Pedagogical Competence

Introduction

Pedagogical competence is the ability of teachers to plan to learn, manage learners in a classroom and evaluate the learners. A qualified teacher has pedagogical competencies. For an appropriate teaching-learning process to occur, the teacher should be able to plan, manage and pose evaluations on learners. Therefore, in education, pedagogical competencies are important.

Philosophy

Philosophy is an important discipline in education. It is a discipline that all teacher trainees take in their training. Philosophy helps teachers understand the meaning of education, its goals, and teaching methods (Amatullah, T., Avanzato, R., Baxter, J., Gibbins, T., Graham, L., Fradkin-Hayslip., A, Siegrist, R., Swantak-Furman, S., Waid, N.,2019). Philosophy is considered an important field of study in the training of teachers as it enables teachers to get a deeper understanding of the teaching-learning process hence relating better with the learners. Metaphysics, epistemology, axiology, and logic are the four core branches of philosophy. Metaphysics is a division of philosophy that questions the existence of the cosmos. It questions things found in the universe; hence the teacher is propelling the teaching-learning process towards answering these questions.

Metaphysics poses learners as inquisitive other than believing everything defined in the universe. Through the questioning of occurrences, new information is gathered as the learners attempt to come up with explanations of the existences. Epistemology is credited for the explanation of how learning takes place. It gives an account of how people get to know what they know and gives four core sources of knowledge, incidents, perception, judgment, and reason. Epistemology is important as it influences the teaching-learning process. Axiology is a division of philosophy attributed to the study of morals and ethics. Ethics question morals and values, while aesthetics examine what is termed as beauty and enjoyment. The knowledge of axiology is about the quality of life. Logic is answerable for the arrangement of reasoning, deductive and inductive reasoning.

The study of the philosophy of education has equipped me to relate better with my learners. It has enabled me to understand the teaching-learning process hence dispensing knowledge in a way that can help me achieve the goals of education.

Content

Content is the core matter in the education process. Content is what is included in the education process. Content is referred to as knowledge unique to the teacher, that is, what the teacher knows about teaching and what they teach (Amatullah et al., 2019). In dispensing knowledge, the teacher needs to understand the content. By understanding content, the teacher can determine if the content is appropriate for the level of learners they are dealing with and ways to transmit the knowledge best based on the learners’ level. A teacher needs to know how best to blend pedagogy knowledge and subject matter in dispensing knowledge to the learners.

The competence of content pedagogy has helped me greatly blend what I know about education and what I am teaching. It has helped me be relevant as I teach learners as through this competence, I can discern what I know how best to deliver it based on the level of learners in question.

Communication

‘To teach is to communicate'(Amatullah et al., 2019 p71). To be termed successful educators, they must communicate properly. The teaching and learning process is a communication process. There would be no teaching or learning taking place without communication.

Communication is defined as a process through which individuals channel information and thoughts to the receiver. In education, the teacher and learners are the communicators. Both take the roles of a receiver and a sender. Proper communication between the teacher and the learner causes education to be a success. A barrier-free environment that facilitates free communication between the teachers and learners effectively facilitates the teaching-learning process. A teacher needs to be a good communicator to dispense knowledge properly to the learners.

Being a good communicator has impacted my teaching positively. Proper communication between my learners and me aids teaching as the learners understand the knowledge I put across and provide feedback on the same. Feedback is important in the teaching-learning process as it helps me as a teacher know where areas are well covered and those that require more emphasis. Communication has also helped me choose the teaching method to apply in every topic through which communication is best.

Style

Style in teaching-learning processes is an important aspect. It is the teacher’s method to disseminate knowledge to the learner (Amatullah et al., 2019). Different knowledge requires different styles of knowledge dissemination. A competent teacher should be able to choose the best style to use in putting across certain knowledge. Therefore, a teacher must understand the learners’ learning styles to facilitate understanding. Also, the teacher must apply numerous teaching methods that are most relevant to the topic being covered. Employing different teaching styles helps in understanding and helps in the retention of knowledge.

My understanding of styles on teaching and learning is important as it helps me dispense knowledge effectively to my learners.

References

 

Amatullah, T., Avanzato, R., Baxter, J., Gibbins, T., Graham, L., Fradkin-Hayslip., A, Siegrist, R., Swantak-Furman, S., Waid, N., Foundations of education. (2019)