Several years ago, I wrote a post that received many comments titled How Much “Content” Knowledge Do You Really Need To Be An Effective Teacher?
I think it’s worth checking out, and here’s how I ended it:
The dictionary says the definition of power is “the ability to act.” Some say that information is power. I don’t agree. I think it’s what you do with that information is what determines if you have power — what actions you take. And, in the context of being an educator, it’s not the information I know that determines how much power I have — it’s my ability to share it, to help others want it, and to help them figure out how they can also get it on their own so they can be life-long learners.
A study that came out last week seems to have reinforced my position. You can read about it at Education Week’s post, Study: Improving Teachers’ Math Knowledge Doesn’t Boost Student Scores.
Here’s an excerpt:
As I said in my original post on the topic, I don’t think it has to be an either/or decision, but I continue to be concerned about “alternative credentialing” programs that put a primacy on subject knowledge and a lower priority on instructional skills.
What do you think?
I couldn’t agree with you more! If you check out Hattie’s research on the effect size of teacher subject matter knowledge, he found it to be low. From the book Visible Learning for Teachers, “The distinction, however, is less the ‘amount’ of knowledge and less the ‘pedagogical content knowledge’, but more about how teachers see the surface and deeper understandings of the subjects that they teach, as well as their beliefs about how to teach and understand when students are learning and have learned the subject.”
Not sure what to make of this position. Evidence that teacher content knowledge matters does exist – http://learningaloud.com/blog/2008/03/01/time-on-teacher-talent/