Pedagogical Content Knowledge

1743 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The effect of technology at school

Introduction

As students enter and progress through the secondary grades, reading and understanding the concepts in the content area of science becomes increasingly difficult. The concepts presented to students to learn in a secondary science classroom become much more complex and abstract. Students are expected to read a large volume of complex and detailed texts in the secondary classroom. Students who cannot read and comprehend what they are reading for their secondary science classes are at a high risk of failing their science classes. A 2008 study by National

Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) found that a majority of secondary students in the United States do not graduate with a proficient level in the content area of science (Kuenzi, 2008). Students without proficient skills in the content area of science will not be able to pursue careers in the scientific field. Careers in the scientific field such as medicine and engineering are higher paying careers in our country and students without science proficiency will be at a disadvantage in pursuing these lucrative careers (National Research Council, 2010).

Therefore, it is vitally important that secondary science teachers possess the skills and the ability to teach all students in their classroom in an effective manner. Current research shows that science teachers who can make their science lessons meaningful to students by connecting classroom concepts to their student’s real lives are much more successful in their teaching than teachers who do not (Kanter, 2010). Research also shows that secondary science teachers need to possess excellent science content knowledge to be effective secondary science teachers (Kuenzi, 2008).

This paper explores how t...

... middle of paper ...

...edge for educators (pp. 3–29). New York: Rutledge.

Kuenzi, Jeffrey K. 2008. Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)

Education: Background, Federal Policy, and Legislative Action. Congressional Research Service.

Micro, P., & Koehler, M.J. (2006). Technological pedagogical content knowledge: A framework for integrating technology in teacher knowledge. Teachers College Record, 108(6), 1017-1054.

National Research Council (NRC). 2010. Exploring the intersection of science education and 21st century skills: A workshop summary. Margaret Hilton, Rapporteur; National Research Council. Washington, DC: National Academies Press

Stewart, V. 2010. A classroom as wide as the world. In Curriculum 21: Essential Education for a Changing World, ed. H. Hayes Jacobs, 97–114. Alexandria, VA : Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development

Show More
Related

  • The Power of Words: Lawrence Summers' 2005 Speech on Inequality

    1223 Words  | 3 Pages

    Summers, L. H. (2005, January 14). Remarks at NBER Conference on Diversifying the Science & Engineering Workforce. In The Office of the President. Retrieved July 17, 2011, from http://president.harvard.edu/speeches/summers_2005/nber.php

    Read More

  • K-12 Education in the United States

    1284 Words  | 3 Pages

    Michael, S.et al. (2008). Prospects for improving K-12 science education from the federal level. Journal of Education 69(9): 677-683.

    Read More

  • The Leaky Pipeline

    1042 Words  | 3 Pages

    The gender gap that results in the absence of women in STEM is progressive and persistent. Not only is this an issue of equity, but a lack of female participation in STEM results in a lack of diversity among perspectives regarding solutions to problems and other scientific endeavors. The gender gap in STEM can be seen as the result of several factors including teacher bias in the classroom, a chilly climate from male colleagues as they progress through their careers, little societal support for wanting a career and a family, lacking role models in their study of interest, and an overall lack of science preparation when it comes to pursuing a STEM career.

    Read More

  • Diversity in the Classroom

    893 Words  | 2 Pages

    NRC. (2011). A framework for k-12 science education: Practices, crosscuttingthems, and core ideas. Nantional Research Council. Washington: D.C: National Academies Press.

    Read More

  • Boosting Science Engagement Through Literacy in Middle School

    1221 Words  | 3 Pages

    Spurring from a growing concern over the literacy requirements of students in a Middle school science class, Holli Eddins Forrest in “Using Literacy to Engage Adolescents in Science,” asserts that it is not literacy that causes students to “hate science,” but the way in which information is presented. In the article, Forrest aims to analyze motivation and engagement of Middle school children in a Science class, to determine the root of the problem and highlights ways in which educators can cultivate the necessary literacy skills required to keeps students motivated and engaged.

    Read More

  • Scientific Literacy Essay

    1933 Words  | 4 Pages

    The term ‘scientific literacy’ has eluded precise definition ever since it was coined in 1958. That year, in light of the astonishing swift advancements made by mid-century scientists (e.g. the splitting of the atom, space exploration), three publications appeared that made reference to scientific literacy: a report by the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, which called for a larger technically trained workforce to safeguard our economic and military strength, and a more scientifically literate public able to execute civic responsibilities intelligently; a publication from Paul Hurd and colleagues at Stanford University that exhorted curricula leaders to develop pedagogies that promoted both the cultural and practical aspects of science; and a published address by the president of Shell Chemical Corporation, who called for new curricula emphasizing the fundamentals of science, its history, and its significance for active citizenship and everyday life (see DeBoer, 2000 for review). As DeBoer (2000) noted, however, all three publications used broad brushstrokes to define scientific literacy, thus shrouding the term in ambiguity. Indeed, when asked how they interpreted “scientific literacy,” scientists and science educators had disparate notions about the role content knowledge and a broader understanding of the nature of science had in developing a scientifically literate student (DeBoer, 2000). If nothing else, this example underscores the need for clear definitions and fully articulated curricular goals. To this end, educators have spent several decades making sense of the conceptual spectrum of scientific literacy, resulting in the dissection of scientific literacy into the following sub-genres: pra...

    Read More

  • 21st Century Classrooms - Annotated Bibliography

    1083 Words  | 3 Pages

    Zuckerman, M. B. (2005, October 10). Classroom Revolution. U.S. News & World Report. p. 68. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

    Read More

  • Language And Science: The Role Of Language In Science Education

    797 Words  | 2 Pages

    The role of language in science was taken for granted, however, this chapter by Sutton (1998) addressed this issue by highlighting the influential role of language in science education. Sutton’s focus was mostly on the written aspect of language, however, there are other aspects that are influencing science education and consequently affecting the teaching and learning processes. One of these aspects is the language science is represented with, such that the language science is being represented in textbooks might be different than the students’ or teachers’ mother tongue. This raises challenges for teachers and for students, whereby teachers had to bridge the gap between scientific terminologies and students’ mother tongue. To elaborate, from my experience in practicum, I noticed students struggled to express their thoughts using accurate English and scientific terminologies. For example, once I asked students to describe the life cycle of butterflies based on a figure that I had provided, a

    Read More

  • Reflection On The 5e Model In The Classroom

    1166 Words  | 3 Pages

    I have ensured that I meet my students’ science needs by assuring that the material needed to be cover in the class was covered. Furthermost, the students are able to learn from exploring, which is different from teaching the students how to and giving them the information needed. The students were still able to learn the material needed to be covered by discovering the content.

    Read More

  • my career choice

    680 Words  | 2 Pages

    In high school, I was sort of a science wiz; most of my peers would rely on me for answers to the question on homework assignments. Science came natural to me; however, that wasn’t always my strongest subject. In fact, while I was in middle school, I hated science and could not understand anything about the subject. I also constantly achieved no higher than a 40 on my science quizzes in 5th ...

    Read More

  • STEM Education Reflection Paper

    1778 Words  | 4 Pages

    This class has opened my mind to the incredible impact that STEM Education can have on our society. I do not work in an institution that has a STEM program. I work at a preschool; this makes my practice of any type of STEM program extremely limited. However, it is a private school. All my students come from households where one or both of their parents are professionals. These professionals want their children to be academically prepared for school. This means we must academically, mentally, and emotionally prepare them for their future schooling. I teach my students how to be a functioning participant in a classroom while exploring mathematics, science, art, history, literature and pre-writing. Puzzles, counting, shapes, measuring, etc. are on the daily agenda. Science is a huge part of our curriculum. Science in the

    Read More

  • Nature Of Science

    928 Words  | 2 Pages

    When integrating Nature of Science into curriculum, assumptions are made about students and instructors. These assumptions include that students are all at the same level in terms of science understanding and concepts as the rest of their classmates, and also assumes that the students learn at the same rates (NGSS: Appendix A). These assumptions are detrimental to science education when focus needs to be on the content being taught rather than teaching background of science as a standalone. Teaching NOS explicitly becomes increasingly difficult when students aren’t given access to proper science learning environments. As mentioned in the High Hopes – Few Opportunities reading, it is stated that, “California students do no typically experience high-quality science learning opportunities[.]” (Dorph et al., 2011). When students don’t have a basis for scientific concepts, it becomes increasingly difficult to teach NOS. America’s Lab Report further expands on the idea that this style of learning is not likely achievable, as “[N]o single […] experience is likely to achieve all of these learning goals.” (Schweingruber et al., 2005) where learning goals is referencing the goals of laboratory experiences that include understanding Nature of Science. Again, when a lack of understanding for general science exists, its arguably much more difficult to teach

    Read More

  • Importance Of Science Essay

    1537 Words  | 4 Pages

    They also need this relationship to be able to plan their lesson effectively. For children, understanding the nature and process of science is dependent upon their developmental level and the experiences teachers provide for them. Children can begin to understand what science is, who does science, and how scientists work through classroom activities, stories about scientists, and class discussions. Teachers should provide children with many opportunities to make observations with all their senses, to look for patterns in what they observe, and to share with others what they did and what they learnt from their

    Read More

  • Science and Students: The World of Tomorrow

    874 Words  | 2 Pages

    In closing, science education is like an invisible force that pushes everything forward. It is not always noticed, but the results of teaching science in schools could be world-changing. Science has helped in so many different industries such as the medicine field where it has been helping throughout the ages to save lives. In addition, if earth science is taught, everyone will live in a world with cleaner air, because more people will be educated to make the right decisions and help this planet. With that it is clear that teaching science education in classes is extremely important for everyone’s future.

    Read More

  • Portfolio Assessment

    2763 Words  | 6 Pages

    UniServe Science. (2004). Alternative strategies for science teaching and assessment. Retrieved March 7, 2004 from http://science.uniserve.edu.au/school/support/strategy.html

    Read More

More about Pedagogical Content Knowledge

Open Document