| What is educational psychology (ed psych)? | The academic discipline that examines human teaching and learning (Berliner, 2006). the content of ed psych contributes to the professional knowledge base to become an expert teacher. |
| Professional knowledge in teaching is divided in to 4 essential types. What are they? | 1. Knowledge of content.
2. Pedagogical content knowledge.
3. General pedagogical knowledge.
4. Knowledge of learners & learning. |
| Describe why knowledge of content is important for an expert teacher. | We obviously can't teach what we don't understand. We need to not only know basic facts about a topic, but also show mastery over it. What the teacher knows affect how well they teach, regardless of the type of content. (Bransford, Brown & Cocking, 2000) |
| What is pedagogical content knowledge (PCK)? | It is an understanding of how to represent topics in ways that makes the concept understandable to learners, as well as an understanding of what makes specific topics easy or difficult to learn (Darling-Hammond & Bransford, 2005; Kunter et al., 2013; Shulman,1986).
It also includes the teachers' abilities to identify students' most common misconceptions and to help students resolve their misunderstandings (Sadler, Sonnert, Coyle, Smith, & Miller, 2013). |
| Does teacher pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) affect student motivation? | Yes. High PCK not only improves students' achievements but it also improves their motivation, specifically their enjoyment of the subject (Kunter et al., 2013. p. 815) |
| Is knowledge of content and pedagogical content knowledge identical? | They are related but are NOT identical. For example, understanding the factors that lead to Malaysia's independence reflects knowledge of content; knowing how to illustrate this content so students can understand it reflects pedagogical content knowledge.
Expert teachers possess both (Kunter et al., 2013; Loughran, Mulhall, & Berry, 2004; Segall, 2004). |
| In terms of pedagogical content knowledge, describe the several ways one can represent a topic for students: | 1. Using examples. Examples are useful when you're teaching a well-defined topic (Renkl, 2011). Illustrations and demonstrations are also forms of examples.
2. Using case studies. Together with vignettes (short case studies), they effectively illustrate complex topics that are hard to represent with simple examples.
3. Using metaphors. A teacher can say that the loyalty students show to their school, their way of talking and their weekend activities as a metaphor for the concept of nationalism.
4. Using simulations. Simulations are effective because they provide concrete models that illustrate complex systems and process (de Jong, 2011). Students can role-play as members of Parliament to pass a law that will shape the country.
5. Using models. Models allow students to visualise something they can't observe directly. For example, a science teacher uses a model of an atom to help students visualise the nucleus and electrons. |
| Different from pedagogical content knowledge, what is general pedagogical knowledge? | General pedagogical knowledge involves an understanding of instructional strategies and classroom management that apply to all subjects matter areas and topics (Borko & Putnam, 1996; Darling-Hammond & Bransford, 2005). |
| In terms of general pedagogical knowledge, what are instructional strategies? | It involves knowing how to structure effective lessons that involves students in learning and check for understanding.
For example, involving all students in a lesson by calling on them as equally as possible is important whether you're teaching 1st graders, middle school learners, or advanced high school students (Good & Brophy, 2008; Lemov 2010). |
| In terms of general pedagogical knowledge, what is classroom management? | Classroom management is the skills required to plan, implement and monitor rules and procedures; organise gorups; and intervene when misbehaviour occurs. This is towards the goal of creating an effective classroom environment that is safe, orderly, and focused on learning (Emmer & Evertson, 2013). |
| How important is knowledge of learners and learning for a teacher? | It is "arguably the most important knowledge a teacher can have" (Borko & Putnam, 1996, p. 675). |
| Describe some of the ways where knowledge of learners become important. | Teachers must understand how students' thinking develops, and understand how to represent topics in developmentally appropriate ways.
Teachers must understand how to make students more aware of the way they think and how to become more strategic in their approaches to learning (Bruning et al., 2011, Veenman, 2011).
Teachers must also understand how and when to praise or criticise a student such that it is beneficial for their academic, emotional and physical developments. |
| Why is knowledge of learning important? | Knowledge of learning is important because the better we understand the different ways people learn, the better we can help them make sense of a particular topic or information. Expert teachers have a thorough understanding of how learning occurs and what they can do to promote it.
Students interpret things in personal and idiosyncratic ways (Dubinksky, Roehrig, & Varma, 2013; Edwards, Esmonde, & Wagner, 2011; Hattie & Gan, 2011). In this process, meaning can be distorted, sometimes profoundly. Students acquire ideas from how they interpreted what they heard, experienced, or read; related it to what they already knew; and attempted to make sense of it. |
