Subject Knowledge for Teaching
The Sutton Trust’s “What Makes Great Teaching” report, published in 2014, identified it as one of two components that had strong evidence of positive impact on student outcomes:
The most effective teachers have deep knowledge of the subjects they teach, and when teachers’ knowledge falls below a certain level it is a significant impediment to students’ learning. As well as a strong understanding of the material being taught, teachers must also understand the ways students think about the content, be able to evaluate the thinking behind students’ own methods and identify students’ common misconceptions.
What Makes Great Teaching? Sutton Trust, 2014
But it’s not just about the amount of knowledge, but also how that knowledge is organised in mental models in long term memory. Pamela Grossman (1990) proposed four areas of subject knowledge for teaching, which all interact with one another
The Making of a Teacher: Teacher Knowledge and Teacher Education. Grossman P., 1990
Blogs, Articles and Podcasts
- Website: The Council for Subject Associations. There are several subject associations that provide a variety of CPD, resources, research and support.
- The NASBTT Curriculum Directory is intended as a ‘one stop’ starting point for providers (and their trainees) to explore subject/phase specific associations to support this aspect of provisio