Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) – Jargon or a Path to Improved

Student Understanding? Janet Carlson April Gardner

BSCS

NSTA Conference Indianapolis, IN 29 March 2012

Session Goal

To encourage a dialogue about the meaning and usefulness of Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK)

What is PCK?

Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) is the knowledge a teacher uses to link content, student context, and pedagogy together to create an optimal learning environment.

Familiarity with PCK

•  Turn to a neighbor and introduce yourself. •  Discuss these questions:

– How familiar are you with the term PCK? – What does the term mean to you?

Project PRIME

•  Promoting Reform through Instructional Materials that Educate

•  Collaborative project with the Center for Research and Evaluation at BSCS and the Center for Science Teaching and Learning at NAU

•  Funded by NSF in 2005 through the Teacher Professional Continuum (TPC) program

•  Goal: Study PCK growth in teachers who implement highly educative curriculum materials with and without professional development. Correlate to student achievement.

PRIME Research Questions Related to PCK

1.In what ways does Project PRIME influence participants’ development of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK)? 2. In what ways does Project PRIME influence participants’

–  Content knowledge (CK) •  Subject matter, Inquiry, Nature of Science

–  Pedagogical knowledge (PK) •  Teaching strategies

–  Context knowledge (CxK) •  Student conceptions, diverse learners

3. Is the whole of PCK similar to or different from its parts (CK, PK, CxK)? If so, how?

Pedagogical

Content Knowledge

Context Knowledge

PCK

PRIME Time Line

Time line for Cohort 1

Summer 06 (2 wks)

Spring 05 School Year 06-07

Summer 07 (3 wks)

School Year 07-08

Time line for Cohort 2

Summer 07 (2 wks)

Spring 07 School Year 07-08

Summer 08 (3 wks)

School Year 08-09

40 HS biology teachers in Arizona

PCK Measurements

1. PCK Reflections (CK, PK, CxK, PCK)

2. Structured Interviews (CK, PK, CxK, PCK)

3. Videotapes of Classroom Instruction (CK, PK, CxK, PCK, Fidelity)

4. Major Field Test for Biology (ETS) (CK)

5. Reform Teaching Observation Protocol (CK, PK, CxK)

Impact of the Intervention

Statistics

Our Focus Today

Topics for PCK Reflections

Arizona Standard Reflection Topic

The Cell

Transport mechanisms

Heredity Protein synthesis

Interdependence Carrying capacity

Evolution Natural selection

Matter, Energy, and Organization

Photosynthesis

*Not all of these claim that their primary purpose is to measure PCK but we felt that they could be used in combination with other tools, etc.

PCK Measurement Tool Brief Description PCK  Interview  Protocol  and  

corresponding  Rubric  (Lee  and  Lu:,  2005)  

Interview  Protocol:  1.  Tell  me  about  the  lesson  you  taught  today  or  yesterday  

(select  6me),  when  I  observed.    2.  What  did  you  consider  as  you  planned  this  lesson?                  a)  Students’  prior  knowledge?  If  so,  how?                b)  Varia6ons  in  students’  approaches  to  learning?  If  so,  

how?                c)  Students’  difficul6es  with  specific  science  concepts?  Rubric  of    knowledge  levels  (limited,  basic,  proficient)  for  the  

following  areas:  Students,  Science  curriculum,  Assessment  strategies,  Teaching  strategies,  Resources.    

RTOP  (Reform  Teaching  ObservaHon  Protocol  –  Piburn,  et  al.,  2000)  

ObservaHon  protocol  with  the  following  major  emphases:  Lesson  Design    and  Implementa6on,  Content,  Classroom  Culture    

Introducing the PRIME PCK Rubric

1.  Examine the concept column of the rubric. What do you notice?

2.  Divide the 3 concepts (CK, CxK, or PK) among those at your table.

3.  Read across the rows related to your chosen concept.

4.  Think about the evidence you would see in an Advanced level for each of your row(s) . . . –  in a written reflection? –  in teaching practice?

Using the Rubric

At your table, share the evidence that you think qualifies as “Advanced” for the CK rows of the rubric.

Apply the rubric and mark “R” in the appropriate box

CONCEPT LIMITED BASIC PROFICIENT ADVANCED

Understands concept & role of concepts in the discipline: Accuracy Interconnections Examples [CK]

Many inaccuracies

Some inaccuracies

Few inaccuracies No inaccuracies

None of the possible connections between concepts and subconcepts are made

Few of the possible connections between concepts and subconcepts are made

Some of the possible connections between

concepts and subconcepts are made

Many of the possible connections between concept and subconcepts are made

No relevant examples provided

Few relevant examples of the concept provided

Some relevant examples of the concept provided

Many relevant examples of the concept provided

Let’s look at some actual data… What unit was protein synthesis a part of? How does this topic relate to the overarching concept of the unit? •  Protein synthesis was part of the chapters introducing DNA & RNA

and followed along logically to the conclusion of ‘how DNA is the instructions for everything in the cell.’ Following this was a discussion of genetics and heredity.

Why is protein synthesis important in the study of biology? •  This is the secret of how we go from a linear code of four different

‘letters’ kept in a secure location (the nucleus of a eukaryote or a plasmid of a prokaryote) to a disposable intermediate (mRNA) to a usable protein that is made in the cytoplasm. It gives a little more reality to the role of DNA as the ‘genetic blueprint’ of the cell and it is the foundation of how heredity works (brown eyes result from brown pigments being produced in the brown-eyed father’s eye cells and if that gene is passed down to Johnny, then Johnny’s eye cells, with the same ‘directions’ will also produce brown pigments, hence his eyes will also be brown).

Using the Rubric

At your table, share the evidence that you think qualifies as “Advanced” for the CxK rows of the rubric.

Apply the rubric and mark “R” in the appropriate box

Understands how student variations impact instruction [CxK]

No understanding of students’ common prior conceptions/difficulties and how they might impact instruction

Narrow understanding of students’ common prior conceptions/difficulties and how they might impact instruction

Adequate understanding of students’ common prior conceptions/difficulties and how they might impact instruction

Sophisticated understanding of students’ common prior conceptions/difficulties and how they might impact instruction

Let’s look at some more actual data…

What do your students typically know about protein synthesis when they come to class?

•  My students don’t know what a protein is when they come to class, except that it’s something that they eat that is good for them. I think their finest education about proteins comes from the back of those weight-lifter nutritional supplements that they can buy at the gym.

What do your students typically struggle with when they are studying protein synthesis? •  Remembering the STEPS and the detailed vocabulary:

Synthesis = makes, Transcription = DNA à RNA, Translation = mRNA à polypeptide, polypeptide is refined into protein…

Using the Rubric

At your table, share the evidence that you think qualifies as “Advanced” for the PK rows of the rubric.

Apply the rubric and mark “R” in the appropriate box

Relationship between rationale to teaching strategies: Completeness Soundness Strategies [PK]

No rationale provided

A rationale that does not establish a relationship between strategies and student learning

Simplistic rationale that establishes a relationship between teaching strategies and student learning

A sophisticated rationale that establishes a relationship between teaching strategies and student learning

Ineffective and/or inappropriate strategies are used

Limited connections between strategies and student learning

Appropriately varied strategies that focus on student learning

Highly effective and/or appropriate strategies including those that allow for student metacognition and elicit prior student understandings

And one more set of responses… What are the advantages of the teaching strategies you used in this lesson? •  It breaks up the lesson, which is long, and allows them time to

practice and ask their peers. Very often, I ask for kids ‘with a clue’ and have them pair up with the clueless kids. Most of the students enjoy the code-breaking, and that reinforces that they need to use Us in RNA instead of Ts, and they enjoy making a code back for me (or in one case, the kid expressed his low opinion of the exercise in his code back to me).

•  Also, in a 90 minute class, activities MUST be incorporated, or the students shut down. I try to break up lectures into 15 minute chunks and have them do SOMETHING with the information, even if it is just ‘pair and share’. My kids seem to learn better when given the chance to talk about the information in small groups.

MR. J’S CONTEXT

Looking at the Evidence in Teaching Practice

1. Watch the video of Mr. J. 2. Score it on the rubric by marking a “V” in

each appropriate box. 3. Discuss your scores with your group. 4. How do your scores from the video compare

to the written reflections?

Year 1

[Video of Mr. J’s class in Year 1]

Year 2

[Video of Mr. J’s class in Year 2]

Wrapping up - Is PCK Just Jargon?

•  In what ways do you think strong PCK could enhance student learning?

•  How might curriculum materials support teachers’ development of PCK?

•  How could PD help develop PCK? •  How has this experience enhanced your

understanding of PCK?

References Davis, E. A., & Krajcik, J. (2005). Designing educative curriculum

materials to promote teacher learning. Educational Researcher, 34(3), 3-14.

Horizon Research, Inc. (2000). Horizon Research-2000-2001 Local systemic change classroom observation protocol. (Found at www.horizon-research.com).

Lee, E., & Luft, J. A. (2005). Capturing the Pedagogical Content Knowledge of experienced science teachers. Paper presented at the annual conference of the Association of Science Teacher Educators, Colorado Springs, CO.

Piburn, M., Sawada, D., Falconer, K., Turley, J., Benfored, R., & Bloom, I. (2000). Reformed teaching observation protocol (RTOP) (ACEPT IN-003).

Thank you!

Slides will be available at www.bscs.org/sessions

by Monday

BSCS 5415 Mark Dabling Blvd.

Colorado Springs, CO 80918 719.531.5550 www.bscs.org