Paul Hernandez stands at the front of his classroom and smiles ...

[shofmannx20]

Paul Hernandez stands at the front of his classroom and smiles broadly as his seventh graders stroll in for their first meeting. This is the day he's been waiting for, and he feels ready. He is confident that his double major in history and geography will make him a stellar teacher. He feels especially lucky in that he's obtained an emergency certificate and hasn't been forced to waste time in teacher education classes.
  Which type of professional knowledge is Paul most likely to have? Explain.
 
  What will be an ideal response?

Question 2

Describe and provide an example of each of the kinds of knowledge professional teachers possess.
 
  What will be an ideal response?

[kmb352]

Answer to Question 1

Paul's having a double major in history and geography suggests that his knowledge of content should be deep. No evidence exists in the vignette to suggest that he possesses pedagogical content knowledge, general pedagogical knowledge, or knowledge of learners and learning.

Answer to Question 2

Professional knowledge includes, in addition to knowledge of content, pedagogical content knowledge, the ability to represent content in a way that is meaningful to students, general pedagogical knowledge, such as questioning and classroom management, and knowledge of learners and learning, such as knowing that learners' thinking tends to be concrete.