Developing pedagogical content knowledge of science teachers through action research: A case study from Pakistan

As a teacher educator I have taught M.Ed. students how to use innovative approaches of teaching science and also tried to document the process (Halai, 2006b). However, after this analysis it is clear that the science teachers who undertake action research have a far deeper, reflective and reflexive understanding of their teaching as compared to science teachers who do a practicum after observing their methods tutors and planning a lesson with their support. In fact teacher researchers discounted some of their key accomplishments. Khan is a product of the Pakistani system of education where his science knowledge was based on rote memorization. Yet he was able to convert that knowledge into a “different format” to help him to use the innovative pedagogy. This science knowledge did not remain compartmentalized into the three major subject areas (physics, chemistry and biology) and in fact crossed boundaries into mathematics, social studies and humanities. His own reflections remained focused on the technical aspects of the teaching science and conducting research. AKU-IED and other teaching institutions which in future will have to teach teachers to research their own practice should seriously consider offering support to schools for their teachers such as Khan and others like him who are back in schools to continue this process of researching their practice both individually and collaboratively.

Any reform effort in teaching science (or any other subject) has to be harmonized with modes of assessment. Khan initially faced resistance to inquiry methods of teaching particularly in higher grades from pupils who were aware that in the final analysis their scores in the final external assessment were more important than the critical and analytical thinking skills and an understanding of science that these pedagogies inculcate. All effort to change the archaic system of assessment and the corruption in the system of conducting and scoring answer scripts needs to be made before the reform efforts can take root.

Khan’s experience demonstrate that the hierarchy between the three major domains of teacher knowledge undergo some change; the teachers learnt much more within the domain of pedagogical content knowledge but it appears that the domains of general pedagogical knowledge and subject knowledge also undergoes development and change. In other words the hierarchy visible in the models presented by Grossman (1990) and Carlsen (1999) was only partially visible in this case.