Not a stale metaphor: the continued relevance of pedagogical content knowledge for science research and education

ABSTRACT

Recently, theorists have raised concerns that  pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) has become “a stale metaphor” that disregards diversity and equity, offers little to help teachers address students’ misconceptions, and portrays knowledge as “in the head” versus in practice. We refute these notions using grounded theory to specify ways one 7th-grade science teacher enacted PCK to advance student learning. With the definition of PCK as knowledge at the intersection of content and teaching, we utilised a framework for science PCK to explore instructional decision-making. Interviews conducted over three years revealed specific ways the teacher enacted PCK by designing and delivering instruction built on each of the seven conceptual science PCK components. The teacher enacted PCK to plan and deliver instruction that was responsive, adaptive, and considerate of changing needs of students and the changing classroom landscape. She infused PCK into instructional decision-making, instructional interactions, and mentoring of a student teacher, modelling the translation of educational theory into practice and habits of mind necessary for expert teaching. This enactment actively refutes Settlage’s critiques, and depicts PCK as a vibrant and effective stance for teaching that enhances learning.

KEYWORDS:

• Pedagogical content knowledge
• science
• adaptive expertise
• critical reflective inquiry
• science instruction

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

H. Emily Hayden

H. Emily Hayden is an assistant professor at Iowa State University in the School of Education specialising in Language, Literacy, and Learning. Having worked for 17 years as a teacher and administrator in K-12 schools prior to entering academia, her research interests focus on classroom instruction, including disciplinary literacy practices in science at intermediate and middle grades, development of adaptive expertise for teaching, and ways teachers enact pedagogical content knowledge in teaching.

Michelle Eades Baird

Michelle Eades Baird is an assistant professor at SUNY Empire State College focusing on pre-service teacher preparation and science education. Previous to entering academia, she taught science in K-12 schools for 17 years. Dr Baird’s research interests include science inquiry, preparation of pre-service science teachers, in-service teacher education, academic language in science, pedagogical content knowledge, and influences on teachers’ curriculum enactment.