Pedagogical Content Knowledge

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Introduction

As students enter and progress through the secondary grades, reading and understanding the concepts in the content area of science becomes increasingly difficult. The concepts presented to students to learn in a secondary science classroom become much more complex and abstract. Students are expected to read a large volume of complex and detailed texts in the secondary classroom. Students who cannot read and comprehend what they are reading for their secondary science classes are at a high risk of failing their science classes. A 2008 study by National

Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) found that a majority of secondary students in the United States do not graduate with a proficient level in the content area of science (Kuenzi, 2008). Students without proficient skills in the content area of science will not be able to pursue careers in the scientific field. Careers in the scientific field such as medicine and engineering are higher paying careers in our country and students without science proficiency will be at a disadvantage in pursuing these lucrative careers (National Research Council, 2010).

Therefore, it is vitally important that secondary science teachers possess the skills and the ability to teach all students in their classroom in an effective manner. Current research shows that science teachers who can make their science lessons meaningful to students by connecting classroom concepts to their student’s real lives are much more successful in their teaching than teachers who do not (Kanter, 2010). Research also shows that secondary science teachers need to possess excellent science content knowledge to be effective secondary science teachers (Kuenzi, 2008).

This paper explores how t...

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...edge for educators (pp. 3–29). New York: Rutledge.

Kuenzi, Jeffrey K. 2008. Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)

Education: Background, Federal Policy, and Legislative Action. Congressional Research Service.

Micro, P., & Koehler, M.J. (2006). Technological pedagogical content knowledge: A framework for integrating technology in teacher knowledge. Teachers College Record, 108(6), 1017-1054.

National Research Council (NRC). 2010. Exploring the intersection of science education and 21st century skills: A workshop summary. Margaret Hilton, Rapporteur; National Research Council. Washington, DC: National Academies Press

Stewart, V. 2010. A classroom as wide as the world. In Curriculum 21: Essential Education for a Changing World, ed. H. Hayes Jacobs, 97–114. Alexandria, VA : Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development

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