Pedagogical validity: The key to understanding different forms of ‘good’ teaching

Abstract

The interrelationship of pedagogical skills, educational ends, and underlying values and assumptions constitute a teacher’s ‘pedagogical validity’ – who they are as a teacher and why they teach the way they do. If reflection, judgment, and improvement are to be helpful, they must have regard for a more complete understanding of what frames a teacher’s pedagogical validity. This article briefly describes four kinds of pedagogical validity that teachers draw upon when explaining or justifying their notion of ‘good’ teaching. Teachers generally have some part of each, but most of us draw upon one or two more than all four as we define ourselves as teachers and make sense of our teaching.

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.

Glossary

Pedagogical validity: Points to a holistic form of consequential validity of teaching. Each form of pedagogical validity is based on a set of values and beliefs about what is most important for people to learn (consequences). Teachers make informed instructional decisions based on their intended consequences for learners. The intended consequences of each type of pedagogical validity drive teaching in different, but potentially effective, ways. If we are to fully understand different approaches to teaching, we must first understand what teachers are trying to accomplish and why they believe that is important. In other words, teaching actions can only be accurately and fairly interpreted if we know the pedagogical validity that justifies those actions.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Daniel D. Pratt

Daniel D. Pratt, PhD, is a Professor Emeritus and Senior Scholar, CHES - Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, CANADA

Brett Schrewe

Brett Schrewe, MDCM, MA, is a Clinical Assistant Professor, Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, CANADA

Martin V. Pusic

Martin V. Pusic, MD, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, USA