For teachers to be successful in their teaching, teachers need to have pedagogical content knowledge of the subject that are teaching (Gess-Newsome, Lederman & Association for the Education of Teachers in Science, 2001). According to study done by Shulman’s teachers need to have deep understanding of the subject matter that they teach their students and these knowledge are divided into two categories; structure of knowledge and practical knowledge. Structure knowledge includes both the principals and theories of a particular subject. While on the other hand, practical knowledge involves the calculation and the composition that constitute a certain discipline. Both of this knowledge is important and necessary if a content teacher aims to be successful; it is the basic principle.
There is a periodic table that a teacher should use so as to ensure that they are ready for teaching lesson. This enables the teacher to ensure that what they teach in class is a subject that they understand and can be able to teach the students. The cycle consists of comprehension; teachers should be able to comprehend what they teach their students. Transformation; the lesson or subject they teach should transform students, from a certain angle of thinking to a new concept all together. Instructions; the teachers give the students instructions that are clear, and something that students understand. Evaluation; teachers should have the subject matter evaluated and cleared out before presenting into the students. Reflection; teachers should reflect on how they will give their presentation in class. Finally, in the cycle there is a new comprehension; teachers should be certain, and clear of the new comprehension that they want the students to comprehend. These are the similarities of different discipline when it comes to teaching. The other similarity is memorizing, very discipline require students to be able to memorize to some extent (Stringer, Christensen & Baldwin, 2010).
Despite the similarity, there are also differences, for example, mathematics requires abstract thinking, and logic visualization, that is in addition to memorizing. It requires one to be fast and alert either if they are teaching or studying. English require one to be fast in interpretation, and understanding. With English, one should be able to fill in blanks and ensure that everything fits in. On the other hand, history requires one to have a grasping mind and always alert. One should be on point and have a clear head when teaching. Finally, sciences require one to be hypothetic and be able to predict the end solution. Observation is also important as one is not require making a guess.
References
Gess-Newsome, J., Lederman, N. G., & Association for the Education of Teachers in Science.
(2001). Examining pedagogical content knowledge: The construct and its implications for science education. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic.
Ryan, K., & Cooper, J. M. (2013). Those who can, teach. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
Stringer, E. T., Christensen, L. M. F., & Baldwin, S. C. (2010). Integrating teaching, learning,
and action research: Enhancing instruction in the K-12 classroom. Thousand Oaks, Calif: Sage.
