Situating the study of teacher noticing

Theoretical constructs are the cornerstones on which the advancement of any field rests. Constructs are not valued simply in terms of whether they are right or wrong; instead, they are valued by their usefulness to the field. Occasionally a construct emerges that transforms the field by enabling researchers to reconceptualize their endeavors and to shift, sometimes in subtle ways, the focus of their attention. Such constructs may not be entirely novel. They may be consistent with previous ideas and yet bring to light new research questions and new methodological approaches. Pedagogical content knowledge is one such example. Pedagogical content knowledge appeared quite suddenly with the publication by Lee Shulman (1987) of “Knowledge and Teaching: Foundations of the New Reform.” However, the core insight behind pedagogical content knowledge goes back at least 100 years (Dewey, 1902, 1904/1964). The idea that teachers might possess knowledge about teaching that is specific to subject matter cannot have been entirely foreign to researchers reading Shulman’s article. Nonetheless, Shulman’s introduction of this construct significantly changed the field, and, although the introduction of pedagogical content knowledge faced obstacles, the change was dramatic enough to drive decades of research on teaching and to influence the preparation of a generation of teachers.