TPACK Framework Introduction:
What is it?
The TPACK framework stands for Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge. It is comprised of three domains which are illustrated using circles that individually by themselves display a knowledge area. When the circles overlap, the areas come together to form a ‘sweet spot’ that allows teachers to effectively engage and teach students using technology.
Technological Knowledge (TK): This is how technology is being used to help assist students. The teacher knows about the technology and is using it as a tool or resource.
Content Knowledge (CK): This is what the teacher knows. It is the knowledge they have about a subject they are teaching. If the Civil War is the subject content being taught then the teacher should know about the Civil War.
Pedagogy Knowledge (PK): This is the teaching methods, instructional strategies, and assessments that teachers use to help students learn. Some examples are think-pair-share, small group, whole class activities, modeling, etc.
How do they overlap? The 'sweet spot'
Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK): This is the knowledge that you have of how to effectively engage students in learning concepts and skills to better help them learn.
Technological Content Knowledge (TCK): The teacher takes their technology knowledge and applies it to what is being taught to help students better understand the concept being taught.
Technological Pedagogical Knowledge (TPK): This is when teachers learn how to use digital tools as an aid to achieve learning. Teachers will find that technology tools can change the way a lesson is taught.
Photo credit: mheducation
Self-evaluation of Framework:
When I started skimming over this next blog post I felt a little overwhelmed with all the frameworks because I had never heard of these before. After watching the videos, reading and researching each one I tried to figure out which one would be the most beneficial to my career. I picked the TPACK because I found it to be something that would benefit not only me, but my future students in special education. I found the TPACK to be very inclusive and the use of technology to be engaging for students. I would say that I fall into the beginning stages of this framework. TPACK framework is something new to me. I hope with time and trial and error I can progress to becoming proficient using this framework. I can see it being beneficial to my students as well as my self and something easy to incorporate into future lessons.
(Information in this blog is modified from tpack.org and mheducation. Please click the links to learn more about TPACK.)
Hi Ashley,
ReplyDeleteI think you did a great job summarizing the TPACK model in an easy to understand way. I really appreciate the color-coding! :) I like this model because of its visual aspect. Reading about it can be kind of confusing, but when I can look at it drawn out, like in the visual you chose, I can focus on each piece of the circles and think about how the content, technology, and pedagogy of my lesson connect and fit together.
I agree that these frameworks/models can be a little bit overwhelming. I sometimes find myself feeling like if my lesson doesn’t land in the “sweet spot,” or wherever the framework/model says it should be, it’s not good enough. I have to remind myself that’s not really true. I compare it to the popular Danielson educator evaluation rubric where I’ve been told that most educators “visit” the Distinguished category, but they don’t “live” there. It’s ok to view the lesson/technology evaluation rubrics in the same way.
I’m sure as you get more experience planning lessons and thinking in this way, using the TPACK model to evaluate your lessons will become super quick and easy. Since you feel you are a beginner at the moment, is there a particular part of the model that you want to focus on first?
Thanks for sharing!
- Allison
Ashley -
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your perspectives on TPACK. I also dove into this framework this week and I so I noticed that we chose to focus on self-evaluation via the framework in different ways, which is so interesting to me. Where you looked at the framework over stages, I evaluated myself in each domain and tried to quantify how close to the "sweet spot" I was getting in my typical lesson plan. Did you feel like there was one domain that was dominant in your skillset, or perhaps one that needed the most development? Are there certain lessons that you think might hit the "sweet spot" with less tech than others?
Thanks again for sharing.
-Dom
My question echo's Dom's (he beat me to it!). Is there one or two areas that you feel you have mastered (pedagogy, technology, or content)? It's ok if you don't- none of us has all three mastered all the time! However, understanding which of the three is the weakest can help you strengthen that area and become more cognizant of it.
ReplyDelete