EDUC 6305: TPACK Questions

Christopher Urban
EDUC-6305
Pierce

The following questions, to which I've responded, come from an article entitled "Knowledge for Teaching in the Twenty-first Century." To view the assignment specifications and access the article click here.

1. What are the major themes or ideas in your content discipline?

My content area covers English language arts, ages 5 through adult. Put simply, my discipline is constructed upon the practice of aiding students in the acquisition and development of critical thought and expression reflective of several major themes, which traditionally include reading, writing, and speaking. Current State Content Standards also include listening and media literacy domains. While each learning domain can be categorized and measured independently however, an effective ‘whole language’ approach to teaching English requires that each of these themes is recognized and presented as being interdependent. Classroom reading content often focuses on component reading skills such as vocabulary, passage comprehension, and device recognition. Likewise, writing content often deals with dissemination of skills such as comprehension of and ability to create items reflective of sound sentence structure, logical paragraph development, and reasonable use of transitions; inclusive of appropriate grammar and punctuation. Listening and speaking are intrinsic to student development of reading and writing skills, while media literacy content focuses on meeting 21st century component skills, which enable students to unlock the merits of English language arts through technology and equip them with the tools they’ll need to operate as contributing citizens in today’s information-rich society.

2. Does your content discipline rely on specific processes for developing the key themes or ideas?

There are several formal and informal measures used to teach English language arts. Generally speaking however, acquisition of content knowledge is a progressive process building upon broad foundations and incorporating increasing detail as scaffolding continues. A more specific example might relate to use of Hemingway's ‘Iceberg Principle’ toward eliciting student comprehension of metaphor and suggested meanings. Likewise brainstorming, outlining, and drafting might represent an appropriate process for teaching written composition methodology. Individual learning style should also be accounted for in developmental teaching processes, as related exercises designed specifically to meet the needs of visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners, additionally aid in achievement of positive learning outcomes. The use of technology in the classroom serves as an another thematic process within the context of teaching English language arts, as it provides teachers additional tools for communicating information, and students with additional opportunities and means to receive information and communicate back; simultaneously aiding in the acquisition and development of technological skills, which are becoming increasing vital to American society.

3. How much of what you know is dependent on the way you learned your subject (s)?

Much, if not all, of what I know about my subject area is directly related to and dependent upon the ways in which I learned content related to my subject. It should be noted however, that my learning can not be attributed to a single academic method. I remember the endless drills and repetition which characterized my grade school years and I remember how much I dreaded them. I also remember the feeling of empowerment related to discussing engaging aspects of literature in high school as well as an Anatomy/Physiology teacher making endless fun of me for doing better without notes than with them (I’m an auditory learner and had trouble learning to focus on what was being said, while hampered by the expectation of taking notes during lectures). Then there was also a great deal of disappointment in college as I learned that doing well in a class often had significantly more to do with presenting information and thought processes a professor was interested in and less with presenting my own immediate ideas or thought processes. Ultimately however, good strategies and bad, the various ways in which I’ve been taught my subject area through the years have collectively worked to make me a better learner of my subject area. While I do not plan to rely heavily on methods or strategies, which did not help my own learning process, I am well aware that those same means might effectively help others. I plan to individualize instruction as much as I can, by meeting the learning styles and engaging the interest areas of my students. The role of technology is essential in this process as it provides both a means by which to engage and accommodate students and a medium with which to elicit multiple forms of student response.

4. Do you think in terms of your content by the chapters in a textbook or do you think in terms of your content as an integrated whole?

I think of my content as an integrated whole. As stated in the first response, English language arts can be broken into component parts, but these parts are still interdependent components of a whole. A textbook can present a method of progression from one subtopic to the next, and might be effectively applied to the content area as such, but a difficulty arises in the fact that most components of literature, composition, and speech -or listening and media literacy by extension- do not, or cannot realistically exist in isolation of other components. For example, a student might be directed to identify the use of imagery within a specific passage, but the significant presence of grammar is as likely to be there and be noticed, as are a multitude of other devices and structures. Likewise, a student might be instructed to read or write a paragraph with specific attention paid to characterization, but how might he or she do so without also considering other components, like setting or plot? The application of technology likewise cannot be deconstructed reasonably in this process. For example, while a student might use MS Word to write a paper, that paper is not just a representation of the student’s ability to use an application, but rather an integrated effort consisting of several learning domains to create a single product. English can be broken into parts, but I believe it is more effectively taught and learned holistically.

5. Does your knowledge of this discipline represent an integration of the concepts and processes that connect them?

I think that any person’s knowledge of any discipline represents an integration of the concepts and processes that connect them, or at least of the concepts and processes perceived by that person to connect them. Effective teachers should be knowledgeable about their subject discipline, and be knowledgeable significantly beyond the level of the content disseminated by them. This by itself is not enough however, teachers must take a step further and incorporate strategies related to content pedagogy; teaching is not merely about the subject, but about the art of teaching that subject as well. In using technology to teach content, a teacher should be comfortable and well versed in the use of that technology. Ultimately the teacher's content knowledge, paired with his or her pedagogical skills and methods collectively affirm or impede the teacher's effectiveness.