Is Teacher s Knowledge a Special Kind of Knowledge?A Theoretical View on the Subject Matter Knowledge Needed for Teaching

Without doubt, teaching a subject matter requires an understanding of the subject matter. However, it is also well known that simply knowing the subject is not sufficient for teaching it. This leads to a question: what kind of knowledge is teacher s knowledge? In this paper, I examine subject matter knowledge needed for teaching from a theoretical point of view. Drawing from the work of influential scholars, I explain the constructs of pedagogical content knowledge and technological pedagogical content knowledge, its counterpart in educational technology. I discuss what these ideas mean for teacher education.