Pedagogical content knowledge circa 1907 and 1987: a study in the history of an idea

Since the 1980s in the US, teacher education has undergone consistent scrutiny and faces frequent attack by politicians and policy makers concerned with the quality of education. Responses to these attacks have varied, but most often they have centered on the need to professionalize teaching. Doubts about the value of teacher education have resulted in efforts to make a case for teaching as a unique intellectual enterprise involving special forms of knowledge and skill. The concept of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) has been central to this argument. The author explores PCK against the backdrop of efforts in the early part of the 20th century to professionalize teaching and considers problems with the concept that have limited its influence. (C) 2001 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.