Developing Subject Knowledge

This module is part of the Teaching & Learning Skils Development course. Each module comprises a short introduction to key skills.  Teachers are challenged to implement these skils over the duration of a month and reflect on their progress toward outstanding provision. 

30 Day Challenge

To implement your new learning and support your journey toward becoming a master teacher the following skills, which demonstrate this module’s outcomes, should be practiced over the next 30 days

Where possible, find a colleague who you know is highly skilled in this area.

Shadow them and learn from them. Ask them to support you by observing you put these new skills into action.

Prepare a learning audit

The first step to developing your subject knowledge is to ascertain what you know and what you don’t. Do you know the curriculum of the said subject? What are the topics therein? These and many other questions you should ask yourself to ascertain your level of exposure to the subject. A regular learning audit allows you to pinpoint lapses in your knowledge. So you can use the right development program. It also provides clarity and boosts confidence; you will know your strengths and weaknesses. 

Prepare a learning audit

The first step to developing your subject knowledge is to ascertain what you know and what you don’t. Do you know the curriculum of the said subject? What are the topics therein? These and many other questions you should ask yourself to ascertain your level of exposure to the subject. A regular learning audit allows you to pinpoint lapses in your knowledge. So you can use the right development program. It also provides clarity and boosts confidence; you will know your strengths and weaknesses.

Periodically check the national curriculum

Checking the national curriculum will give you an overview of your subject area, its learning phases, aims, and duration of teaching. It will also help you identify changes earlier and know how to switch without disrupting teaching and learning. 

 

Read constantly

One of the ways of gaining and developing knowledge about a concept is by reading regularly. Regular quality reading of subject-based texts will help you stay up-to-date and also improve your communication skills. When you can read and understand the subject, then you can teach others comfortably. Follow up on new texts and revised editions introduced for the subject to ensure your “knowledge bank” never goes empty.

Besides reading, you can listen to podcasts on the subject during your leisure to help you develop intrinsic motivation for the subject.

Take the exam yourself

After reading, you can test your knowledge capacity with a mock exam, highlighting those areas you studied. This will help you know the obstacles your students could face while learning the subject or concept and ascertain how much you know about the subject.

Join a subject-based association

To further help you develop your subject knowledge, consider joining a subject-based association or group and talk to other teachers who are experts in specific areas. Sharing knowledge, having random conversations with people who have similar goals will boost your knowledge for the subject.  You can also find many subject-based communities on social media platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, Telegram, etc.  

Example: You can check out the National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics (NCETM). They provide self-evaluation tools in both subject content and pedagogy.