IP 89-4 The subject matter preparation of teachers.
Abstract
The focus of this paper is the subject matter preparation of teachers: what subject matter preparation entails, where and when it occurs, and with what outcomes. Since research on teachers' learning of subject matter is a relatively new domain of inquiry in teacher education, the literature is scant. The purpose of this paper, therefore, is to offer a framework that can contribute to future research in this area. The paper is organized in three parts. To lay a foundation for the argument, the first section examines the concept of subject matter knowledge, for although the claim that teachers must know what they are teaching appears self-evident, agreement does not exist about what is included in the idea of knowing subject matter for teaching. The second section offers a framework for the sources and outcomes of teachers' subject matter learning. In the third section, this framework is used to consider extant evidence about teachers' subject matter preparation. The paper concludes with a discussion of issues raised in earlier sections that suggest directions for future work on the subject matter preparation of teachers.