Estimated time required to complete module: 20 h

4.1. Overview

4.2. Planning, timetabling, preparation, strategies

4.3. Problem solving, classroom management

4.4. Implementation, assessment, points of view and reflection

Pedagogical knowledge practices - Remember content knowledge

Before we move on to UNIT 4.3 (Problem-solving and classroom management), let’s pause to reflect again on the central role of Content Knowledge.

The apparent lack of student teachers’ subject content knowledge may be one of the more challenging facets of mentoring. As much as it is not your responsibility to ‘teach’ the content, it is your responsibility to guide the student teachers on where to locate information.  Ultimately, all teachers are engaged in never-ending research.

Read the following as background:

Department of Basic Education, 2013. General Education System Quality Assessment: Country South Africa.

Spaull, N., 2013. It's the teachers' lack of subject knowledge, stupid. Times Live, 22 August.
  • Emphasise that it is the student teacher’s responsibility to engage in and source appropriate content knowledge.
  • Explain that content knowledge has key concepts for learners to explore and understand.
  • Question the student teacher about knowledge for planning, implementation and assessment to determine how to assist in developing content knowledge.
  • Outline the system requirements and guidelines for ensuring purposeful content knowledge for teaching. (Refer back to the CAPS document.)
  • Often the use of past exam papers provides guidance for focus.
  • Share your teaching content knowledge and outline specific knowledge required to teach particular lessons.
  • Allow the student teacher to observe your teaching of the content before teaching it to another class.
  • Engage in collaborative teaching. Plan together and team teach.
  • It is important that the student teacher understands how their teaching of a particular grade influences the overall aim and how this is affected by teaching in other grades.

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