To be successful, elementary teachers need content knowledge in social studies and science—both to build students’ understanding of the world and to support students in becoming strong readers.
Building Broad Content Knowledge Is Essential To Developing Students’ Literacy and World Knowledge
Building students’ content knowledge—knowledge about the natural and human world—is a critical linchpin to helping them become strong readers and creative problem solvers. Years of cognitive research has shown background knowledge in key subject areas, like science and social studies, is essential to reading comprehension, helping students not only understand the meaning of a text, but also interpret new words and ideas.1
States, districts, and teacher prep programs play a critical role in ensuring aspiring teachers obtain the necessary foundational knowledge in these subjects, which will ultimately help their students succeed.
Latest Findings
Teacher Prep Review: Building Content Knowledge
NCTQ reviewed the quality of teacher preparation in social studies and science and found significant opportunities for teacher prep programs to improve their coursework requirements to ensure that aspiring elementary school teachers receive the essential content knowledge they need for the classroom. In fact, only 3% of undergraduate programs require aspiring teachers to complete courses in most of the social studies and science topics an elementary teacher needs.
This tool provides teacher prep programs with a personalized analysis of whether the program or institution’s requirements adequately cover key social studies and science content and guidance on what courses the program could require or recommend to best prepare future teachers.
NCTQ worked with states to make pass rates on content licensure exams available for elementary teachers. Exploring the data helps identify successful institutions that set their aspiring teachers up with essential content knowledge.
Three steps for creating and retaining a strong STEM teaching corps
July 25, 2019
Hannah Putman, Kency Nittler
Endnotes
Smith, R., Snow, P., Serry, T., & Hammond, L. (2021). The role of background knowledge in reading comprehension: A critical review. Reading Psychology, 42(2), 1-27; Connor, C. M., Dombek, J., Crowe, E. C., Spencer, M., Tighe, E. L., Coffinger, S., … & Petscher, Y. (2017). Acquiring science and social studies knowledge in kindergarten through fourth grade: Conceptualization, design, implementation, and efficacy testing of content-area literacy instruction (CALI). Journal of Educational Psychology, 109(3), 301; Kim, J. S., Burkhauser, M. A., Mesite, L. M., Asher, C. A., Relyea, J. E., Fitzgerald, J., & Elmore, J. (2021). Improving reading comprehension, science domain knowledge, and reading engagement through a first-grade content literacy intervention. Journal of Educational Psychology, 113(1), 3.
