What's in your toolbox of Knowledge?

So I was reading a paper titled "Those who understand: Knowledge Growth in Teaching" by Lee S. Shulman (http://www.jstor.org/stable/1175860). It was very interesting as it covers the origin of teaching and the curriculum from Aristotle through to medieval universities, as well as the standard of  teaching and testing. What grabbed me was the 3 forms of knowledge suggested that all good teachers need: Content, Curricular and Pedagogical Content knowledge.

Content knowledge refers to the understanding of the subject by the teacher, like the main concepts and theories around a specific topic. Regurgitation of facts is apparently not enough (Duh! yet we've all had at least one of those teachers). Teachers with a good content knowledge, also have a grasp on the syntax, "the rules" of the subject. They need to be able to explain why and how certain facts are as well as how that fact may change depending on the field e.g. the various definitions for "species"........(Google it!)

Curricular knowledge is the information that surround the topic of interest, how to teach the topic and what materials and programs there are to assist you (lesson plans). It also relies on the ability to relate the topic to other topics that will be taught at a later stage as well as other courses.

Pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) is how to bring the content knowledge across to the student - like diagrams, examples and demonstrations. The teaching approach and different form of assessment falls within PCK as well. It also includes the teacher understanding what about the subject makes it difficult for the learner to understane, and alternatively what is easy about the subject. This has a lot to do with pre- and misconceptions that the student brings along with the them about the topic.

By combining these 3 factors, the student recieves the best from you as the teacher and vice versa.

Initially I was confused by the whole concept of PCK, but it really is just thinking out of the box and finding different ways to bring across the same information so that your students understand it. The paper "A genetics game" by Haws and Bauer (http://www.jstor.org/stable/pdfplus/4451171.pdf?acceptTC=true) brings this idea across. The game itself covers topics like mutation, dominance/recessive traits and mixing and lets the learners create their own critters with different triats. By actually letting the learners play with the concept of gentic exchange and gene variability, it allows them to get a better grasp and understanding of the topic. The game also allows for discussion at the end and familirises the students with the terminiology.

I think its important for teachers to be aware of these 3 types of knowledge. If learners are struggling with a topic, it could be solved by bettering your (the teacher) understanding of the topic, trying to link the topic with another subject to assist in understanding or to find a new approach to dealing with it.

"Those who can do, those who understand, teach" - Shulman