Eliciting Elementary Teachers’ PCK for the Small Particle Model - Presented at the NARST Annual International Meeting - April 2017

Oct 15, 2026

The paper investigates how to elicit and conceptualize pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) for an elementary science topic: the Small Particle Model (SPM) in the Next Generation Science Standards. It frames PCK as a special amalgam of content and pedagogy and distinguishes topic-specific PCK, emphasizing both instructional strategies and patterns of student thinking. The study develops a personal–canonical PCK synergy and highlights that PCK varies in quality, including risks of incorrect science content.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages20

Reading Time50 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) and its facets

Topic-specific PCK: instructional strategies and student thinking

Personal vs. canonical PCK synergy

Quality dimension of PCK

Eliciting Elementary Teachers’ PCK for the Small Particle Model P. Sean Smith Courtney L. Plumley Meredith L. Hayes Presented at the NARST Annual International Meeting April 2017 San Antonio, TX This research was supported by National Science Foundation Grant DRL-1417838. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to P. Sean Smith, Horizon Research, Inc., 326 Cloister Court, Chapel Hill, NC 27514. E-mail: [ssmith62@horizon-research.com](ssmith62@horizon-research.com). INTRODUCTION The construct of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) is 30 years old and has an extensive literature on its many facets, including how it is defined, developed, elicited, assessed, and measured. Rather than review this literature comprehensively, we begin by using selected pieces to establish our orientation toward PCK. Shulman described PCK as “that special amalgam of content and pedagogy that is uniquely the province of teachers…”(Shulman, 1987, p. 8) . The word “amalgam” has important implications—among them, both content knowledge and pedagogical knowledge are necessary for PCK; neither is sufficient. Our particular orientation toward PCK aligns with that of others who argue that the content dimension is not just domain specific but topic specific as well (e.g., Gess-Newsome, 2015; Veal & MaKinster, 1999)—e.g., PCK exists for science, for chemistry, and for the topic of equilibrium within chemistry. Our work focuses exclusively on topicspecific PCK. In this paper, we describe our work on one fifth-grade topic (or disciplinary core idea) in the Next Generation Science Standards ([NGSS] NGSS Lead States, 2013): the Small Particle Model of Matter 1, which we refer to as SPM throughout this paper. It is important to point out that SPM has not been included in upper elementary grades historically. Predecessors to the NGSS—Benchmarks for Science Literacy (American Association for the Advancement of Science, 1993) and the National Science Education Standards (National Research Council, 1996)—did not introduce the particle model until the middle grades or later. In attempts to parse the construct of PCK, several researchers have proposed categories. Magnusson, Krajcik, and Borko (1999) proposed four categories, which have been widely used: 􀂷 Knowledge of science curricula; 􀂷 Knowledge of students’ understanding of science; 􀂷 Knowledge of instructional strategies; and 􀂷 Knowledge of assessment of scientific literacy. All researchers seem to agree on two broad categories of topic-specific PCK: knowledge of instructional strategies and knowledge of patterns of student thinking. The former may include laboratory activities, simulations, and ways to elicit student thinking, among others. The latter 1 Using NGSS notation, the topic corresponds to DCI 5-PS1 .A. It states: “Matter of any type can be subdivided into particles that are too small to see, but even then the matter still exists and can be detected by other means. A model that shows gases are made from matter particles that are too small to see and that are moving freely around in space can explain many observations, including the inflation and shape of a balloon and the effects of air on larger particles or objects.” Eliciting Teachers’ PCK for SPM 1 Smith, Plumley, & Hayes; Horizon Research, Inc. includes prominent misconceptions2 and learning progressions. We have found these two broad categories particularly helpful in our own work, as have others (e.g., Alonzo & Kim, 2016) . Shulman’s original conception of PCK clearly describes knowledge that resides in teachers, what some researchers refer to as personal PCK (e.g., Gess-Newsome, 2015) . A critical feature of our orientation is the assertion that PCK can exist external to teachers, available to all in th

FAQs

What is the Small Particle Model (SPM) discussed in the paper?

SPM is a five-grade topic (disciplinary core idea) in the Next Generation Science Standards describing matter as subdivided into very small particles that explain observations such as gas behavior, balloon effects, and air impacts.

How does the paper define pedagogical content knowledge (PCK)?

PCK is presented as the special amalgam of content knowledge and pedagogy that is uniquely the province of teachers, including how knowledge is organized and enacted for instruction.

What two broad categories of topic-specific PCK does the paper emphasize?

The paper emphasizes knowledge of instructional strategies and knowledge of patterns of student thinking, including misconceptions and learning progressions.

Oct 15, 2026

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