TPCK - Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge

From TPCK

What is TPCK?

Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPCK) attempts to capture some of the essential qualities of knowledge required by teachers for technology integration in their teaching, while addressing the complex, multifaceted and situated nature of teacher knowledge. At the heart of the TPCK framework, is the complex interplay of three primary forms of knowledge: Content (CK), Pedagogy (PK), and Technology (TK). See Figure above. As must be clear, the TPCK framework builds on Shulman's idea of Pedagogical Content Knowledge.

The TPCK approach goes beyond seeing these three knowledge bases in isoloation. On the other hand, it emphasizes the new kinds of knowledge that lie at the intersections between them. Considering P and C together we get Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK), Shulman’s idea of knowledge of pedagogy that is applicable to the teaching of specific content. Similarly, considering T and C taken together, we get Technological Content Knowledge (TCK), the knowledge of the relationship between technology and content. At the intersection of T and P, is Technological Pedagogical Knowledge (TPK), which emphasizes the existence, components and capabilities of various technologies as they are used in the settings of teaching and learning.

Finally, at the intersection of all three elements is Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPCK). True technology integration is understanding and negotiating the relationships between these three components of knowledge. A teacher capable of negotiating these relationships represents a form of expertise different from, and greater than, the knowledge of a disciplinary expert (say a mathematician or a historian), a technology expert (a computer scientist) and a pedagogical expert (an experienced educator). Effective technology integration for pedagogy around specific subject matter requires developing sensitivity to the dynamic, [transactional] relationship between all three components.

History of TPCK

TPCK is not a brand new idea. A range of other scholars have argued that that knowledge about technology cannot be treated as context-free, and that good teaching requires an understanding of how technology relates to the pedagogy and content. The TPCK framework is gaining popularity amongst researchers and scholars. This makes tracking the progress of TPCK difficult but here is a relatively comprehensive list of References to TPCK in the research literature (going back to 1998). The definative description of TPCK can be found in Mishra & Koehler, 2006 (PDF download) and Koehler & Mishra, in press). If you have any other references to add to this please send an email to punya@msu.edu.

The TPCK framework represented here is the result of an on-going design experiment being conducted by Matt Koehler & Punya Mishra and has involved many other people as well (co-conspirators include Kathryn Hershey, Lisa Peruski, Aman Yadav, Kurnia Yahya, and Yong Zhao).

--- This Wiki is maintained by Matthew Koehler (homepage | email) and Punya Mishra (homepage] | email)