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The complexity of subject knowledge
Section 2.1 of the Standards states that trainees must demonstrate ‘a
secure knowledge and understanding of the subjects they are trained to
teach' ( DfES/TTA, 2002: 7 ), but what does this entail, and how can
we ‘unpack' subject knowledge in a way that makes it clear to trainees
what they have to do to become competent in the various strands of subject
knowledge (‘Inspecting subject knowledge' ( Baker et al , 2000
, 211-219 contains a useful Ofsted view of what they regard as subject
knowledge)?
Subject knowledge can be seen as combining:
- Period knowledge - having a good grasp of medieval history, The Tudors,
the Victorians, World War Two and so forth. Trainees will often understandably
have large gaps in some areas. How these gaps are filled is important.
Should a trainee read Simon Schama's book ‘Citizens' on the French
Revolution or the school textbook? At the very least, trainees ought
to have a clear outline of the main events and themes within a period,
as well as an understanding of the main historiographical trends.
- The nature and discipline of history (see also unit 6) – this includes
understanding the second order concepts that shape how we teach the
subject as well as having a sense of the purpose of history (and school
history). A grasp of the full breadth of benefits which the subject
might bestow on young people. Some commentators have argued that an
inability to think through why we are inflicting history
on young people is one of the most common causes of poor and ineffective
history teaching (see, for example, Haydn et al. 2001). Trainees
also need to understand the contested nature of what and how we teach,
which will help inform future debates about the subject and its position
within the curriculum.
- Pedagogical content knowledge – this is the ability to turn your
understanding of the subject into a form that can be taught in an understandable
way to pupils. This draws on knowledge of pupils, what is appropriate
for different ages and abilities, types of activities that are effective,
useful resources and so forth.
In addition to possessing subject content knowledge ‘at a standard equivalent
to degree level', trainees need to know and understand:
- the National Curriculum Programmes of Study for history at Key Stage
3
- the cross curricular expectations of the National Curriculum and
the guidance set out in the National Strategy for Key Stage 3 (2.1.c)
- pathways of progression through the 14-19 phase and with the Key
Skills specified by QCA and the national qualifications framework.
- the progression within and beyond their own school subject and the
range of qualifications to which their subject contributes (2.1.d).
Beyond this, trainees are expected to know and understand or be familiar
with:
- the Values, Aims and Purposes and the General Teaching Requirements
set out in the National Curriculum Handbook
- the programmes of study for Citizenship and the Framework for Personal
Social and Health Education
- the expectations, typical curricula and teaching arrangements in
the Key Stages before and after the ones they are trained to teach
(2.3)
- how pupils' learning in history is affected by various aspects of
their development (intellectual, linguistic, cultural etc) (2.4)
- how to use ICT effectively in their history teaching (2.5)
- how to teach history effectively to pupils who have special educational
needs (2.6).
This is a daunting list, but as trainers we need to consider carefully
where trainees will acquire knowledge of these various elements and where
our main priorities lie. It also needs to be carried out in a manner
that occurs naturally within the course and is integral to trainees'
development, rather than being bolted on.
There ought to be a place as well for trainees to consider the debates
and concerns within the subject community about knowledge and issues
relating to coherence and progression across the various key stages.
As teachers they need to be equipped to engage in future debate.
Activity 5.6.1 Subject knowledge
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