Pedagogical content knowledge

Pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) is knowledge that facilitates the transfer of domain knowledge from the teacher to the student.

Pedagogical content knowledge is an artifact of schooling that is of less relevance in free learning.

If we assume a model in which there is (1) a mediator between knowledge and students, the teacher, and there is (2) a fixed knowledge to pass, the curriculum, we naturally need a semantic bridge between the individual's prior knowledge and the curriculum.

Content-specific expertise on semantic distances of knowledge transferred to a student brain, may be called "pedagogical content knowledge". The concept is entirely unnecessary in free learning, where the student uses her own customized learning strategies to match knowledge sources of appropriate learntropy to her own prior knowledge using knowledge valuation networks that form a vital subcomponents of the learn drive system. Pedagogical content knowledge was named by educator Lee Shulman:

The content knowledge necessary for expertise in a discipline needs to be differentiated from the pedagogical content knowledge that underlies effective teaching (Redish, 1996; Shulman, 1986, 1987). The latter includes information about typical difficulties that students encounter as they attempt to learn about a set of topics; typical paths students must traverse in order to achieve understanding; and sets of potential strategies for helping students overcome the difficulties that they encounter. Shulman (1986, 1987) argues that pedagogical content knowledge is not equivalent to knowledge of a content domain plus a generic set of teaching strategies; instead, teaching strategies differ across disciplines. Expert teachers know the kinds of difficulties that students are likely to face; they know how to tap into students' existing knowledge in order to make new information meaningful; and they know how to assess their students' progress. Expert teachers have acquired pedagogical content knowledge as well as content knowledge. In the absence of pedagogical content knowledge, teachers often rely on textbook publishers for decisions about how to best organize subjects for students. They are therefore forced to rely on the "prescriptions of absentee curriculum developers" (Brophy, 1983), who know nothing about the particular students in each teacher's classroom. Pedagogical content knowledge is an extremely important part of what teachers need to learn to be more effective (source: "How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School" by John D. Bransford,, Ann L. Brown, and, Rodney R. Cocking, editors)

The emphasis in the above excerpt shows the impact on schooling on thinking about the PCK. The use of the word "typical" reflects the averaging, which contrasts with personalization of free learning. Students are seen as requiring help, while free learning leads to autonomy of choices that fosters intelligence.

With Shulman's intimidating definition, we realize that a great teacher is a great man. Teaching is complex and requires a great deal of knowledge that is hard to get:

Shulman defined pedagogical content knowledge as teachers’ interpretations and transformations of subject-matter knowledge in the context of facilitating student learning. He further proposed several key elements of pedagogical content knowledge: (1) knowledge of representations of subject matter (content knowledge); (2) understanding of students’ conceptions of the subject and the learning and teaching implications that were associated with the specific subject matter; and (3) general pedagogical knowledge (or teaching strategies). To complete what he called the knowledge base for teaching, he included other elements: (4) curriculum knowledge; (5) knowledge of educational contexts; and (6) knowledge of the purposes of education (Shulman, 1987). To this conception of pedagogical content knowledge, others have contributed valuable insights on the importance and relevance of the linguistic and cultural characteristics of a diverse student population (source)

Unfortunately, the whole approach takes away all planning and decision-making from the student. While teachers exercise their intelligence, students are supposed to robotically focus on being the receivers of "wisdom". Tough decisions and problem solving are left to the teacher, while memorizing is left to the student who gets all the knowledge well pre-processed on a silver platter. This is how school undermines knowledge processing skills:

Pedagogical content knowledge is an important foundation for planning lessons and for decision making during a lesson (source)

This glossary entry is used to explain "I would never send my kids to school" (2017-2024) by Piotr Wozniak