Towards a new vision of PCK for science teaching for the twenty-first century: knowing that, knowing how and knowing why

This paper argues that current approaches to developing Shulman’s valuable concept of Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) have been too generic. Yet, one of Shulman’s motivations for introducing PCK was to acknowledge the specific, distinctive body of professional knowledge required for teaching. Defining the detail to date has been seen as a task for empirical research into teacher knowledge. In contrast, we argue that to realise Shulman’s goal the concept of PCK the knowledge and practices required for teaching science must be identified and elaborated by drawing on the large extant body of educational research and scholarship. To this end, the professional education of science teachers in the twenty-first century requires the field to define in substantive detail three specific elements of teachers’ professional knowledge: knowing what professional knowledge is (knowing that), knowing how that knowledge might be used, and knowing why its use might be justified. This would have three beneficial outcomes. First, PCK components would be defined based on an agreed body of knowledge and practices. Second, communication and comparability across educational settings would be facilitated. Third, evaluation of teacher competency at novice, competent and mastery levels would be made possible.