The Place of Pedagogical Content Knowledge in Teacher Education

Abstract

In recent studies, teacher quality is presented as one of the most important contributing factors to student learning. However, reaching a consensus about a precise definition of teacher quality is still far from actuality in the field of education. In other words, what constitutes a quality teacher and how to educate better teachers are still highly debated issues. Pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) enters the scene at this moment as one of the most critical elements of improving teacher quality. This paper provides a brief description of PCK, and its value and limitations in teacher education