tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21843852.post6921213748299550222..comments2024-01-04T05:57:26.735-06:00Comments on Education Policy Blog: Hosted by the Forum on the Future of Public Education: Stormy times ahead for "mumbo jumbo" education talkersCraig A. Cunninghamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18160288758906798678noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21843852.post-1809333592252498542009-07-28T13:40:24.143-05:002009-07-28T13:40:24.143-05:00I think the question of whether subject-matter kno...I think the question of whether subject-matter knowledge or knowledge about teaching is more important is completely a question determined by context. Also, it's not really possible to tease them out. A person who has taken a lot of math courses in college, for example, may have also acquired a host of techniques for teaching math during her long career as a student (and may have been especially attentive to math pedagogy during at least some of that time). On the other hand, there are certain techniques for the teaching of reading and writing that don't get learned in English Lit classes, but must be learned either in teacher ed courses or on the job. Personally, I like the Lee Schulman approach of talking about "pedagogical content knowledge," which is knowledge of HOW to teach a particular subject to a particular audience. For some audiences, this has to be learned, somehow. <br /><br />More controversial is the question of the value of "foundational" knowledge such as philosophy, learning theory, and sociology. Many of us have found that subjects such as these may be more valuable for teachers who have already spend some time in the classroom, mastering the subject-matter/pedagogy issues. This gives them the cognitive breathing room necessary to consider underlying issues or those that are broader than the classroom. Is this stuff "mumbo jumbo"? Well, depends on what you value, doesn't it?Craig A. Cunninghamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18160288758906798678noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21843852.post-14228669849375402132009-07-28T12:19:53.419-05:002009-07-28T12:19:53.419-05:00Teachers who don't know very much about the su...Teachers who don't know very much about the subjects they teach are a bigger problem than teachers who know a lot about their subjects but are clumsy teachers.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21843852.post-50816246937917386622009-07-27T17:50:35.647-05:002009-07-27T17:50:35.647-05:00I guess my biggest qualm with integrating teachers...I guess my biggest qualm with integrating teachers from other careers is that they still need to know how to teach. I have seen in my college experience teachers who are wonderful historians and chemists, but have no idea how to bring it down to a teachable level. As long as they are still required to take methods and some of the "typical teacher coursework", their plan might work. But I fear for the students who get an amazing chemist who can't teach.bcrimingerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01472349792962937239noreply@blogger.com