Background:
The importance of content knowledge for proficiency in teaching practices
is well documented. Research suggests that more content knowledge is
always better (Borko et al., 1992; Grossman, Wilson, & Shulman, 1989;
Shulman, 1986a, 1986b). But is this statement completely unimpeachable?
Are there drawbacks for teaching that are specifically due to subject
matter expertise? In previous work, Nathan and colleagues have drawn
upon a variety of sources including historical events, analyses of textbooks,
and empirical studies of teacher beliefs and decision making to show
evidence for expert blind spot. Expert blind spot is defined as the
inability to perceive the difficulties that novices will experience
as they approach a new domain of knowledge that arises as a consequence
of well-developed subject matter knowledge. In education it is evidenced
by the tendency for educators who are also content area experts (i.e.
UTeach- Natural Science pre service teachers) to perceive the organization
of the domain of study as the central organizing structure for their
students' learning experiences, rather than to base instruction on students'
actual knowledge and developmental processes.
Purpose:
The current proposal has three purposes. First, we seek to add to our
understanding of the role of knowledge in teacher planning and practice.
Second, we seek to identify the proper place of psychological constructs
and methods for studying expertise within research on teaching. Finally,
we seek to raise the awareness of the educational community about an
issue that appears to have profound consequences for teacher education
and the study of teaching and teacher cognition. In the work Nathan
and I have done to date, we do not contend that content knowledge is
bad for teaching - on the contrary, it is clearly crucial. Rather, we
have gathered evidence suggesting that advanced subject matter knowledge
without concomitant knowledge of how novices actually learn within a
content area can lead to views of instruction that align more closely
with the organization favored by the subject-matter experts than the
learning needs of students.
Activity:
To
date, Nathan and Petrosino have collected surveys and interviews of
pre and in service teachers in a variety of content areas (English,
mathematics, science) and from a variety of places (Colorado, Tennessee,
New Jersey, Texas). This information has been analyzed and written for
conference proceedings (specifically the American Educational Research
Association meeting for 2002). During the summer of 2002 and early fall
of 2002, we will collect additional data as per advice from reviewers.
Petrosino will travel to Boulder where he will collaborate with Nathan
and Shepard in analyzing the most recent data collected during the previous
semester. We intend to utilize the BIG XII Faculty Fellowship Program
to allow the two of us to have a significant block of time to produce
a manuscript for a top ranked peer reviewed journal on the topic of
expert blind spot. Petrosino has previously incorporated the concept
and application of expert blind spot into his teaching at both the graduate
level (EDC 385G Knowing and Learning in Mathematics and Science) as
well as the undergraduate level UTeach-Natural Science (EDC 371). The
current proposal will assist Petrosino in incorporating these findings
into his teaching as well as his extend his research and publication
record.