Where do we keep the subject knowledge?

Obviously, subject knowledge isn’t actually a tangible asset. It isn’t something you can really quantify, measure or store – all of the ‘subject knowledge audits’ in the world won’t really identify what we as teachers know and how in-depth our knowledge is.

Recently, I’ve been thinking about what the nebulous concept of subject knowledge really is and what it means in different places. For instance, in a CPD session, subject knowledge is something which is incredibly concentrated – it’s something small and specific to learn about political theatre; the background to An Inspector Calls; the symbolism of hands in Macbeth or whatever the CPD is about. But in a classroom, our subject knowledge is transformed into something broad and vast, a web of connections we weave for ourselves and for our students. When talking to people outside of our subject, we reduce our subject knowledge to generalisable, digestible ‘bits’ that will still make sense to a non-specialist.

Often, improving our subject knowledge is relegated to the attendance of generic CPD sessions. The problem with this generic approach is that everybody arrives at it with different starting points and levels of prior knowledge. However, in order to make sure everyone can access this genericism, it is necessary to stick to the very basics of a topic. (For a foray into the perils of genercisim, have a read of Christine Counsell’s blog here).

Can CPD which is run for teachers in different schools and different contexts ever really address gaps in knowledge? I think the answer has to be no. Some will need more generalisable knowledge than others: it’s like a micro-level version of ED Hirsch’s idea Cultural Literacy – if one team have a richer ‘vocabulary’ of ideas and concepts related to a text, they will need something different than a team teaching that text for the first time. The converse can be just as true: in an effort to show off how much we know, there is sometimes a concerted effort to show off concepts and interpretations which although academically valid, would prove difficult to teach to even the most hard-working year 11 students.

So, where do we keep the subject knowledge? Well, fundamentally it’s in departments. It exists in a lovely middle place, somewhere between university level knowledge which is only accessible through lectures and intense study and the general fact-based knowledge which we can so readily access on Wikipedia. Perhaps, it’s the small exchanges which matter most: the conversation over lunch about how to approach teaching symbolism; the brief discussion on writing strategies while waiting for the kettle to boil; the chats about how we teach the same text with different approaches and insights.

These micro-interactions seem to me to be the most powerful enhancements to subject knowledge. Why? Because they benefit everyone in the department. Everyone listening can add those ideas and approaches and discussions to their own, from heads of department to trainee teachers. Because everyone in the department is at roughly the same starting point of knowledge, it is easy to add to in tiny increments without having to plough through the basics beforehand.

And what happens when you find an expert in your department? You show that knowledge off! My department has teacher led CPD during department meetings, interspersed with readings meant to enhance subject- and pedagogical knowledge. We’ve been treated to excellent guides to teaching quotation explosions and an exploration of The Wife of Bath in the past few weeks, and it’s been joyful.

I was struck by a colleague from another school mentioning that their department doesn’t have shared lunch times or break times or even time for CPD in department meetings; what a loss for everyone. While CPD for bigger cohorts no doubt has its place (and especially useful for generalisable knowledge and pedagogy), I think time has to be carved out for every department to have discussions about the subject matter they teach. It’s free, it’s easy and it ultimately develops everyone.

So when you think of subject knowledge avoid the lure of genericism as an easy fix, don’t feel as though you must indulge in CPD with titles reminiscent of university seminars… simply read widely, teach well, and most importantly – share your knowledge as much as you can with your colleagues!