General pedagogical knowledge

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Definition
General pedagogical knowledge refers to cross-curricular principles and strategies of classroom management and organization (Guerriero, n.d.). Some models of general pedagogical knowledge link pedagogical and psychological aspects by acknowledging the fact that learning ‘occurs in a social context and learning success depends on the general cognitive and affective characteristics of individual students’ (Guerriero, n.d.: 5).

Models of general pedagogical knowledge usually include the following pedagogical components:

  • knowledge of classroom management and discipline;
  • knowledge of teaching methods or instructional strategies;
  • knowledge of learning environments;
  • knowledge of classroom assessment;
  • structure (lesson planning, learning objectives);
  • adaptivity (adapting to the heterogenous learning within the classroom) (Guerriero, n.d.; Villegas-Reimers, 2003).

In addition to the pedagogical components, the psychological components include:

  • knowledge of learning processes;
  • knowledge of individual student characteristics (cognitive, motivational, and emotional diversity) (Guerriero, n.d.).

References
Guerriero, S. n.d. Teachers’ Pedagogical Knowledge and the Teaching Profession: Background Report and Project Objectives. Paris: OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development). Retrieved from: http://www.oecd.org/education/ceri/Background_document_to_Symposium_ITEL-FINAL.pdf

Villegas-Reimers, E. 2003. Teacher professional development: an international review of the literature. Paris: IIEP-UNESCO. Retrieved from: https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000133010

To explore further
Cooper J.M.; Alvarado A. 2006. Preparation, recruitment and retention of teachers. Paris: IIEP-UNESCO. Retrieved from: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0015/001520/152023e.pdf

Guerriero, S. n.d. Teachers’ Pedagogical Knowledge and the Teaching Profession: Background Report and Project Objectives. Paris: OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development). Retrieved from: http://www.oecd.org/education/ceri/Background_document_to_Symposium_ITEL-FINAL.pdf

Sonmark, K.; Révai, N.; Gottschalk, F.; Deligiannidi, K.; Burns, T. 2017. Understanding teachers’ pedagogical knowledge: report on an international pilot study. Paris: OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development). Retrieved from: https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/docserver/43332ebd-en.pdf?expires=1629909273&id=id&accname=guest&checksum=3630C3DCADBA8D0EFFEFE897FFA8114C

Villegas-Reimers, E. 2003. Teacher professional development: an international review of the literature. Paris: IIEP-UNESCO. Retrieved from: https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000133010