Delaware Professional Teaching Standards 3.0 Content Knowledge 4.0

Delaware Professional Teaching Standards 3.0 Content Knowledge 4.0 Human Development and Learning 5.0 Diverse Learners 6.0 Communication 7.0 Learning Environment 8.0 Planning for Instruction 9.0 Instructional Strategies 10.0 Assessment 11.0 Professional Growth 12.0 Professional Relationships 13.0 Educational Technology 14.0 Professional Conduct If you ask people where “curriculum” is addressed in these standards, I expect most would point to the “Content Knowledge” standard. This reflects widespread notions of the meaning of “curriculum.”

3.0 Content Knowledge: The teacher understands the core concepts and structure(s) of the discipline(s) and their related content standards and creates learning experiences that make the content meaningful to students. The “Content Knowledge” standard is based on a “structures of the disciplines” approach.

2.0 Definitions: “Disciplines” means academic disciplines which include the arts, humanities, languages, mathematics, and natural and social sciences that provide the basis of the subjects taught in schools. “Structures” means the structures of disciplines which provide the overall framework which both connects and transcends the skills and content of the discipline. The big picture or outline of the discipline helps students understand the commonalties and the interrelationships of concepts within a discipline. An understanding of the structure of a discipline allows students to see connections as they acquire new knowledge. Key terms are defined within the standards.

“Content Knowledge” components/indicators 3.0 Content Knowledge 3.1 Knowledge Components 3.1.1 Understands major concepts, principles, and theories that are central to the discipline 3.1.2 Understands the dynamic and complex nature of the content of the discipline 3.1.3 Understands the processes of inquiry central to the discipline 3.1.4 Understands the relationship of knowledge within the discipline to other content areas and to life applications 3.2 Performance Indicators 3.2.1 Uses a variety of explanations and multiple representations of concepts to help develop conceptual understanding [“Pedagogical Content Knowledge”] 3.2.2 Anticipates and adjusts for common misunderstandings that impede learning within the discipline 3.2.3 Engages students in generating and testing knowledge according to the processes of inquiry of the discipline 3.2.4 Creates learning experiences that make connections to other content areas and to life experiences The “Content Knowledge” standard (like the other standards) is further defined in terms of “knowledge components” and “performance indicators.”

Standards 4-14 4.0 Human Development and Learning 5.0 Diverse Learners 6.0 Communication 7.0 Learning Environment 8.0 Planning for Instruction 9.0 Instructional Strategies 10.0 Assessment 11.0 Professional Growth 12.0 Professional Relationships 13.0 Educational Technology 14.0 Professional Conduct If there are things outside of the “content knowledge” standard that need to be taken into account as essential elements within the practice of curriculum, is this taken care of by the likelihood that those things can be found somewhere else within the standards?