NCJ Number
156688
Journal
Criminal Justice Policy Review Volume: 7 Issue: 1 Dated: (1995) Pages: 55-66
Date Published
1995
Length
12 pages
Annotation
This article suggests how universities can increase criminology and criminal justice teachers' subject-matter content knowledge, subject-matter pedagogical knowledge, and curricular knowledge.
Abstract
Shulman (1986) states that subject-matter content knowledge is the amount and organization of knowledge of a specific subject in the minds of teachers. This type of knowledge must be continually expanded and updated by teachers. Further, Shulman states that subject-matter pedagogical knowledge is the teacher's knowledge about how to impart information to others. Teachers must constantly seek to expand and improve their skill and techniques so as to increase their students' acquisition and retention of the material taught. Shulman notes that curricular knowledge involves being familiar with the specialized curriculum materials for teaching a particular subject. Both beginning and more experienced teachers should be acquainted with the material available on criminology or criminal justice topics. Because the fields of criminology and criminal justice change so rapidly, teachers must constantly update their content knowledge. Ways departments can help their teachers achieve this are through a financial commitment to send their faculty to professional conferences and meetings, to encourage teachers to engage in scholarly research regularly, to expand and update departmental libraries, to encourage community and university service in the curriculum areas, and to stimulate specialization of knowledge. A 15-item bibliography