruction (Hasweh, 1987). (Shing, Saat and Loke, 2015)

Hasweh, M. Z. (1987). Effects of subject-matter knowledge in the teaching of biology and physics. Teaching and Teacher Education, 3(2), 109-120.

Transformation According  to  Shulman  (1987),  teachers  often  reflect  critically  on  and  interpret  the  subject  matter  before transforming their understanding of the content they are going to teach into a form understood by the  students.  Teachers  are  likely  to  engage  in  the  following  four  processes  while  doing  transformation:  preparation,  selection,  representation  and  adapting  and  tailoring  to  students'  characteristics.  The  four  processes  may  occur  either  concurrently,  at  different  sequence  or  be  missing  altogether.  During  the  preparation,  teachers  try  to  interpret  critically  and  understand  the  content.  (Shing, Saat and Loke, 2015)

Experienced  teachers are more familiar with the most effective ways of helping students learn the information which they need to know (Arends, 1994), though the novice teachers may  be  less  familiar,  they  do  have  their  own  specific  representations  about  the  ideas  and  concepts  in  the  content and their limited repertoire of representations will grow with experience (Wilson et al., 1987). (Shing, Saat and Loke, 2015)

Arends, R. I. (1994). Learning to teach(3rd ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.

Wilson,  S.  M.,  Shulman,  L.  S.,  &  Richert.  A.  E.  (1987).  ‘150  different  ways’  of  knowing:  representations  of  knowledge  in  teaching.  In  Calderhead,  J.  (Ed.),  Exploring  teachers’  thinking  (pp.  104-124).  London:  Cassell educational.

Shulman (1986b) stated ‘learners are unlikely to appear before them [teachers] as blank slates’ (p. 10). As a result of interacting with the surrounding world, students make observations of physical phenomena and  have  their  own  explanation  for  the  phenomena  and  they  bring  these  preconceptions  which  are  often  misconceptions  to  the  class.  If  teachers  are  to  be  fruitful  in  their  chosen  strategies  in  their  teaching,  they  have to reorganise the understanding of the students, and be aware of students’ misconceptions (Chin, Lee, Boo  &  Lee,  2002;  Shulman,  1986b). (Shing, Saat and Loke, 2015)

Shulman, L. S. (1986b). Those who understand: Knowledge growth in teaching. Educational Researcher, 15(2), 4-14.

Chin, C. H. L., Lee, Y. J., Boo, H. K., & Lee, L. K. W. (2002). Alternative conceptions and conceptual change. In Yap.  K.  C.,  Toh,  K.  A.,    &  Goh,  N.  K.  (Eds.),  Science  teaching:  Readings  and  resources  for  the  primary  school teacher (pp. 90-98). Singapore: Prentice Hall.

teachers need to decide the amount of content they aregoing to teach to the class besides selecting suitable representations for the instruction. It is impossible for the teachers to teach everything in the content to everyone (Gunter et al., 1999). (Shing, Saat and Loke, 2015)

Gunter,  M.  A.,  Estes,  T.  H.,  &  Schwab,  J.  (1999).  Instruction:  A  models  approach.  (3rd  ed.).  Boston:  Allyn  &  Bacon.

Instruction To  Shulman  (1987),  instruction  includes  “organising and managing the classroom; presenting clear explanations and vivid descriptions; assigning and checking  work;  and  interacting  effectively  with  students  through  questions  and  probes,  answers  and  reactions, and praise and criticism” (pp. 17). (Shing, Saat and Loke, 2015)

First, teachers must be clear on  “the  needs  of  the  students  and  the  goals  of  education”  (pp.  xv);  second,  it  is  essential  to  formulate  objectives and evaluation procedures while planning for the instruction; and finally, teachers need to choose suitable  materials  and  procedures  to  deliver  the  content. Thus,  it  is  essential  for  teachers  to  use  a  variety  of  approaches. (Shing, Saat and Loke, 2015)

Evaluation According  to  Shulman  (1987), esides the checking for  understanding  and  misunderstanding,  teachers  evaluate  their  own  teaching  as  well  by  looking  at  the  lesson and materials employed. Tan, Yap & Wan (2002) state that a “good lesson preparation and planning is  not  complete  without  an  evaluation  of  students’  understanding  and  the  self-reflection  of  the  teacher”  (pp.118). (Shing, Saat and Loke, 2015)

Tan, K. S., Yap, K. C., & Wan, Y. K. (2002). Preparing and planning for Science teaching-learning. In Yap. K. C., Toh, K. A.,  & Goh, N. K. (Eds.), Science teaching: Readings and resources for the primary school teacher (pp.90-98). Singapore: Prentice Hall.

Reflection According  to  Berliner  (1987),  an  experience  that  is  reflected  upon  is  of  value  to  teachers  to  improve  their  practice.  To  reflect,  teachers  have  to  question  themselves  on  what  they  were  doing,  to  monitor, to seek alternatives, to solve problems, to evaluate, to identify their weaknesses and strengths and make necessary adjustments for future teaching.(Shing, Saat and Loke, 2015)

New comprehension Upon  going  through  the  whole  process,  from  preparation  to  the  implementation  of  a  teaching  episode, teachers are expected to achieve new comprehension of curricular goals, content, students and the pedagogical processes (Shulman, 1987). A new insight and a new understanding of the whole teaching and learning process is going to improve the teaching of the same topic in the future.(Shing, Saat and Loke, 2015)

(Why interviews) Methods used to assess PCK Baxter  and  Lederman  (1999)  view  PCK  as  both  an  internal  and  external  construct      because  “it  constitutes what a teacher knows, what a teacher does, and the reasons for the teacher’s actions’ (pp. 158). The  internal  construct  of  PCK  is  situated  in  the  long-term  memory  of  the  teachers.  It  is  referred  as  the  “teachers’ understanding of content-specific examples that best represent specific topics, and knowledge of common student difficulties with specific topics” (pp. 148). As a cognitive structure, PCK cannot be observed directly,  furthermore  not  all  of  the  teachers’  knowledge  is  retrieved  during  a  specific  teaching  episode.  Therefore, a combination of approaches is needed to gather information about what teachers know, what teachers  believe  and  their  reasoning.  In  fact,  the  view  of  PCK  obtained  from  any  one  approach  is  likely  to  produce an incomplete and distorted picture about PCK. In order to obtain a better picture of the teachers’ PCK, it is crucial for them to articulate in a language of their own.(Shing, Saat and Loke, 2015)

Baxter, J.A., & Lederman, N. G. (1999). Assessment and measurement of pedagogical content knowledge. In Gess-Newsome, J. & Lederman, N.G. (Eds.), Examining pedagogical content knowledge: The construct and its implications for science education (pp. 147-161). Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers.

Loughran  ,  J.,  Mulhall,  P.,  &  Berry,  A.  (2004).  In  search  of  pedagogical  content    knowledge  in  science:  Developing ways of articulating and documenting professional practice. Journal of Research in Science Teaching,41(4), 370-391.

Loughran et al. (2004) comment that due to the tacit nature of PCK, it is difficult to categorise and exceptionally difficult for teachers to articulate. As a result, data collection methods such as interviews and classroom observations are unable to portray and document the actual account of PCK. (Shing, Saat and Loke, 2015)

Tuan et al. (1995) discussed the advantage of using a few of the data collecting techniques. For instance, semi-structured interviews allow researchers  to  do  in-depth  probing  on  the  interviewees  thus  enabling  to  rich  data  to  support  classroom  observations. Post teaching interviews allow a researcher to view the nature of PCK. Written documents such as course work assignments, journals, and lesson plans do provide a rich source of data too. (Shing, Saat and Loke, 2015)

Abell (2008) argued that PCK still remains a useful idea because it helps her to understand teaching process and generate viable instructional strategies in her methods courses. (Shing, Saat and Loke, 2015)

PCK is the professional knowledge of teachers. (Shing, Saat and Loke, 2015)

Tuan,  H.,  Jeng,  B.,  Whang,  L.  &  Kaou,  R.  (1995).  A  case  study  of  pre-service  Chemistry    teacher  PCK  development.  Paper  presented  at  the  Annual  meeting  of  the  National  Association  for  Research  in  Science Teaching.

Abell,  S.K.  (2008).  Twenty  years  later:  Does  pedagogical  content  knowledge  remain  a  useful  idea?  International Journal of Science Education, 30(10), 1405-1416.

(Cochran et al, 1993)

(Cochran, DeRuiter and King, 1993)

Both subject matter knowledge and pedagogical knowledge are crucial to good teaching and understanding (Buchmann, 1982; 1984; Doyle, 1986; Feiman-Nemser and Buchmann, 1987; Reynolds, 1992; Tobin and Garnett, 1988). (Cochran et al, 1993)

Shulman suggested that teaching expertise should be described and evaluated in terms of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). (Cochran et al, 1993)

A modification of Shulman’s concept based on a constructivist view of teaching and learning process. In this version there is an increased emphasis on knowing and understanding as active processes and on the simultaneous development of all aspects of knowing how to teach. (Cochran et al, 1993)

In our version we emphasise the importance of teachers knowing about the learning of their students and the environmental context in which learning and teaching occur. (Cochran et al, 1993)

PCK differentiates expert teachers in a subject area from subject area experts. PCK concerns the manner in which teachers relate their subject matter knowledge (what they know about what they teach) to their pedagogical knowledge (what they know about teaching) and how subject matter knowledge is part of the process of pedagogical reasoning. (Cochran et al, 1993)

The transformation of subject matter for teaching (Shulman, 1986) occurs as the teacher critically reflects on and interprets the subject matter, finds multiple ways to represent the information as analogies, metaphors, examples, problems, demonstrations and classroom activities; adapts the materials to students abilities, gender, prior knowledge and pre-conceptions (those pre instructional, informal, or non-traditional ideas students bring to the learning setting); and finally tailors the material to those specific students to whom the information will be taught. (Cochran et al, 1993)

Recent research, much of it part of the Stanford project, shows that inexperienced teachers have incomplete or insufficient levels of PCK (Carpenter et al, 1988; Feiman-Nemser and Parker, 1990; Gudmundsdottir and Shulman, 1987; Shulman, 1987). A novice teacher often relies on unmodified subject matter knowledge most often extracted from the text or curriculum materials and may not have a coherent framework from which to present information. (Cochran et al, 1993)

Studies indicate that novice teachers have major concerns about PCK and struggle to form and present the concepts and ideas to make sense to the students they are teaching (Feiman-Nemser and Parker, 1990; Wilson, Shulman and Richert, 1987). Grossman (1989) suggested that this concern is present even in new teachers with substantial subject matter knowledge from a masters degree program in a specific subject matter. Even teachers in their first year with a masters were much less prepared or confident in the classroom than teachers who had completed teacher education program with a strong subject matter component. (Cochran et al, 1993)

PCK is much more than just subject matter knowledge. 

We propose a modification of PCK based on a constructivist view. For constructivist educators knowing is created rather than imparted or transferred, and teachers must understand how students construct and use their understandings (Fosnot, 1989; Steffe, 1991; Von Glaserfeld, 1989). (Cochran et al, 1993)

The more a teacher understands about each student’s understanding, the more effective the teaching is likely to be (Resnick, 1989; Reynolds, 1992). (Cochran et al, 1993)

Constructivist educators conclude that working in and understanding specific contexts is crucial. (Cochran et al, 1993)

The constructivist processes of knowledge growth and transformation occur in a social context as a result of interpersonal interactions (Newman et al, 1989; Reid and Stone, 1991; Rogoff, 1990), a concept rooted in the work of Vygotsky (1978; 1986; 1987). (Cochran et al, 1993)

ME: Importance of learning from and with peers and from the involvement of the subject matter expert to scaffold subject matter learning.(Cochran et al, 1993)

Understanding is situated and context bound because social interactions are fundamental and inseparably bound to the development of the tools for thinking and understandings of how to use them. (Cochran et al, 1993)

Careful attention must be paid to the context in which the development of understanding of teaching occurs, and learning must be situated in a context like the one in which these understandings are to be used. (Cochran et al, 1993)

Cochran et al, 1993 find the term knowledge too static and inconsistent with the constructivist perspective. They proposed pedagogical content knowing (PCKg) with the following definition: a teachers integrated understanding of four components of: pedagogy, subject matter content, student characteristics, and the environmental context of learning. PCKg enables teachers to use their understandings to create teaching strategies for teaching specific content in a discipline in a way that enables specific students to construct useful understandings in a given context (Cochran et al, 1993).

This definition of PCKg emphasises that teachers must develop their pedagogical knowledge and subject matter knowledge in the context of two other components of teacher knowledge: teachers understanding of students and the environment context of learning (Cochran et al, 1993).

The environmental component of teacher understanding that contributes to PCKg is teachers understanding of the social, political, cultural and physical contexts that shape the teaching and learning process (Cochran et al, 1993).

Teachers can learn about students best by working directly with them because live teaching permits the direct interaction that shows ideas in use and opens the way to negotiating paths of understanding (Cochran et al, 1993).

Working directly with students provides teachers with the optimum opportunity to construct a version of reality that fits the experiences of that environment. Such work provides an opportunity for teachers and students to see whether their knowledge is useful, relevant and viable (Von Glassersfeld, 2984, p.23) (Cochran et al, 1993).

The relationship to other content also affects teaching and is a potential source of preconceptions that can be directly communicated to students, of which Cochran et al, (1993) include under subject matter knowledge in their model (Cochran et al, 1993).

(Evens, Elan and Depaepe, 2015)

https://www.researchgate.net/journal/Education-Research-International-2090-4010/publication/281097382_Developing_Pedagogical_Content_Knowledge_Lessons_Learned_from_Intervention_Studies/links/618bb0103068c54fa5c8b80c/Developing-Pedagogical-Content-Knowledge-Lessons-Learned-from-Intervention-Studies.pdf?_tp=eyJjb250ZXh0Ijp7ImZpcnN0UGFnZSI6InB1YmxpY2F0aW9uIiwicGFnZSI6InB1YmxpY2F0aW9uRG93bmxvYWQiLCJwcmV2aW91c1BhZ2UiOiJwdWJsaWNhdGlvbiJ9fQ

Shulman (1986) introduced the concept “pedagogical content knowledge” (PCK) as a possible answer to the so-called “missing paradigm” in research and practice on teaching (Evens, Elan and Depaepe, 2015).

Copy from paper…

(Evens, Elan and Depaepe, 2015) Systematic review of PCK papers and research

Shulman [Shulman, 1986] introduced the concept “pedagogical content knowledge” (PCK) as a possible answer to the so-called “missing paradigm” in research and practice on teaching. Teaching was either approached by only focusing on content or by exclusively focusing on pedagogy. Shulman believed that neither approach grasped every aspect of teachers’ knowledge base. Hence, he defined PCK as “that special amalgam of content and pedagogy that is uniquely the province of teachers, their own special form of professional understanding” [Shulman, 1987, p.8]. The two main components that Shulman [Shulman, 1986] distinguished in PCK were, on the one hand, the most useful forms of representing the topics in one’s subject area and, on the other hand, an understanding of what makes the learning of these topics easy or difficult for students. Besides PCK, he considered other categories in teachers’ knowledge base, that is, content knowledge (CK), general pedagogical knowledge (PK), curriculum knowledge, knowledge of learners and their characteristics, knowledge of educational contexts, and knowledge of educational ends, purposes, and values [Shulman, 1987]. (Evens, Elan and Depaepe, 2015)

Grossman [1990], who studied PCK in the context of language, added two other components to Shulman’s original PCK components, that is, knowledge of curriculum and knowledge of purposes for teaching. Another elaboration that has been very influential in the context of science education is the model of Magnusson et al. [1999]. This model added three components to the original ones of Shulman, that is, orientation to teaching science (i.e., knowledge and beliefs about purposes and goals for teaching), knowledge of science curricula, and knowledge of assessment of scientific literacy. (Evens, Elan and Depaepe, 2015)

Results even showed that PCK had greater predictive power for student progress and instructional quality than CK. In another study, Kunter et al. [2013] confirmed these results. Moreover, they showed that teachers’ PCK had a positive effect on student motivation (measured through an enjoyment questionnaire). Hence, to improve the quality of education, investing in (prospective) teachers’ PCK seems to be a good strategy. (Evens, Elan and Depaepe, 2015)

In an attempt to describe how PCK develops, several scholars have distinguished sources that contribute to PCK development [Grossman,1990; Haston and Leon-Guerrero, 2008; van Driel and Verloop, 1998]. The first source is teaching experience [Grossman,1990; Kind, 2009; van Driel and Verloop, 1998]. Empirical studies have shown that significant improvements in PCK are made in the early months of one’s teaching career [Simmons et al, 1999]. PCK courses, which aim at improving teachers’ knowledge on how to teach a subject, are the second source for PCK development [Grossman,1990, Haston and Leon-Guerrero, 2008]. The third PCK source is disciplinary knowledge, that is, CK [Grossman,1990; Kind, 2009]. Possession of CK is necessary for the presence of PCK [Kind, 2009; Friedrichsen et al, 2009]. CK positively influences teachers’ decisions about the relative importance of particular subject matter and their selection and use of curriculum materials, that is, their PCK [Grossman,1990]. (Evens, Elan and Depaepe, 2015)

Fourthly, “apprenticeship of observation” [Lortie, 1975] has been distinguished as another source for PCK development [Grossman,1990; Haston and Leon-Guerrero, 2008]. Apprenticeship of observation refers to the influence of teachers’ past experiences as a student on their current teaching models [Grossman,1990]. (Evens, Elan and Depaepe, 2015)

Haston and Leon-Guerrero [2008] empirically showed that teachers consider their memories of past education as an important PCK source. (Evens, Elan and Depaepe, 2015)

Fifthly, teachers’ cooperation with colleagues has been described as a possible source for PCK development [Haston and Leon-Guerrero, 2008; Kind, 2009]. According to Kind [2009], provision of a supportive working environment that encourages collaboration may benefit teachers’ PCK development. Haston and Leon-Guerrero [2008] empirically showed the importance of cooperation with colleagues for PCK development. Finally, the sixth possible source for PCK development is the importance of reflection on educational practice [van Driel and Verloop, 1998]. Kenney et al. [2013] showed that reflection on writing assignments improved teachers’ PCK. (Evens, Elan and Depaepe, 2015)

To define an intervention, we build on the framework of Hattie, Biggs, and Purdie [Hattie, Biggs and Purdie, 1996]. We claim that interventions are educational interference that (a) differ from the educational activities that the instructor(s) involved in the study would normally organize, (b) require an outsider (e.g., the researcher) to design the intervention and study its effects, and (c) focus on the increase of a certain variable. Hattie et al. [Hattie, Biggs and Purdie, 1996] included the use of an experimental design as the fourth prerequisite (Evens, Elan and Depaepe, 2015)

“Disciplinary knowledge” is understood as all activities and courses that focus on CK. The term “PCK courses” is used to describe activities and courses focusing on PCK. Interventions addressing teaching experience include teaching and trying out new insights in a real classroom. “Contact with cooperating teachers” is understood as any contact with other people, for instance, other participants and colleagues. Interventions including reflection ask participants to systematically question past events. “Observation,” finally, is used to describe interventions in which attention is given to participants’ prior experiences as students. (Evens, Elan and Depaepe, 2015)

The majority of PCK studies used qualitative research methods, mostly combining several instruments. (Evens, Elan and Depaepe, 2015)

Particularly, interviews were often used. Qualitative methods were mostly used on smaller datasets, while quantitative methods were applied to larger datasets. All studies measured the effects of the intervention immediately after the intervention. (Evens, Elan and Depaepe, 2015)

Most interventions addressing PCK courses focused on Shulman’s [Shulman, 1986] two components: knowledge of students’ (mis)conceptions and knowledge of educational representations. Particularly, teachers’ knowledge of student understanding was very often addressed in interventions (e.g., Smith and Neal, 1989; Wahbeh and El-Khalick, 2014), for instance, in tasks in which student work had to be analyzed (e.g., [Dash et al, 2012; Burton, 2013). The second most used PCK source across the dataset is contact with cooperating teachers (𝑛 = 23). Activities addressing this source vary from online interaction with other participants [Derry, Wilsman and Hackbarth, 2007], getting feedback from an experienced teacher [Arbaugh and Brown, 2005], to group discussions [Justi and van Driel, 2005; Kanter and Konstantopoulos, 2010; Khourey-Bowers and Fenk, 2009; Sperandeo-Mineo, Fazio and Tarantino, 2006]. (Evens, Elan and Depaepe, 2015)

Reflection is addressed in 17 studies. Participants reflected on learning activities (e.g., [De Jong and van Driel, 2004; Aydin et al, 2013; Aydin et al, 2015; Goodnough and Hung, 2009) or on feedback from peers [Burton, 2014]. (Evens, Elan and Depaepe, 2015)

Reflection was mostly organized through written reports (e.g., Burton, 2014; Aydin et al, 2013). (Evens, Elan and Depaepe, 2015)

Reflective group discussions [Watson and Beswick, 2011] were part of a few interventions. The least addressed source is disciplinary knowledge (CK) (𝑛 = 15). (Evens, Elan and Depaepe, 2015)

Firstly, in most studies, participants mainly learned from an expert (𝑛 = 31). The experts were mostly authors of the study (e.g., [Arbaugh and Brown, 2005; Sperandeo-Mineo, Fazio and Tarantino, 2006; Beyer and Davis, 2012). In a smaller number of interventions, the experts were other individuals, who were trained in advance for course facilitation [Dash et al, 2012; Michalsky, 2012; Rodrigues, Marks and Steel, 2003]. (Evens, Elan and Depaepe, 2015)

In most of these studies, participants learned from whole- or small group discussions with other (equally experienced) teachers [Arbaugh and Brown, 2005; Derry, Wilsman and Hackbarth, 2007; Roth et al, 2011]. Furthermore, this category includes studies consisting of a course with peer review [Burton, 2014], a community of practice providing constant feedback and support [Rodrigues, Marks and Steel, 2003], and collaborative inquiry, in which the participants answered a question through reflection and action [Goodnough and Hung, 2009]. (Evens, Elan and Depaepe, 2015)

Effective Elements in the Interventions. Comparing the results of the studies in the limited dataset, it can be concluded that the majority of the studies reported a positive effect on PCK development of the intervention. 13 out of 16 quantitative studies found a significant positive effect of their intervention on PCK development [Dash et al, 2012, Derry; Wilsman and Hackbarth, 2007; Kanter and Konstantopoulos, 2010; Watson and Beswick, 2011; Beyer and Davis, 2012; Michalsky, 2012; Harr, Eichler and Renkl, 2014; Roth et al, 2011; Capraro et al, 2005; Luft et al, 2011; Monet and Etkina, 2008; Spear-Swerling, 2009; Strawhecker, 2005). (Evens, Elan and Depaepe, 2015)

(Evens, Elan and Depaepe, 2015) All qualitative studies in the dataset reported a growth in PCK at the end of the intervention. For instance, Arbaugh and Brown [2005] reported better performances of their participants on a PCK-related task that was executed during a post interview in comparison with a pre interview.

Aydin et al. [2005, 2013] concluded that their participants moved from fragmented PCK to more integrated PCK, measured through content representations (CoRes) prepared by the participants, interviews, and reflection papers (Evens, Elan and Depaepe, 2015)

These differences on the quantitative instruments show that using mixed methods leads to richer results than just focusing on one kind of methodology. The results on the qualitative measurements of these studies are nuanced by the quantitative results. (Evens, Elan and Depaepe, 2015)

Firstly, particularly reflection stands out as an effective PCK source. In Michalsky’s [2012] intervention, the best performing condition was the one that most strongly induced reflection. Similarly, reflection was part of 16 other effective interventions. (Evens, Elan and Depaepe, 2015)

Thirdly, contact with cooperating teachers was included in 22 effective studies. Aydin et al. [Aydin et al, 2013; Aydin et al, 2015] included several aspects in their intervention (such as design of content representations, microteaching, and educative mentoring) but concluded that the mentoring part was the most effective way to promote PCK. (Evens, Elan and Depaepe, 2015)

. In Strawhecker [2005], the most effective conditions were those including a field experience. (Evens, Elan and Depaepe, 2015)

De Jong et al. [2013] used an intervention that focused on “learning from teaching” instead of “learning of teaching,” meaning that participants learned in a way that involved real situations from practice that made learning more meaningful (Evens, Elan and Depaepe, 2015)

Teaching practice seems to play an important role in the development of prospective teachers’ practical knowledge base. These authors argued that preservice teachers get the opportunity in teacher education to link authentic teaching experiences to educational literature on student conceptions. (Evens, Elan and Depaepe, 2015)

Most effective interventions as well as most noneffective interventions were facilitated by an expert. (Evens, Elan and Depaepe, 2015)

The limited dataset only included studies with a pre-test-post-test design, given the aim to examine effects of interventions. (Evens, Elan and Depaepe, 2015)

RQ 2 compared the designs of the interventions. The most addressed PCK sources are PCK courses, contact with cooperating teachers, teaching experience, and reflection (Evens, Elan and Depaepe, 2015)

Firstly, several PCK sources were part of effective interventions. A large number of studies showed the effectiveness of reflection for PCK development. (Evens, Elan and Depaepe, 2015)

Only reflection that induces higher order thinking seems beneficial. This makes teachers understand their own learning process, allowing them to apply adequate techniques in their teaching practices [Monet and Etkina, 2008]. The importance of reflection for PCK development is also mentioned by van Driel and Berry [2012]. These authors claim that, in order to promote PCK development, teacher education should be closely aligned to teaching practice and hence should include the possibility for preservice teachers to try out what they have learned and to reflect on their experiences both individually and collectively. Reflection is also considered important for teacher education in general by many scholars. (Evens, Elan and Depaepe, 2015)

For instance, McIntyre [1993] claimed that reflection is important in teacher education for two main reasons: (1) it promotes preservice teachers’ understanding of their own problems and needs and guides their search for solutions for these problems, and (2) it helps to develop reflection skills and habits that will be extremely useful once preservice teachers become more experienced in teaching. Furthermore, the importance of reflection has been shown empirically (e.g., [Brownlee, Purdie and Boulton-Lewis, 2001; Wubbels and Korthagen, 1990]). Brownlee, Purdie and Boulton-Lewis (2001), for instance, found that students taking part in a teacher education program focusing on reflection showed more growth in sophisticated epistemological beliefs than a control group taking part in a more traditional, subject-oriented program. (Evens, Elan and Depaepe, 2015)

CK seems necessary, despite being not sufficient for PCK [Friedrichsen et al, 2009]. (Evens, Elan and Depaepe, 2015)

Secondly, most effective studies took place off-site or combined off-site with on-site parts, all guided by an expert. The importance of course facilitation by experts has been shown in several studies. (Evens, Elan and Depaepe, 2015)

Effect sizes of intervention studies were significantly higher if the intervention was organized by researchers than if it was organized by regular teachers [Dignath, Buettner and Langfeldt, 2008]. They claimed that researchers are more concerned with the importance of self-regulated learning. For the present study, this would mean that researchers are more aware than (either more or equally experienced) teachers about the importance of PCK and therefore better succeed in promoting it. However, not all studies in the dataset allowed for drawing this conclusion (Evens, Elan and Depaepe, 2015).

It seems indicated to be careful in sampling and to look for a representative if one wants to draw conclusions that are generalizable to a large population. (Evens, Elan and Depaepe, 2015)

As a solution, the authors suggested to assess teachers’ knowledge before finalizing the design of the intervention and adapt the intervention to the participants’ knowledge level. Furthermore, the authors stressed the importance of sharing the professional development goals with the participants prior to the intervention. This conclusion corresponds to the finding in several effective studies that making the concept PCK explicit to the participants in the beginning of the intervention is beneficial for the effectivity of the intervention. (Evens, Elan and Depaepe, 2015)

This review has particularly shown the importance of reflection for PCK development. Further intervention studies are encouraged to include reflection in their interventions. (Evens, Elan and Depaepe, 2015)

Furthermore, the present study has shown that interventions including courses or exercises on student understanding and educational representations, contact with other teachers, and experiences in educational practice are effective PCK sources. Further interventions could incorporate these elements. Secondly, making PCK explicit to participants in interventions might help them in developing as teachers. Thirdly, course facilitation by experts in the field has been shown to be effective for PCK development. Fourthly, interventions would benefit from a clear conceptualization of PCK. The way in which PCK is operationalized by the different research instruments in the dataset reveals that PCK is understood in different ways. A clear conceptualization, on which PCK instruments are based, might be a sound basis for the systematic design of an intervention. (Evens, Elan and Depaepe, 2015

Fifthly, the use of intervention studies that apply experimental designs, compare at least two groups, and use pre- and post-testing (Hattie, Biggs and Purdie, 1996) to increase the chance that effects are caused by the intervention is advocated. (Evens, Elan and Depaepe, 2015)

Ninthly, we recommend using mixed methodology while studying the effects of educational interventions as this methodology leads to richer, more nuanced results than the use of only quantitative or qualitative methods (Evens, Elan and Depaepe, 2015).

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Notes:

Intro to PCK - what it is, what others have put

The extra elements for socially constructed knowledge.

Cochran model to capture the full essence of KS2.

Cultural, contextual and social.

Cultural learning from peers- pedagogy culture.

Why the contextual element important for exploring KS2.

Lesson study similarities and why the idea framework to explore knowledge. Research design like Shulman’s PRA model

PCK data collection- interviews and combined with other.

Nind, Curtin and Hall (YEAR)

————-

Questionnaires used alongside secondary sources such as interviews help to develop a more complete picture when answering a complex research question and in some cases help for comparisons or to make predictions, especially in the instances of preparing for pedagogic roles and to find out what sorts of pedagogical knowledge is held and what correlates with that knowledge (Nind, Curtin and Hall, 2016, p.82).

Within PCK Shulman (1986) drew attention to questions of how teachers formulate explanations, decide on teaching content for the subject, how to represent learning and how to interact with the understandings or misconceptions that learners might have.

Shulman’s model specifically highlights the understudied form of teacher’s knowledge of how content can be transformed for teaching into a form that is comprehensible to learners (Shulman, 1986; 1987).

The concept of PCK has taken hold amongst research on teacher education (Kind, 2009).

Kind, V. (2009) Pedagogical content knowledge in science education: perspectives and potential for progress. Studies in Science Education, 45 (2) pages 169-202

When it comes to the craft of teaching, it is difficult knowledge to represent as it is tacit and hard to get at (Lewthwaite and Nind???; Traianou, 2006).

Traianou, A. (2006) Understanding teacher expertise in primary science: a sociological approach, Research papers in education, 21 (2) pages 63-78

It is not something easily observed but can be made visible through a combination of observing teachers situated in context, through interviews and reflections (Nind, Kilburn and Wiles, 2015), and something that the process of lesson study research offers (Nind, Curtin and Hall, 2016).

Nind, M., Kilburn, D and Wiles, R (2015) Using video and dialogue to generate pedagogic knowledge: teachers, learners and researchers reflecting together on the pedagogy of social research methods. International journal of social research methodology.

Gaining access to the educational thoughts and decision making of others towards their practice is intrinsic to the endeavour of many social scientists (Calderhead, 1981, p.211) but in pedagogical research this takes on a very practical importance to help understand the thinking and decision making behind it (Nind, Curtin and Hall, 2016. p.161).

Calderhead, J (1981) Stimulated recall: a method for research on teaching. British journal of educational psychology, 51, pages 211-17

Nind, Curtin and Hall (2016, p.267) recommend a set of research techniques that offer ideal insights for studying teacher’s thoughts, processes, evaluations, problem solving and decision making for PCK. These mainly relate to think aloud methods to capture thinking in the moment, these can access introspective higher order mental processes for planning teaching (pedagogy as planned) and lesson study to observe teaching in action (pedagogy as enacted) and the dialogue of reflection to uncover evaluative thinking after the event (pedagogy as experienced).

Lewthwaite - one challenge for teaching DA is that it’s been mainly adopted in the technical profession there is an issue where - technical specialists have no pedagogical repertoire to be able to teach learners, and teachers with pedagogical repertoire don’t have the technical knowledge (quote). - Vital to teach the foundational elements that don’t need specialist knowledge, especially in basic awareness at primary school level.



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