PCK: Pedagogical Content Knowledge

To understand what Pedagogical Content Knowledge is, you first have to understand what Pedagogy is.

Pedagogy is the method of practice of teaching, especially as an academic subject or theoretical concept.

Pedagogical Content Knowledge has many definitions. The one that spoke to me most was "teachers interpretations and transformations of subject-matter knowledge in the context of facilitating learning" (Schulman 1986).

There are 5 key elements to PCK They are:
1. Knowledge of representations of subject matter
2. Understanding of students conceptions of the subject and the learning and teaching implications that were associated with the subject matter.
3. General pedagogical knowledge (teaching strategies)
4. Curriculum knowledge
5. Knowledge of educational context.
6. Knowledge of purpose of education.
(Shulman, 1987)

Some other fun facts of PCK are:
- PCK combines theory, learned during teacher preparation and experiences gained from on going school activities.
- PCK is influenced by the background of the teacher and the context in which they work.
- PCK is deeply rooted in experiences of students and their families as well as their communities.