Imagining New Possibilities for Teacher Preparation: An Empirical Examination of Social Justice Pedagogical and Content Knowledge

• In Event: Learning to Teach Justly: Preservice Practices for Social Change

Abstract

From coursework requirements to national standards and assessments, Shulman’s (1986, 1987) Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK)—a “special amalgam of content and pedagogy that is uniquely the province of teachers” (Shulman, 1987, p. 8)—asserts itself at various turns on teacher candidates’ paths to their classrooms. Despite its three decades-long prominence, the framework stops short of complicating the relationship between PCK and equitable instructional practices. To redress this grievance, and to build knowledge that supports the quest for equitable educational opportunity, we draw from and empirically extend the Social Justice Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (SJPACK) conceptual framework (Authors, 2017) by offering data from nine case studies that detail the SJPACK literacy practices of secondary teachers. Implications for teacher education are discussed.

Authors

• Jeanne Dyches, Iowa State University

• Ashley Summer Boyd, Washington State University - Pullman