Content+Knowledge

InTASC text: Teachers must have a deep and flexible understanding of their content area(s) and be able to draw upon it as they work with students to access information, apply knowledge in real world settings, and work with meaningful issues. Today’s teachers make content knowledge accessible to students by using multiple means of communication, including digital media and information technology. They integrate cross-disciplinary skills (e.g., critical thinking, problem solving, creativity, communication) to help students use content to propose solutions, forge new understandings, solve problems, and imagine possibilities. Finally, they make content knowledge relevant to students by connecting it to local, state, national, and global issues.
 * Content **

Standard #4: Content Knowledge. The teacher understands the central concepts, tools of inquiry, and structures of the discipline(s) he or she teaches and creates learning experiences that make these aspects of the discipline accessible and meaningful for learners.

Standard #5: Innovative Applications of Content. The teacher understands how to connect concepts and use differing perspectives to engage learners in critical/creative thinking and collaborative problem solving related to authentic local and global issues.

The educator understands the central concepts, tools of inquiry, and structures of the discipline(s) he or she teaches and creates learning experiences that make these aspects of the discipline accessible and meaningful for learners.
 * Standard #4: Content Knowledge**

PERFORMANCES (a) The educator effectively uses multiple representations and explanations of concepts that capture key ideas in the discipline and links them to each learner’s prior understandings. (b) The educator engages learners in learning experiences in the discipline(s) s/he teaches that encourage learners to understand, question, and analyze ideas from diverse perspectives. (c) The educator engages learners in applying methods of inquiry and standards of evidence used in the discipline, including, but not limited to, electronic media. (d) The educator stimulates learner reflection on prior content knowledge, links new concepts to familiar concepts, and makes connections to learners’ experiences. (e) The educator recognizes when learner misconceptions interfere with learning and creates experiences to build conceptual understanding. (f) The educator evaluates and adapts instructional resources and curriculum materials for their comprehensiveness and accuracy for representing particular concepts in the discipline as well as for accessibility and relevance. (g) The educator helps learners to understand and use discipline-specific language meaningfully.

ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE (h) The educator understands major concepts, assumptions, debates, processes of inquiry, and ways of knowing that are central to the discipline(s) s/he teaches. (i) The educator understands how each learner’s prior conceptual understandings and misconceptions can influence his/her learning of the discipline. (j) The educator knows and uses the specific language of his/her discipline and knows how to make it accessible to learners. (k) The educator knows how to integrate culturally relevant content to build on learners’ background knowledge. (l) The educator has a working knowledge of learner content standards in the discipline(s) s/he teaches.

CRITICAL DISPOSITIONS (m) The educator realizes that content knowledge is not a fixed body of facts but is complex, culturally situated, and ever evolving. S/he keeps abreast of new ideas and understandings in the field, as well as new ways of acquiring knowledge in the discipline. (n) The educator appreciates multiple perspectives within the discipline and facilitates learners’ critical analysis of these perspectives. (o) The educator recognizes the potential of bias in his/her representation of the discipline and seeks to appropriately address problems of bias. (p) The educator reaches out to other educators/experts in the field to increase his/her skills and knowledge.

The educator understands how to connect concepts and use differing perspectives to engage learners in critical/creative thinking and collaborative problem solving related to authentic local and global issues.
 * Standard #5: Innovative Applications of Content**

PERFORMANCES a) The educator develops and implements projects that guide learners in analyzing the complexities of an issue or question using perspectives from varied disciplines and cross-disciplinary skills (e.g., a water quality study that draws upon biology and chemistry to look at factual information and social studies to examine policy implications). (b) The educator engages learners in applying disciplinary knowledge to real world problems through the lens of interdisciplinary themes (e.g., financial literacy, environmental literacy). (c) The educator develops and implements relevant learning experiences and authentic assessments incorporating contemporary tools and resources to maximize content learning in varied contexts. (d) The educator engages learners in the kind of questioning and challenging of conventional assumptions and approaches that is critical to fostering innovation, solving global challenges, and assuring a healthy democracy. (e) The educator develops learners’ communication skills in disciplinary and interdisciplinary contexts by creating meaningful opportunities to employ a variety of forms of communication that address varied audiences and purposes. (f) The educator consciously builds learner capacity to collaborate in face-to-face and virtual environments through applying effective interpersonal communication skills. (g) The educator engages learners in generating and evaluating new ideas and novel approaches, seeking inventive solutions to problems, and developing original work. (h) The educator facilitates learners’ ability to develop diverse social and cultural perspectives that expand their understanding of local and global issues and create novel inclusive approaches to solving problems. (i) The educator develops and implements supports for learners’ literacy development as well as the management and organization of their learning across content areas.

ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE (j) The educator understands the ways of knowing in his/her discipline, how it relates to other disciplinary approaches to inquiry, and the strengths and limitations of each approach in addressing problems, issues and concerns. (k) The educator understands how current interdisciplinary themes (e.g., civic literacy, health literacy, global awareness) connect to the core subjects and knows how to weave those themes into meaningful learning experiences. (l) The educator understands the demands of accessing and managing information as well as how to evaluate issues of ethics and quality related to information and its use. (m) The educator understands how to use digital and social media tools for efficiently and effectively achieving specific learning goals. (n) The educator understands critical thinking processes and knows how to help learners develop high level questioning skills to promote their independent learning. (o) The educator understands communication modalities and skills as vehicles for learning (e.g., information gathering and processing) across disciplines as well as vehicles for expressing learning. (p) The educator knows how to engage learners in collaborative learning experiences so that they learn the skills necessary to work effectively in project teams. (q) The educator understands creative thinking processes and how to engage learners in producing original work. (r) The educator knows how to seek information about social and cultural diversity and how to teach learners how to access this information and evaluate its accuracy.

CRITICAL DISPOSITIONS (s) The educator is constantly exploring how to use disciplinary knowledge as a lens to address local and global issues. (t) The educator values knowledge outside his/her own discipline and how such knowledge enhances learning. (u) The educator values and models collaboration as an essential learning strategy. (v) The educator values open and flexible learning environments that encourage learner exploration, discovery, expression, and collaboration. (w) The educator respects diverse social and cultural perspectives and values them as a source for learning.