The Development of Prospective Elementary Teachers’ Early Pedagogical Content Knowledge

• In Event: Roundtable Session 20
  In Roundtable Session: Deepening Conceptual Understandings in STEM Preservice Teacher Education

Abstract

This study explores the development of components of Specialized Content Knowledge in pre-service teachers (PTs) as they participate in preparation courses as undergraduates. We then trace the efficacy of this early in five of these PTs who entered the teacher education program on our campus, by exploring the relationship between their SCK and relative success on PACT (Performance Assessment of California Teachers). Results of our initial analysis indicate: The development of understandings of children’s mathematics in PTs does not appear to be correlated to PTs’ content knowledge but is connected to their ability to re-conceptualize the elementary math concepts in context rather than finding quick solutions based on formulas/procedures; a relationship between development of SCK and score on the PACT.

Authors

• Sarah Hough, University of California - Santa Barbara

• Monica Mendoza, University of California - Santa Barbara

• Bill Jacob, University of California - Santa Barbara

• Kyunghee Moon, The University of West Georgia