A Thorough Review of Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) in TOBACCO Framework

Abstract

Pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) has been given a lot of attention in the academic field in recent years, in particular in studies of teacher cognition and teacher knowledge. It was first put forward by Shulman as part of the knowledge base required of teachers for teaching, and has provided a crucial way of thinking for many scholars when conducting deeper study into the relationship between teachers and teaching. Therefore, more empirical studies in various contexts have been encouraged to understand teachers’ PCK and to offer suggestions for teacher education. Shulman also argued that PCK is the special mixture of content and pedagogy that represents teachers’ personal understanding of the profession, and that teachers’ teaching competence enables them to transform content knowledge into specific teaching methods for students from various backgrounds at different levels; however, he did not explain how this transformation happens. Thus, based on this research gap, the current review brought together the following key fields: teacher cognition, teacher knowledge including PCK, and teacher education and development. It argues that teachers’ pedagogical knowledge intersects content knowledge from five different perspectives: teachers’ views on knowledge base, language, learning, teaching, and reflection (TOBACCO framework) and proffers suggestions for English-language teacher education and development in China.