2.Content Area and Pedagogical Knowledge

The competent teacher has in-depth understanding of content area knowledge that includes central concepts, methods of inquiry, structures of the disciplines, and content area literacy. The teacher creates meaningful learning experiences for each student based upon interactions among content area and pedagogical knowledge, and evidence-based practice. 

The first artifact you are viewing is a Literacy in the Disciplines paper in which I go over "How We Read and How Can We Teach Through the English Discipline."

"How We Read and How Can We Teach Through the English Discipline"

The purpose of this artifact will be looking into the ways in which individuals within the English discipline read differently than those who are in other fields. By examining the ways that we read as well as contrasting those methods of others, we will also be able to explore how we can provide instruction for students about how to read in the English field. This artifact demonstrates my knowledge of my content area and my pedagogy by addressing Illinois Professional Teaching Standard 2C, "understands the cognitive processes associated with various kinds of learning (e.g., critical and creative thinking, problem-structuring and problem-solving, invention, memorization, and recall) and ensures attention to these learning processes so that students can master content standards;". This paper has explored ways in which teachers can become better equipped for teaching in the English discipline. It has touched base on how we can motivate students to want to read and learn and the methods that begin to aid that process. Curriculum integration and using relatable materials are just some of the very many ways we can accomplish being better educators, not only for ourselves, but definitely the students that come into our classrooms everyday.  

The second artifact you are viewing is from a class called Ancient and Medieval Literature which was taken in the Spring of 2019. In this class, I wrote an essay arguing if Dido, from the Aeneid, is going mad or simply experiencing the various stages of grief and how it led to her demise. This artifact is reflective of my content knowledge, in which Illinois Professional Teaching Standard 2K, "engages students in the processes of critical thinking and inquiry and addresses standards of evidence of the disciplines;". This standard is being addressed in this paper due to the fact that I am showcasing critical thinking, inquiring the death of Dido, and applying evidence of her behaviors as a demonstration of standard 2K. This theory of Dido opens that door for debate with students as they consider how life is impactful to the character's actions.