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Enhancing Content and Pedagogical Knowledge
The accomplished teacher places students as the primary focus for planning and instruction. Additionally, students’
learning interests are best served by the teacher who displays mastery of subject-based content. There are teachers who
instruct ineffectively due to lack of confidence with academic content. Conversely, there are teachers who are truly
content experts, but struggle to offer students effective explanations and engaging experiences. The highly effective
teacher both understands content and explains it on a level that enables students to become engaged and extend their
learning. Teachers have a professional responsibility to actively and regularly update their subject knowledge. Danielson
(2009) urges teachers to incorporate 21st Century issues in their content, such as as “global awareness and cultural
diversity.” The effective teacher is able to approach learning from a cross-curricular, student’s point of view, appreciate
academic skills that are common to other subjects, and distinguish approaches that are unique to one subject area.
Koehler (2011) cites the research findings of Lee Shulman in order to illustrate the need for teachers to make instruction
as comprehensible as possible for students by integrating subject content and pedagogy. The effective teacher is aware
of the most easily understandable representations of ideas, the most attractive analogies and metaphors, and the best
“illustrations, examples, explanations, and demonstrations.” Students benefit in terms of enhanced learning experience
when the teacher is able to confidently integrate subject content with best pedagogical practices.
Introduction
The accomplished teacher places students as the primary focus for planning and instruction. Additionally, students’
learning interests are best served by the teacher who displays mastery of subject-based content. There are teachers who
instruct ineffectively due to lack of confidence with academic content. Conversely, there are teachers who are truly
content experts, but struggle to offer students effective explanations and engaging experiences. The highly effective
teacher both understands content and explains it on a level that enables students to become engaged and extend their
learning. Teachers have a professional responsibility to actively and regularly update their subject knowledge. Danielson
(2009) urges teachers to incorporate 21st Century issues in their content, such as as “global awareness and cultural
diversity.” The effective teacher is able to approach learning from a cross-curricular, student’s point of view, appreciate
academic skills that are common to other subjects, and distinguish approaches that are unique to one subject area.
Koehler (2011) cites the research findings of Lee Shulman in order to illustrate the need for teachers to make instruction
as comprehensible as possible for students by integrating subject content and pedagogy. The effective teacher is aware
of the most easily understandable representations of ideas, the most attractive analogies and metaphors, and the best
“illustrations, examples, explanations, and demonstrations.” Students benefit in terms of enhanced learning experience
when the teacher is able to confidently integrate subject content with best pedagogical practices.
Introduction
