(Re)Constructing Teacher Knowledge: Old Quests for New Reform

Abstract

In the May 2006 issue of the Journal of Teacher Education, Linda Darling-Hammond tenders an illuminating appraisal of three intersecting categories of knowledge that teachers need in the 21st century: knowledge of learners, knowledge of subject matter, and knowledge of teaching. By no means does this editorial attempt to punch holes into the evidence or rationality of her proposed arguments. We avoid such futility here as the three-grouping framework of teacher knowledge, which was conceived by Shulman (1981, 1986), expounded upon by the National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future (2003), and problematized by Darling-Hammond (2006), unveils an operational clarity for those who appreciate the realms or the “what” of teacher knowledge specifically, and the implications for teacher education more broadly. In advancing this conversation, we extend Darling-Hammond’s discourse on the three areas of teacher knowledge to gain a renewed perspective—considering the burgeoning theories, practices, and research taking place in the field. Darling-Hammond captures the potential of teacher knowledge when she proposes that