Teaching Evidence-Based Subject Didactics in Primary Teacher Education

Esta Sikkal,Irja Vaas,Krista Uibu,Tiia Krass

doi:10.26822/iejee.2021.218

Esta Sikkal, Irja Vaas + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.26822/iejee.2021.218

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Abstract

For contemporary teaching, teachers need a good knowledge of pedagogy, a content knowledge, subject methodology and assessment. Although subject didactics has become an independent research area with interdisciplinary dimensions, only very few studies focus on the teaching of subject didactics. With the aim of developing a theoretical model for systematic treatment of subject didactics, a scoping literature review was implemented for analysing scientific literature. Twenty-five articles were chosen from different databases in the field of study. Data analyses revealed three domains of subject didactics: content knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge and knowledge of subject-specific assessment. These domains included various components which were used for developing a theoretical model for teaching subject didactics within the framework of primary teacher education. The results indicate how to organise the courses of subject didactics for primary teachers at universities. Firstly, teachers’ content knowledge and pedagogical knowledge should be treated in an integrated way. Secondly, integrating pedagogical knowledge with subject didactics enables the shaping of teacher education of students to understand the teaching profession at an early stage. Thirdly, studying subject didactics on the theoretical and empirical level is the driving force for developing syllabi in primary teacher education.

Highlights

In order to teach successfully, teachers need a thorough knowledge of different areas; they need to know the content and structure of the subject they teach, as well as subject didactics and pedagogy
This study examines the areas and components of primary school teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge and relations between them that belong in the model of contemporary subject didactics
The term ‘general pedagogical knowledge’ (GPK), was excluded from the search because the goal was to find articles related to teaching subject didactics

Summary

Introduction

In order to teach successfully, teachers need a thorough knowledge of different areas; they need to know the content and structure of the subject they teach, as well as subject didactics and pedagogy. The core issues of didactics as a branch of pedagogy have been discussed in Europe as early as the 17th century, the more systematic development of didactics began in Germany during the 1950s (Klafki, 2000) It was through assessing the teaching process that questions emerged about how to treat and define the dimensions between general didactics, i.e. the general objectives, forms and means of education, and subject didactics, i.e. the theoretical and practical foundations of education, teaching and pedagogy (Kansanen & Meri, 1999; Klafki, 2000). This is why it is considered important to focus on specific areas and components during empirical studies of subject didactics and to rely on proven theoretical approaches and models when planning subject didactics courses as a part of primary teacher education (Ozmantar & Akkoç, 2017; Park & Oliver, 2008)

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