Pedagogical Content Knowledge

Lee Shulman (1984) came up with this term and argued that it was one of the particular characteristics of teaching.

Teachers need to be knowledgeable about what they teach (content) and how to teach (pedagogy), but they also need to develop knowledge of specific ways of making that content accessible to learners – So how do we teach what we teach?

PCK comprises a cycle of several activities that a teacher should complete for good teaching: comprehension, transformation, instruction, evaluation, reflection, and new comprehension.

I would say that PCK as an idea is useful but in my own experience content knowledge has not always been a necessity. It is good practice to be an expert at the subject you teach so pupils have confidence in you as a teacher, although there is something very human about not knowing everything which learners will relate to. Questions on a subject matter in which you might not know the answer to are an opportunity to collaborate and do some investigational work whilst relating to your students to develop the student teacher rapport. It gives the message that its OK to make mistakes because no one is perfect – an important lesson for life. Obviously, this should not be a habit but once in a while can be beneficial.

Rather than having a deep set knowledge of everything, your teaching planning can have a very effective role. Once you form a relationship with your students and gain an insight into their strengths and weaknesses you can anticipate concepts that they will find confusing, and therefore incorporate simplified ways of explanation into your lesson plans. Another importance of having teaching knowledge rather than content knowledge is that, after experience, reflection becomes a subconscious habit allowing you to think about what went wrong, what worked well and investigate ways to improve which will then, again, be reflected in future lesson and curriculum planning.

Changes for the Future of Education

Three small changes I could realistically make to my own teaching, which would move things forward in beneficial ways:

1) Make learning relate to real life by (for example) incorporating activities which incorporate collaboration and team work; allowing each pupil to utalise their skills and appreciate the abilities of others. This will encourage respect for other’s beliefs, culture and way of thinking.

2) Enable pupils to change dispositions for the better and allow them to realise their full potential by the use of self reflection; writing their own reports every 4 months. This will enable them to find meaning and enjoyment in things they learn.

3) Establish each pupil as an individual by using a needs analysis, make them proud of their strengths by utilising them in group work, displaying work and delegating class responsibilities. This will increase confidence encouraging intrinsic motivation for learning.

Preparing for the Future

OECD summarises 6 future scenarios of education. These include:

The “status-quo extrapolated”

Scenario 1: Robust bureaucratic school systems

Scenario 2: Extending the market model

The “re-schooling” scenarios

Scenario 3: Schools as core social centers

Scenario 4: School as focus learning centers

The “de-schooling” scenarios

Scenario 5: Learner networks and the network society

Scenario 6: Teacher exodus – the meltdown scenario

Details of these scenarios are included in this PDF:

http://www.oecd.org/site/schoolingfortomorrowknowledgebase/futuresthinking/scenarios/38967594.pdf

When I think about the current education system in which I work and related it to these scenarios, I would predict that in 2020 scenario 4 could seem probable.

In this scenario:

‘Schools are revitalised around a strong knowledge agenda rather than a social agenda, in a culture of high quality  experimentation, diversity and innovation . New forms of evaluation and competence assessment flourish. ICT is used extensively alongside other learning media, traditional and new. Knowledge management moves to the fore, and the very large majority of schools justify the label ‘learning organisations’ (so equality of opportunity is the norm), with extensive links to tertiary education and other organisations.’

I predict that many businesses will invest in Indonesia in the future and as a result there will be a market for high tech businesses. This would be the logoical route to take considering the type of students we attract and links into to our school ethos to

‘provide learning experiences through which knowledge, skills, attitudes and action encourage the development of creativity and problem solving capacities to achieve excellence in the interconnected world’

The scenario which is preferable to me would be a mix between scenario two, three and five; A school which enables shared responsibilities between different schools and  communities with sources of expertise from institutions of further and continuing education. This school will utalise learning networks, quickened by the extensive possibilities of powerful, inexpensive ICT. Learning will be relevant to real life and encouraged by reforms of funding structures, incentives and regulation enabling pupils to learn professionalism.

Using future scenarios as an approach for thinking about the future is very useful, it enables you to relate to your pupils and have empathy for the world they will work in. Reflecting on future practices ensures that as a teacher your teaching techniques are relevant and helpful for learners of the future. As a leader in education this strategy can empower you to develop a niche of learner spaces in order to maximise learning.

Looking into the Future

Each of these web links show a video presenting implications for education in the future:

Clip A

http://archive.futurelab.org.uk/projects/beyond-current-horizons

Clip B

http://wearethepeoplemovie.com/

When analyzing these videos it seems that the dominant messages from each clip is that there needs to be a change in the education system which will cater to the changing world and help solve global issues.  One of the implications for education is the availability and accessibility of technology, we also need to teach students how to think critically and collaboratively. Education should respond by training educators to use teaching techniques which enable pupils to work collaboratively at a global scale whilst incorporating  the use of technological resources.

The main difference with each clip is that the latter is focusing on preparing future generations to solve problems whereas the first focuses more on the importance of change and tools of the future which enable effective learning to occur. If I could use one (but only one), as stimulus with a group of teachers to consider the future of education, I would choose clip A. Clip B seems to focus more on preparing future generations to solve problems whereas Clip A does the same without suggesting how, it requires the viewer to think in depth. Clip B doesn’t motivate me as much as Clip A, which presents ideas about the importance of change and hints at tools of the future which can enable effective learning to occur. It raises questions for further discussion on how to enable learners to make a change to future scenarios and is very thought provoking. Both clips touch on the idea that teachers need to relate to pupils by learning with them, understanding their perceptions and utilizing technology to enhance understanding whilst enabling collaboration, if this the message you would like to convey to colleagues it is best to do it in a stylistic way which would appeal to the learners of today.

Leading Classroom Learning

We can predict that the future will be even more technologically advanced than it is now, there will be a higher population and in turn more job competition. Students will have to be multi-taskers  who are able to skim and scan through many sources of information.Education will tap into this use of technology, a variety of lesson will be conducted online and every pupil will be equipped with computers. There will be a wide range of resources available to teachers.  Education will still take place in schools although there will be opportunities for online collaboration with other schools around the world, some schools may be commercialized.

Teachers will still have the same role in the education of the future although it is important that as teachers we adopt the use of technology and adapt our teaching methods for the quick thinking, multi-taskers of the future.

Although a dated quote, Taylor and Francis (1997) write about ways to adopt and adapt by

‘emphasizing the importance of technical services which work to all aspects of library services, discussing the need to adopt and adapt to changing technologies, recognizing the diversity of settings in which students will be employed, and acknowledging that, for the majority of graduates, the processes involved with technical services will be only one part of their overall job responsibilities.’

More recently, Prensky (2011) outlines ‘easy to do/big impact steps’ including:
 
o  Less “telling” by teachers (and allowing kids to research the answers to
guiding questions on their own);
o  Always connecting what is taught with real-world outcomes;
o  Helping students distinguish the unchanging “verbs” (skills)  of  education
from the rapidly changing “nouns” (tools);
o  Treating students as learning partners;
o  Employing  students‟  own  tools  (particularly  video  and  cellphones)  for
learning;
o  Using more peer-to-peer teaching;
o  Offering students far more choices, rather than mandating what all must read
or do;
o  Allowing  students  to  be  the  primary  users  (and  maintainers)  of  classroom
technology;
o  Sharing  of  successes  via  short  videos  posted  on  sites  such  as  YouTube  or
TeacherTube; and
o  Regularly  connecting  students  with  the  world  via  free,  secure  tools  such  as
Skype and ePals.

Presky, M (2011) The Reformers are Leaving our Schools in the 20th Century. Accessed 13 August 2012. Available at: http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/+Prensky-The_Reformers_Are_Leaving_Our_Schools_in_the_20th_Century-please_distribute_freely.pdf

Learning Styles or Learning Stratergies?

I am keen on planning to produce the best opportunities for student learning although when planning lessons I do not consider 'learning styles' and activities that appeal to these styles. It is my opinion that pupils do not have learning 'styles', instead they have learning 'preferences'. If a student has been labeled as an auditory learner I am confident that this student will still have the same learning benefit from an activity that involves visuals - as long as that activity is stimulating and engaging.  Claxton (1996) makes a suggestion that pupils make a "cost/benefit analysis" of each classroom activity, therefore, if they feel the task is not beneficial they will be unengaged and as a result they will not learn. There is no concrete evidence to suggest that learning styles exsist, in the words of James Atherton (2011) 'students choose to learn in different ways depending on their motivation, the nature of the course and subject-matter, and a host of other variables.' Therefore, as teachers; we should not be planning lessons for the varying learning styles of individuals in our class, instead we should be planning engaging tasks which encourage intrinsic motivation of the whole class.

Review of Learning Theories

When reviewing my personal theory of learning and those of others the clear trends or areas of general agreement among the statements tend to lean towards active and productive teaching methods which involve pupils apply knowledge they have learnt rather than old fashioned techniques where a teacher may just lecture whilst pupils take notes. There is a common consensus that pupils learn through other mediums such as digital technology or discussion. Most learning theories said that the teacher must make the learning material accessible, from this learners can build on existing knowledge together.

The only areas of disagreement or incompatibility among the statements were aspects of learning including motivation, planning, assessment and teacher student relationships. Not all theories highlighted these attributes as an importance. All the expressed theories of learning have drawn on, or been influenced by formal learning theories.

An individual teacher’s personal learning theory can influence the way/s in which they lead learning in the classroom as these teachers put an emphasis on what they think is important and effective. A teacher should be open to the view points and theories of others to ensure their pupils have the best opportunities for learning.

 

 When looking at this diagram I would assume that it demonstrates a hierarchy of effective leadership of learning allowing for the incorporation of personal learning theories alongside formal theories of learning. It demonstrates a collaborative form of leadership using tried and tested techniques as well as the development for new methods.

A Quote About Leadership

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”

John Quincy Adams

 I admire this comment about leadership because I really believe in the philosophy of ‘do what I do, not what I say’. For teachers to be motivated and inspired they need a leader who can lead by example, this leader will gradually work towards gaining the trust and respect of employees and with this comes cooperation, understanding and teamwork. This quote also hits home the idea that anyone has the potential to be a leader and although as teachers we look for direction from the higher powers that may be, we too are looked upon and admired by others.

Learning is Easy... Teaching is Hard!

I would say that learning is easy. As humans we are constantly learning new things whether its purposely (in my case learning Indonesian) or subconsciously through life's experiences (in my daughters case, learning that sticking your fingers in an electric socket will hurt!). Teaching is hard because as teachers we have a set agenda of what we have to teach and in each lesson we have learning objectives, the difficulties lie in motivating learners, emphasising with our pupils to deliver content in an enjoyable way, eradicating misbehavior, enabling students to discover methods for understanding content and getting pupils to apply new information which is relevant to them and their future.