PCK Grain Size in the 21st Century

Abstract

Pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) is specific to a given discipline, such as science. For example, the knowledge that a physics teacher has is different than the knowledge that a chemistry teacher has. This concept was refined with the introduction of different grain sizes of PCK that include domain-specific and topic-specific PCK. However, as was discussed during the 2024 Lorentz workshop on 21st-century science education, science teaching, learning, and understanding are becoming focused on broader issues that require knowledge and understanding outside of traditional disciplines. Furthermore, the focus on 21st-century skills (e.g., digital literacy, critical thinking, creativity, and collaboration and communication) necessitates students adapting to how they learn and embracing inter- and transdisciplinary approaches to solving societal issues. The new skills and nature of scientific knowledge will impact the PCK of 21st-century science teachers in that science teachers must be prepared to adapt their discipline-specific content knowledge and teaching methods to include inter- and transdisciplinary approaches. The purpose of this paper is to present toy cases as a tool to illustrate the impact of inter- and transdisciplinary science education on teachers’ PCK, to address 21st-century skills, and to refine the grain size approach to PCK.