This short article, Teacher's In-Depth Content Knowledge, connects the purpose of why it is important for teachers to see how their content correlates to other disciplines, to enhance learning, and to ensure that the content and concepts are transferrable to everyday life.

Research on teachers' learning of subject matter is a relatively new domain. The Subject Matter Preparation Of Teachers focuses on what subject matter preparation entails, where and when it occurs, and with what outcomes it produces.

Click the links below to learn about some of the national and state resources available for your content area.

Improving and enhancing pedagogy in specific content areas is complemented by an overview of promising strategies for improving teaching quality. In the interest of providing foundations, this report intentionally concentrates on concrete and actionable aspects of teaching quality and instruction. Read The Strategic Teacher: Better Instruction, Deeper Learning, Higher Achievement. It summarizes the state of research on teaching quality, the links to student learning, and the contextual factors that play an intermediating role in teaching and learning.

Content Specific Example:

• Instructional Strategies that Facilitate Learning Across Content Areas presents teacher integration of literacy-related instructional strategies facilitates student learning across all content areas. With the use of content-specific information, it is through the literacy skills of reading, writing, listening, speaking, viewing and presenting that students acquire and retain content knowledge and content-specific abilities.

Cross-curricular Examples:

• Read the article Meeting Standards Through Integrated Curriculum which focuses on the importance of multidisciplinary integration of pedagogical content knowledge.
• Read a variety of literacy-related instructional strategies that assist content-area learning in Instructional Strategies That Facilitate Learning Across Content Areas. The provided strategies are designed for use by all content area teachers, as well as English language arts teachers, remedial reading and language arts teachers, literacy specialists and literacy coaches. They are designed for implementation by those teaching grades 4-12.
• View this short video clip, Teacher delivering a compelling case for Right Brain to City Council (Run Time 4:06) that talks of the importance of integrating the arts into the classroom to facilitate more efficient and lasting learning.

Click the links below to learn about some of the strategies available for your content area.

View the following websites:

• PAIUnet is a statewide, high-speed educational network that enables educators and students throughout Pennsylvania to create, communicate, collaborate and share valuable resources to enhance student learning.
• Training for Teachers provides training and professional development workshops for teachers. It also offers video conferencing and summer institutes.
• Learning Forward Annual Conference links to the Annual Conference which offers education leaders the connections, tools, learning opportunities, and resources they need to understand and implement effective professional learning in their schools immediately.
• Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network supports the Bureau of Special Education and assists in the teaching and training of special education services.
• The Pennsylvania Association of Intermediate Units (PAIU) is a non-profit organization comprised of the executive directors of Pennsylvania’s 29 intermediate units. PAIU promotes educational and operational collaboration across IU boundaries; leverages partnerships and resources to expand high quality services to students, schools and communities; facilitates communication to school and community leaders on matters of educational practice and public policy; and advocates on behalf of intermediate units with policymakers in state agencies and the General Assembly.
• Pennsylvania Teacher Continuing Education provides the latest continuing education courses, workshops, and conferences for teachers, and education professionals in Pennsylvania.
• Bureau of Education & Research | Professional Staff Development and Training for K-12 Educators in U.S. and Canada is the leading provider of staff development and training resources for educators. The site provides national and regional training programs across the entire United States and Canada.

Exploring content specific resources

• PA SAS by grade level and subject area
• PaTTAN instructional materials by topic

Improving and enhancing pedagogy in specific content areas

• PA SAS Teacher Effectiveness Charlotte Danielson's Framework for Teaching
• PaTTAN Instructional Strategies

Examining Professional Development Opportunities

• PDE SAS Professional Development
• PaTTAN Training - Continuing Education Credits
• GLEF Interviews (six clips) - Peggy Bryan on Professional Development
• GLEF Documentaries (one clip) - Treating Teachers as Professionals