Combining Pedagogy, Content and Technology: TPACK!

In earlier blogs, I talked about different pedagogies en technologies. They all were going about how teachers can teach their students in the best way. For good teaching, it is necessary that teachers think about the pedagogical approach with which the students will learn the most of the course. Different kind of technologies can be used for teaching in the best way. So the teacher should have knowledge about the technologies that can be used. What are the affordances, what are the constraints? There is one thing I didn’t discuss earlier. That’s the knowledge about the subject matter. The teacher should have knowledge about the content of the course.

So, there are three elements of whom the teacher need to have knowlegde from technology, pedagogy and content. But having knowledge of the three elements alone, is not enough. Every teacher know that the pedagogy and the content are related to eachother. For different kind of content, different kind of pedagogical approaches can be used. The teacher must think about which approach will serve teaching a specific content the most. Also in reverse, a specific pedagogical approach will learn the student different content. By example, when the teacher uses cooperative learning, the students will learn to work together. When the same lesson is given in a traditional face-to-face approach, the student won’t learn to work together, but maybe will learn more facts. So, content and pedagogy influence eachother and the teacher needs to know what the effects are of the content and the approaches.The same is going for the technological knowledge. The used technology influence and will be influence both the pedagogy and the content. Using technology gives opportunities for the pedagogical approach. The use of a Nintendo DS by example, gives the teacher other opportunities than the use of paper and pencil. And by using the internet, other things have to be learned to the students than without the use if internet. 

Fig. 1. TPACK (Koehler & Mishra, 2009)

 

These interactions are part of the TPACK-model. In this model, a picture is showed below, the three elements of technological knowledge (TK), pedagogical  knowledge (PK) and content knowledge (CK) are interrelated. Every element has a combined area with the other elements. Those are called the Technical Pedagogical Knowledge (TPK), the Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) and the Technological Content Knowledge (TCK).  In the centre, there is another area, the TPACK. It’s the Technological, Pedagogical and Content Knowledge. In this area, all the three elements are combined. It shows that the elements are interdependant of eachother. Teacher must think about all the three elements and about the interactions of them. When they have knowledge 

about all three and about the interactions, they can set up their courses in the best way, by using the best of the technology for the specific content in the best fitting pedagogical approach (Harris, Mishra & Koehler, 2009). Thereby, they must also think about the context. Every teaching takes place in a context and must fit in that context. What is possible, what not, what is important and what not. It’s all given in the context.

But how can teachers use this model? I think this model is a great help to think about the possibilities of a lesson. By using this model, teachers will become aware of the different elements and the relation between them. Practically, they have to start thinking by one element. But by using this model, they’ll think about the other elements and areas ass well. By thinking about technology in relation to pedagogy and content, they can be very creative. Technologies can be used in different ways. By thinking about them in relation to P and C, they can think about other usabilities of that technology. E.g, a digital camera can be used for remembering your vacation, but it can also be used for looking at the world in a different way. Teachers can be very creative in using things. By thinking of the TPACK, the elements T, P and C won’t be add-ons to eachother, but will be empower eachother and thereby empower the learner and the teacher, because the teacher has to learn about the always changing technology and the use for pedagogy and content... (Harris et al, 2009).

Harris, J., Mishra, P., & Koehler, M. (2009). Teachers' technological pedagogical content knowledge and learning activity types: Curriculum-based technology integration reframed. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 41(4), 393-416.

Koehler, M. J., & Mishra, P. (2009). What is technological pedagogical content knowledge? Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 9(1), 60-70.