ASSIGNMENT                                                                                             EDU 10.2- Techno-Pedagogic Content Knowledge                  Analysis-English 

Pedagogic Knowledge

Pedagogical Knowledge is teacher’s deep knowledge about the processes and practices or methods of teaching and learning and how it encompasses (among other things) overall educational purposes, values and aims. This is a generic form of knowledge that is involved in all issues of student learning, classroom management, lesson plan development and implementation, and student evaluation. It includes knowledge about techniques or methods to be used in the classroom; the nature of the target audience; and strategies for evaluating student understanding. A teacher with deep pedagogical knowledge understands how students construct knowledge and acquires skills; develop habits of mind and positive dispositions towards learning. As such, pedagogical knowledge requires an understanding of cognitive, social and developmental theories of learning and how they apply to students in their classroom.

Pedagogical knowledge is a key to successful teaching. Effective mentoring for teaching encompasses articulation about pedagogy which requires timetabling, preparation, teaching strategies, and classroom management towards implementing practice and, other aspects such as, developing questioning skills, assisting in problem solving and providing information and guidance for assessment. Such mentoring necessitates clear expectations about teaching practices as well as providing viewpoints about teaching. The following pedagogical knowledge practices were identified in the literature, and experienced mentors provided strategies to enhance each practice:

Planning

• Establish a meeting with the mentee to discuss how to plan for teaching
• Debrief your plans and the mentee’s plans prior to implementation
• Provide time for the mentee to visit and meet a variety of staff members and view and/or discuss their curriculum planning
• Negotiate a plan for teaching with timeframes and specific implementation details
• Show how you plan for teaching, that is, reference to the syllabus with aims (standards/outcomes), lesson content knowledge, the use of commercial texts, and how to sequence the lesson with an introduction, body and conclusion.
• Explain that assessment is linked to the aims (standards/outcomes)
• Point out particular students with special needs and talents, and explain how you cater for these students in your planning
• Show examples of how to plan a program (intended curriculum), and how you program

Timetabling

• Provide and discuss your teaching timetable (how it fits in with your other duties)
• Discuss balancing time allocated to the KLAs
• Explain the flexibility of timetabling, that is, some lessons may extend past the prior allocated time, or the value of teaching when it has presented itself incidentally, hence, there can be variations to routines
• Outline fixed schedules (i.e., Religious Education, specialist lessons such as art or PE, assembly, parade)
• Discuss alertness time of the day and prioritising times for teaching KLAs
• Timetable lessons to be taught by the mentee with adequate time to plan and prepare

Preparation

• Inform mentee on the type and location of resources
• Ensure a resource list is in the mentee’s lesson plan and ask how these resources will be distributed and used
• Provide the mentee with examples of preparation (including worksheets, equipment, desk arrangements, and health and safety requirements)
• Ensure the mentee has a timeline for gathering resources and/or discuss alternative resources
• Discuss networking for sharing resources (e.g., colleagues, parental support, school support)

Teaching strategies

• Explain to the mentee why teachers use particular strategies
• Outline teaching strategies that you use and explain the benefits for particular lessons and/or KLAs
• Explain the structure of a teaching plan and how teaching strategies can be used within the different stages of a lesson
• Discuss the need to experiment with different teaching strategies.
• Encourage the mentee to observe and explore a variety of teachers’ practices to analyse teaching strategies
• Outline the reason for lesson stages (introduction, body, conclusion)
• Discuss the purpose of a pedagogical knowledge framework towards developing a community of learners

Content knowledge

• Guide the mentee where to locate information for teaching and emphasise that it is the mentee’s responsibility to engage in and source the content knowledge
• Explain that content knowledge has key concepts for the students to explore and understand
• Question the mentee about knowledge for planning, implementing and evaluating teaching to determine how to assist in developing the mentee’s knowledge
• Discuss the need to consider literacy within every KLA
• Outline the system requirements and guidelines for ensuring purposeful content knowledge for teaching
• Share your teaching content knowledge with the mentee and outline specific knowledge required for you to teach particular lessons

Problem solving

• Highlight where problems can occur in teaching and discuss ways to overcome these problems
• Discuss flexible approaches and alternative strategies that can be embedded in teaching to solve problems (unpack potential problems before the mentee teaches a lesson)
• Share your problem solving techniques when fronted with teaching challenges and barriers (e.g., student behaviour, human resources, materials, timelines, assessment requirements)
• Talk to the mentee about what might be stressful situations and discuss possible solutions

Classroom management

• Outline that classroom management can include organisation of resources and people, and behaviour management
• Discuss how the mentee can manage students across different KLAs and situations (e.g., teaching inside the classroom, teaching outside)
• Outline that the mentee’s teaching must align with system requirements, which can also assist with classroom management
• Share anecdotes where personal interactions (positive and negative) may have affected your classroom management                                   
• Outline how the mentee needs to maintain professional relationships for effective classroom management
• Discuss your classroom management approaches including the reward system, co-operative learning, and the use of praise
• Ensure that the mentee plans for classroom management strategies specific to the lesson
• Discuss the need for clear expectations with consistency of classroom management practices
• Outline any whole school management plans for teaching

Questioning skills

• Highlight to the mentee the importance of developing questioning skills at various stages during the lesson
• Provide examples of how to construct questions and analyse the outcomes of asking these questions in a lesson
• Emphasise the need to ask lower and higher-order questions (e.g., see Bloom’s Taxonomy), and open and closed questions
• Ask the mentee to include questions within the lesson plan

Implementation

• Establish a clear structure for the lesson with an introduction, body and conclusion
• Discuss the key concept(s) for the lesson that align with curriculum documents
• Outline how the introduction stimulates students' interests in the key concept(s) with the body of the lesson engaging students in hands-on activities associated with the key concept
• Ensure that the conclusion is an opportunity for students to demonstrate their understandings of the key concept(s)
• Highlight that assessment is embedded throughout the lesson (e.g., introduction for diagnostic assessment/prior knowledge, and body and conclusion for students to demonstrate their learning)
• Share ideas about timing the lesson (e.g., how long for the introduction, body and conclusion)

Assessment

• Guide the mentee towards assessing students in every lesson
• Show how you would use a checklist to record students’ progress
• Discuss different forms of assessment and recording assessment
• Scaffold the mentee’s professional conclusions about analysing students’ assessments
• Guide the mentee to be active in assessment processes (tracking timelines &  meeting standards)
• Talk to the mentee about developing an assessment rubric in relation to students’ work
• Show how assessment can be linked to reporting

Viewpoints

• Present your philosophical viewpoints about teaching, what it means to you in terms of personal and professional rewards
• Encourage the mentee to consider other pedagogical viewpoints and ask the mentee to provide viewpoints learnt within the university setting
• Discuss your viewpoints (strategies, theories and practices) for teaching particular KLAs
• Encourage the mentee to record viewpoints in a teaching diary towards being a more effective teacher
• Discuss viewpoints outlined in the Pedagogical Knowledge practices (e.g., timelines, preparation, planning, problem solving)
• Encourage the mentee to play devil’s advocate about how to teach effectively
• Have the mentee participate in a reflection activity so they can consider the viewpoints of all stakeholders in prior and post learning experiences
• Discuss other people’s points of views about teaching (e.g., student, colleague, parent, principal, department, media)
• Discuss viewpoints about time management and classroom management

Reference

• Alexander, Robin. Essays on Pedagogi. New York: Florence Production Ltd., 2008

•  Kohli, A.L. Techniques of Teaching English. New Delhi : Dhanpat Rai Publishing Company, 1999.

•  Mowla ,Shaik.. Techniques of Teaching English. Hyderabad: Neelkamal Publiations, Pvt.Ltd., 2004.

• Shamsi, Nayyeer. Modern Teaching of English. New Delhi: Anmol Publication  Pvt.Ltd., 2004.