Supporting your students

PCK enables educators to tailor their teaching strategies to address the diverse needs of their students, fostering an environment where active engagement in learning is central.

Engaging students in active learning

To enhance student engagement, PCK encourages the use of active learning strategies that promote deeper understanding and application of knowledge. Incorporating group discussions, problem-solving activities, and case studies can be effective ways to stimulate active learning. These methods not only reinforce theoretical concepts but also provide students with opportunities to apply their knowledge in practical contexts, bridging the gap between theory and practice.

Monash University's Teach HQ offers a wealth of resources to support active learning, including strategies for understanding student diversity, addressing learning challenges, and leveraging students' strengths. Resources also cover how to implement inclusive learning strategies, nurture inclusivity in teaching, clarify student roles in active learning, and facilitate meaningful student interactions, both in collaborative learning environments and blended or asynchronous learning spaces.

Addressing student misconceptions

PCK emphasises the importance of identifying and addressing student misconceptions—deeply held but incorrect understandings that can significantly impact learning across different courses and disciplines. These misconceptions can serve as a lens through which students view and interact with the world, making it essential to design teaching approaches that build on and correct these misunderstandings.

The constructivist theory of learning supports this approach by suggesting that knowledge is constructed through the modification of pre-existing knowledge by incorporating or replacing them with new, accurate knowledge through scaffolding (Bodner, 1986). Recognising that students engage with knowledge differently depending on context, educators can better assess student understanding through authentic assessment practices that mirror real-world applications.

To effectively identify and address misconceptions, various diagnostic tools are available, broadly categorised as interviews, open-ended tests, multiple-choice tests and multiple tier tests. If you are a science educator, see Gurel et al. (2015) for a range of diagnostic instruments available across science disciplines. Some examples include the Force Concept Inventory (FCI), Mechanical Waves Conceptual Survey, Chemistry Concept Inventory (Mulford & Robinson, 2002), Biology Concept Inventory (BCI), and States of Matter Diagnostic Test (SMDT). These tools, along with formative assessment techniques like quizzes and concept maps, can help gauge student understanding and inform necessary adjustments to teaching strategies.

Incorporating student voice 

A PCK-informed approach emphasises the importance of continually evaluating and refining teaching approaches, and student voice—captured through feedback—plays a crucial role in this process. Feedback from students provides educators with essential insights into the learning experience, highlighting what works well and what areas may need improvement. By understanding students' perspectives on what they find engaging, challenging, or confusing, educators can make informed decisions to enhance their teaching and assessment strategies. This not only benefits students by addressing their needs but also fosters a sense of partnership between educators and students, promoting a more inclusive, student-centred approach to education.

For gathering immediate feedback, tools like the Feedforward Bento Box can be useful. It includes a polling tool that offers pre-set or customisable questions. This tool includes polling options with pre-set or customizable questions, enabling educators to gather timely insights from students. You may also wish to explore the MEA module Formative evaluation using Feed Forward for further professional development.

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