RIE, Bhopal (India)

Teaching is the noblest of all professions. Teaching is a profession and teacher education is a process of professional preparation of teachers. The professional preparation of teachers has been recognized as crucial for the qualitative improvement of education since 1960s (Kothari Commission, 1964-66).

In its early history, teacher education has emphasized on the teacher’s knowledge of subject matter. Critical features of teaching, such as the subject matter being taught, the classroom context, the physical and psychological characteristics of the students were typically ignored in the quest for general principles for effective teaching. Lee S. Shulman first introduced the term pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) a form of practical pedagogical wisdom of able teachers to guide their actions in highly contextualized classroom settings. For Shulman8 pedagogical
content knowledge is the most useful ways of representing and formulating the subject that make it comprehensible to others. Cochran, et al.2 renamed PCK as pedagogical content knowing (PCKg) to acknowledge the dynamic nature of knowledge development and defined pedagogical content knowing as teacher’s integrated understanding of
four components pedagogy, subject matter content, student characteristics, and the environmental context of learning. Magnusson, et al.4 considered PCK as a separate domain of knowledge that is iteratively fueled by knowledge of its component parts: subject matter knowledge, pedagogical knowledge and knowledge of context. Gess-
Newsome and Lederman3 has given the transformative model of pedagogical content knowledge which is considered as the transformation of subject matter, pedagogical and contextual knowledge into a unique form of knowledge that impacts teaching practice. Pedagogical content knowledge includes knowledge of how particular subject matter topics, problems and issues can be organized, represented and adapted to the diverse interest and abilities of learners and then presented for instruction1. Van Driel9 model integrates the effects of external input, collegial interactions, and experimentation in practice on teachers’ PCK through processes of enactment and reflection. Although the term PCK is widely used, the breadth of what the term includes, details of its development has only been thinly developed.
From the viewpoint of teacher preparation PCK development is continual as a result of experience in many classroom settings with many students. The teacher education system through its initial, in-service and continuing professional development programmes is expected to ensure adequate supply of professionally competent teachers to run the nation’s schools (NCFTE, 2009).