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Home > Subject Matter Knowledge

Subject Matter Knowledge

Subject Knowledge

The teacher understands the central concepts, tools of inquiry, and structure of the discipline(s) he or she teaches and can create learning experiences that make these aspects of subject matter meaningful for students.

It is not enough that a music teacher understands the principles and applications of his discipline; he must also be a skilled performer, an experienced musician, and a gifted artist.

"A violin master? He must be a violinist, a thinker, a poet, a human being, he must have known hope, love, passion and despair, he must have run the gamut of the emotions in order to express them all in his playing." -Eugene Ysaye
Standard: 1. Case Teacher Licensure Mission: The mission of the Case educator preparation unit is to prepare Proactive Scholar-Practitioners who demonstrate thorough content and pedagogical knowledge; skill in instructional planning, delivery, and assessment; and dispositions consistent with the principles of commitment, collaboration, and creativity. We define Proactive Scholar-Practitioners as educators who, upon entering the teaching profession, demonstrate through their performance in instructional contexts:
Indicator: thorough understanding of content in their field, of child and adolescent development and diversity, of principles of learning and teaching, and of evidence-based teaching practices specific to their field (Scholar)
Standard: 4. Case Western Reserve University Mission and Values: Case Western Reserve University strives to be the most powerful learning environment in the world. We constantly challenge ourselves to create a culture of transformation so engaging that students, faculty, staff, alumni, trustees, and even visitors to campus become passionate about moving beyond themselves to express creativity, to pursue innovation and discovery, and to serve humanity.
Indicator: As a research institution dedicated to leadership in scholarly investigation, we seek to transform knowledge itself, focusing resources into those areas of research and scholarship where we can have the greatest national and global impact. In addition to research targeted to specific ends, we also accept our responsibility - unique to research universities - to create and disseminate knowledge for its own sake, and we promote a culture of inquiry marked by rigor, creativity, curiosity, innovation, respect, sensitivity, open communication of ideas, and lifelong learning.
OH- Ohio P-12 Academic Content Standards: Music & Visual Arts
Area: Music
Standard: 1. Historical, Cultural and Social Contexts- Students demonstrate knowledge and understanding of a variety of music styles and cultures and the context of musical expression or events, both past and present. Students identify significant contributions of composers and performers to music heritage. Students analyze the historical, social and political forces that have influenced the function and role of music in the lives of people.
Standard: 2. Creative Expression and Communication- Students sing, play instruments, improvise, compose, read and notate music.
Standard: 3. Analyzing and Responding- Students listen to a varied repertoire of music and respond by analyzing and describing music using correct terminology. Students evaluate the creating and performing of music by using appropriate criteria.
Standard: 4. Valuing Music/Aesthetic Reflection- Students demonstrate an understanding of reasons why people value music and a respect for diverse opinions regarding music preferences. Students articulate the significance of music in their lives.
Standard: 5. Connections, Relationships and Applications- Students identify similarities and differences between music and other arts disciplines. Students recognize the relationship between concepts and skills learned through music with knowledge learned in other curricular subjects, life experiences and potential careers in and outside the arts. Students develop a desire for lifelong learning in music.
OH- Ohio Standards for the Teaching Professions
Standard: Standard #2: Content Teachers know and understand the content area for which they have instructional responsibility.
USA- INTASC: Model Standards for Beginning Teacher Licensing and Development (1992)
Knowledge, Disposition and Performance Indicators
Principle 1: Subject Matter: The teacher understands the central concepts, tools of inquiry, and structures of the discipline(s) he or she teaches and can create learning experiences that make these aspects of subject matter meaningful for students.
Area 1.0: Knowledge
Standard 1.11: The teacher understands major concepts, assumptions, debates, processes of inquiry, and ways of knowing that are central to the discipline(s) s/he teaches.
Standard 1.12: The teacher understands how students’ conceptual frameworks and their misconceptions for an area of knowledge can influence their learning.
Standard 1.13: The teacher can relate his/her disciplinary knowledge to other subject areas.
Area 1.20: Dispositions
Standard 1.21: The teacher realizes that subject matter knowledge is not a fixed body of facts but is complex and ever-evolving. S/he seeks to keep abreast of new ideas and understandings in the field.
Standard 1.22: The teacher appreciates multiple perspectives and conveys to learners how knowledge is developed from the vantage point of the knower.
Standard 1.23: The teacher has enthusiasm for the discipline(s) s/he teaches and sees connections to everyday life.
Standard 1.24: The teacher is committed to continuous learning and engages in professional discourse about subject matter knowledge and children’s learning of the discipline.
Area 1.30: Performances
Standard 1.31: The teacher effectively uses multiple representations and explanations of disciplinary concepts that capture key ideas and link them to students’ prior understandings.
Standard 1.32: The teacher can represent and use differing viewpoints, theories, "ways of knowing" and methods of inquiry in his/her teaching of subject matter concepts.
Standard 1.33: The teacher can evaluate teaching resources and curriculum materials for their comprehensiveness, accuracy, and usefulness for representing particular ideas and concepts.
Standard 1.34: The teacher engages students in generating knowledge and testing hypotheses according to the methods of inquiry and standards of evidence used in the discipline.
Standard 1.35: The teacher develops and uses curricula that encourage students to see, question, and interpret ideas from diverse perspectives.
Standard 1.36: The teacher can create interdisciplinary learning experiences that allow students to integrate knowledge, skills, and methods of inquiry from several subject areas.
USA- Praxis II
Test Names: Test Names
Licensure Area: Music K-12
Test 0113: Music: Content Knowledge (contains listening section)
Content Category I: Music History and Literature
Content Category II: Music Theory
Content Category III: Performance
Content Category IV: Music Learning, K-12
USA-Praxis III/Pathwise Teacher Performance Criteria
Copyright ©2003 Educational Testing Service. Used with permission of ETS. Also see Danielson, Charlotte (1996) "Enhancing Professional Practice: A Framework for Teaching" Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Domain: Domain A - Organizing Content Knowledge for Student Learning
Criterion A3: Demonstrating an understanding of the connections between the content that was learned previously, the current content, and content that remains to be learned in the future


Reflection on the Learning Outcome
The second outcome of Case Western Reserve University's Proactive Scholar Practitioner Program is Subject Matter Knowledge. In order to fulfill this requirement, Case Western standards dictate that “the teacher understands the central concepts, tools of inquiry, and structure of the discipline(s) he or she teaches and can create learning experiences that make these aspects of subject matter meaningful for students.” In other words, teachers should be experienced in their field and know the ins and outs of the subject they teach. They should also understand how their discipline connects to other subjects, both academic and nonacademic. Furthermore, they should be familiar with ways of exploring their field and the resources and tools available for doing so. Finally and most importantly, they must be able to communicate their knowledge and love of the subject to their students by using the experience they have gained and their creative mindset.

This standard mandates that music teachers be skilled performers, knowledgeable in musical fields and resources, and be able to pass on that knowledge and love of music to their pupils. Music educators should be talented soloists as well as chamber music and orchestral performers. Their performance knowledge should also encompass a broad variety of musical genres, not limited to the classical style. They should be well educated in all aspects of music as a whole, including music history and music theory, but they should also have a well-rounded comprehension of the other liberal arts as well and how music fits into the other aspects of academia. Music teachers should have a knowledge of common educational materials, methods, and philosophies and the resources that are available to them to help their pupils succeed. They should also understand the technical and musical progression that a student makes, and know which materials to use at which stage of the student's musical growth. Finally, they must love music and have both the fervent desire and ability to pass that love on to their pupils.

Opportunities to develop these skills abound both inside and outside the classroom. At Case Western, the arts and sciences program and required music education core provide an abundance of formal instruction, from instrumental methods classes to physics lectures. Case's music program within the context of a fine liberal arts education ensures that future music teachers will be provided with the tools to become a true musical scholar. Performances in recital class as a soloist and in concerts as part of an ensemble both develop future teachers' performance skills as do private lessons. Outside of formal academia, attending summer camps, participating in research, giving recitals, and listening to lectures and master classes are all excellent ways of improving in subject matter knowledge.

Possibilities for artifacts are as numerous as the opportunities for subject matter knowledge growth. Some ideas for demonstrating mastery of musical fields are essays or projects from music history or theory and formal transcripts displaying courses taken. For performance knowledge, recordings or video of one's concerts are excellent artifacts as are music related awards and competition ratings and lists of repertoire performed. Other ideas for subject matter knowledge artifacts are videos of teaching episodes, essays or reviews of music materials and methods, evidence of attending festivals or lectures, and a biography listing previous playing and teaching experience.

File Attachments:
  1. First Violin Lesson Plan First Violin Lesson Plan
    Natasha's lesson plan for a first private violin lesson.
Web Links:
  1. Natasha Plays Lalo Natasha Plays Lalo
    Natasha's third solo performance with the Naples Philharmonic Orchestra, her junior year of high school. The selection is the first movement of Lalo's Symphonie Espagnol. Performed at the Naples Philharmonic Center for the Arts. Scott Terrell guest conducts.
Author: Natasha Marsalli
Last modified: 4/28/2009 8:30 PM (EST)