Primary Subject Knowledge: Where To Go?

Primary Subject Knowledge: Where To Go?

Where should you go for your subject knowledge?

The internet is a place of wealth of information but where should you go for your subject knowledge? I can remember when I watched a lot of You Tube videos and read up from articles online; this was all good however the problem was that my information was more specific for the American students and teachers. We, in the U.K. do use the word ‘and’ when reading numbers. However in the U.S. they don’t. During my lesson observation I specifically told a child ‘and’ is not a number when reading large numbers and you’ve guessed it, my observers picked up on it. So where should you go to certain your subject knowledge?

Best places to secure your subject knowledge from

  1. https://www.tes.com/uk/
  2. http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130401151715/http://www.education.gov.uk/publications/eOrderingDownload/DFES0110200MIG2122.pdf
  3. Books: Primary English/Maths (Developing Subject Knowledge series).
  4. Experienced teachers/co-ordinators/school improvement officers.

Observing learning

“114. When inspectors observe teaching, they observe pupils’ learning. Good teaching, which includes high levels of expertise and subject knowledge, with the expectation that pupils will achieve well, enables pupils to acquire knowledge, deepen their understanding, and develop and consolidate skills.” OFSTED 2013

‘To teach all students according to today’s standards, teachers need to understand subject matter deeply and flexibly so they can help students create useful cognitive maps, relate one idea to another, and address misconceptions. Teachers need to see how ideas connect across fields and to everyday life. This kind of understanding provides a foundation for pedagogical content knowledge that enables teachers to make ideas accessible to others.’ (Shulman, 1987 in Teacher Knowledge & Behavior).

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