Blurring boundaries: creating critical

balances between pedagogic and content

knowledge in ITE

Claire Whewell & Allen Thurston

Introduction

• Low confidence > poor pedagogy (Harlen & Holyroyd, 1997; Parker 2004)

• Poor subject content knowledge• Negative attitude (Parker &

Spink, 1997; Touson, 2000)

Effective strategies

• Awareness outcomes• Affective outcomes• Motivational and attitudinal outcomes• Knowledge and skills outcomes (Thurston,

2008)

Design

• Maximise impact– Content (Parker, 2004)– Pedagogic Content

Knowledge (Shulman, 1987)

Shulman’s (1999) model

• Content knowledge (C)• General pedagogic knowledge (GPK)• Curriculum knowledge (CK)• Pedagogical content knowledge (PCK)• Knowledge of learners (KL)• Knowledge of educational contexts (KE)• Knowledge of educational ends (KPhil)

Aims of session

• What the programme looks like?• Experiences to date• Hopes for the future • Subject/ sector boundaries

• What’s in a name? Blurring the boundaries between Environmental Science, Education and Geography

What is a concurrent programme?

• Degree plus teaching qualification – long thin PGDE

• Primary or secondary• Unique for primary

– Specialism– Transfer

What are the nature of your programmes?

• Think-what sort of programme is yours?

• Pair-talk about your programme with your partner

• Share-who’s doing what?

Stirling design

• UK average of 27.76 hours on geography/environment (Bowles, 2008)

• Stirling 288 hours

• Average in this room?

Stirling design

Experiences to date

• Geography secondary ITE 8 years• Environmental Geography

– aspects of human geography covered such as Scottish Society, Politics and Sociology.

• Primary programme autumn 2008– MFL– The Environment-Biology and Environmental

Science / Geography

What’s in a name

• ‘Science’ rejected in favour of ‘The Environment’ • Avoids the balkanisation that can occur between

academic subject departments• Connections between ‘science’ and the planet and

human/physical interactions.• Reflect philosophy behind current policy drive in

Scotland – Curriculum for Excellence

Through outcomes in the curriculum areas of:

•Sciences

•Languages

•Mathematics

•Expressive arts

•Social studies

•Technologies

•Health and well-being

•Religious and moral education

•All teachers are teachers of literacy, numeracy and HWB

Views of students• Confidence

– Gives us the confidence and tools with which to facilitate effective learning and teaching.

• Links:– In order to teach about the environment we have to

have a safe and effective classroom environment and community in place. 

– In order to facilitate effective learning about the environment we must have confidence in what we are teaching and sound subject knowledge. It’s only when you have this knowledge basis that you can experiment with different teaching strategies and have confidence in doing so. You need to have a passion for the subject and want to enthuse this in learners.

Hopes

• Links across sectors• Links across subjects

ReferencesBowles, R. (2008). Personal communication

Learning & Teaching Scotland (2009). Curriculum for Excellence. Retrieved from: http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/curriculumforexcellence/ (25th January 2009).

 

Harlen, W., & Holroyd, C. (1997). Primary teachers’ understanding of concepts in science: impact on confidence and teaching. International Journal of Science Education, 19, 93-105.

 

Parker, J. (2004). The synthesis of subject and pedagogy for effective learning and teaching in primary science education. British Educational Research Journal, 30, 819-839.

 

Parker, J. & Spink, E. (1997). Becoming science teachers: an evaluation of the initial stages of primary teacher training, Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education, 22(1), pp.17-31.

 

Shulman, L.S. (1987). Knowledge and teaching: Foundations on the new reform, Harvard Education Review, 57(1), pp. 1-22.

 

Shulman, L.S. (1999). Knowledge and teaching: Foundations of the new reform. In J. Leach & B. Moon (1999). Learners & Pedagogy. Sage: London. Pp 61-77.

 

Thurston, A., Christie, D., Howe, C.J., Tolmie, A. & Topping, K.J. (2008). Effects of continuing professional development on group work practices in Scottish primary schools. Journal of In-Service Education, 34(3), 263 - 282.

 

Touson, T. (2000). The beliefs of preservice elementary teachers towards science and science teaching, School Science and Mathematics, 100, pp. 374-379.