Subject knowledge and pedagogy: incorporating Montessori pedagogy into your classroom

This chapter interpolates Shulman's work on what is subject knowledge with examples of subject knowledge in religious education that may be useful. Subject knowledge may be perceived as ‘information I already know or can access’, but a skilful teacher will realise how to link it cross-curricularly, how to develop the need to maintain current subject knowledge and how to use the pedagogy to teach it effectively in the classroom. This chapter suggests that a confident teacher is one who is equipped with sufficient, all-round knowledge, who does not fret when questioned during teaching, can model how children can develop their own subject knowledge and one who seeks to improve in the three types of knowledge.