KNOWLEDGE ACQUIREMENT AND SKILL EMPOWERMENT – A CHALLENGE FOR TEACHERS

KNOWLEDGE ACQUIREMENT AND SKILL EMPOWERMENT – A CHALLENGE FOR TEACHERS

Introduction

 The process of ‘Teaching’ is expected to create the students with all skills and capacities that will enable every individual to endure and succeed in the knowledge of the world today. A big question arises in every one’s mind especially teachers regarding “knowledge” or “skill”. Here content knowledge is placed as a core role on the distinction between “knowledge” and “skill”. It is the challenge for the teachers to emphasize the teaching of knowledge or the teaching of skills. Some educators argue that it’s not possible to teach academic and intellectual skills (e.g., reading, writing, critical thinking, problem solving, researching) separate from content knowledge and conceptual understanding, given that students can’t learn to write well. In our educational system content knowledge and skills are the two sides of the same coin. So it’s impossible to learn skills without content or learn content without skills.

Content Knowledge

The concept of knowledge refers to familiarity with factual information and theoretical concepts. Knowledge can be transferred from one person to another or it can be self acquired through observation and study. It is essential for teachers to have a strong grasp of the material they are teaching. Elementary school teachers must have very good content knowledge in basic numeracy, literacy, social studies and science. High school teachers, who usually specialize in only one or two subject areas, must have a thorough knowledge and understanding of their area of speciality. Teachers also need to know how children learn. They need to know the expectations in development for children of different ages. They also need to know a variety of teaching strategies and disciplinary techniques. Teacher content knowledge influences how teachers engage students with the subject matter, how teachers evaluate and use instructional materials and it is related to what students learn. This will help the students fully grasp the more difficult topics so they are better prepared to move forward.

Shulman defined pedagogical content knowledge as, “teachers’ interpretations and transformations of subject-matter, knowledge in the context of facilitating student learning”.

•         Key elements of pedagogical content knowledge:

According to An, Kulm, and Wu (2004) pedagogical content knowledge has three components: 1. Knowledge of Content, 2. Knowledge of Curriculum and 3. Knowledge of Teaching. Shulman also proposed several key elements of pedagogical content knowledge. They are,

(1) knowledge of representations of subject matter (content knowledge);

(2) understanding of students’ conceptions of the subject

(3) teaching strategies

(4) curriculum knowledge;

(5) knowledge of educational contexts; and

(6) knowledge of the purposes of education (Shulman, 1987).

Skills

Skills, however, refer to the ability to apply knowledge to specific situations. Skills are developed through practice, through a combination of sensory input and output. As an example, social skills are developed through interaction with people by observing, listening, and speaking with them. Trial and error is probably the best way to achieve skills mastery. To make it simple, knowledge is theoretical and skills are practical.

Teachers need a variety of skills to become proficient in their careers. They need excellent communication skills and teaching skills, so that they can explain effectively. They also need superior interpersonal skills, such as patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations. Collaborative skills enable them to work productively with their colleagues. Creativity and presentation skills are important when planning lessons to motivate students and hold their interest. As schools become more technologically advanced, teachers also need basic technological skills for audio-visual presentations and for reporting and taking attendance electronically.

Challenges

Teachers’ role is more important to prepare individuals to meet a desired performance, students don’t need more lectures rather they need more practice. The production of more presentations and more page turners will only make people more knowledgeable; it will not provide them with skills to do their job better. According to the present techno-world the teachers should enrich their knowledge and they transform the knowledge skillfully.

Teaching is getting more and more complex and challenge these days. The students are getting more content knowledge from various sources. Teacher should find out alternate way to overcome these problems like Learn New Technologies, Project-Based Learning, Learner-Centered Classroom and Personalized Instructions etc., far and most important one is Keep Learning that will help a teacher to tackle the challenges.

The six components of great teaching

Skills and knowledge can improve student learning outcome. Good quality teaching will likely involve a combination of pedagogical content knowledge and skill knowledge of the teacher; the very best teachers are those that demonstrate these two features.

1. Content knowledge (Pedagogical)

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.

2. Quality of instruction

It includes elements such as effective questioning and use of assessment by teachers. Specific practices, like reviewing previous learning, providing model responses for students, giving adequate time for practice to embed skills and progressively introducing new learning (scaffolding) are also elements of high quality instruction.

     3. Classroom climate

It covers quality of interactions between teachers and students, and teacher expectations: the need to create a classroom that is constantly demanding more, but still recognising students’ self-worth. It also involves attributing student success to effort rather than the ability and valuing resilience to failure.

     4. Classroom management

A teacher’s ability to make efficient use of lesson time, to coordinate classroom resources and space, and to manage students’ behaviour with clear rules that are consistently enforced, are all relevant to maximising the learning that can take place. These environmental factors are necessary for good learning rather than its direct components.

    5. Teachers’ belief

Every teacher adopt particular practices, the purposes they aim to achieve, and their theories about what learning is and how it happens and their conceptual models of the nature and role of teaching in the learning process all seem to be important.

    6. Professional behaviours

 It includes behaviours exhibited by teachers such as reflecting on and developing professional practice, participation in professional development, supporting colleagues, and liaising and communicating with parents.

How to develop content knowledge and skills knowledge

Ø  Pedagogical content knowledge is deeply rooted in a teacher’s everyday work. However, it is not opposite to theoretical knowledge. It encompasses both theory learned during teacher preparation as well as experiences gained from ongoing schooling activities.

Ø  The development of pedagogical content knowledge is influenced by factors related to the teacher’s personal background and by the context in which he or she works.

Ø  Pedagogical content knowledge is deeply rooted in the experiences and assets of students, their families and communities.

Ø  Teaching becomes more effective when teachers use skills to access, process and express their knowledge.

Ø  Teachers develop skill knowledge among students by assessing one another needs planning, group work, creativity, enquiry, evaluation and self-confidence.

Ø  Teachers’ skill knowledge provides classroom environments where independence, thinking skills, collaboration and active learning are developed at the same time as knowledge is acquired.

Conclusion

 Therefore teachers ought to improve the quality of teaching and learning by updating pedagogical content knowledge and skill knowledge, thereby resisting some old traditions in professional learning. Instead, one should acknowledge and expand the insights of experts who develop competence in subject matter teaching. Teachers should additionally commit to high quality professional development targeted to develop this expertise. When we do this, we support the growth of the teacher as a person and a professional who can expertly lead a student to academic success. Concurrently, we contribute to the realization of the goals and priorities of the classroom and the school system as a whole.