The role of subject knowledge in primary student teachers’ approaches to teaching the topic of area

This study reviews the relationship between student teachers’ subject knowledge in the topic of area and their approaches to teaching that topic. The research was carried out with four primary student teachers and examines the similarities and differences between the nature of their subject knowledge and their plans to teach the topic. In this paper results of two of the four student teachers are focused on to illustrate the contrasts in planning and subject knowledge. The intention is not to generalise relationships but to examine the phenomena presented. It raises questions related to the variables in connecting student teachers’ subject knowledge and their knowledge of how to teach.