Content Knowledge is knowledge about the actual subject matter that is to be learned or taught, including, for example, middle school science, high school history, undergraduate art history, or graduate level astrophysics. Knowledge and the nature of inquiry differ greatly among content-areas and it is critically important that teachers understand this about the subject matter that they teach. As Shulman (1986) noted, this includes knowledge of concepts, theories, ideas, organizational frameworks, knowledge of evidence and proof, as well as established practices and approaches toward developing such knowledge. In the case of art appreciation, such knowledge would include knowledge of art history, famous paintings, sculptures, artists and their historical contexts, as well as knowledge of aesthetic and psychological theories for evaluating art.

Content knowledge is knowledge about the subject matter that is to be learned or taught, including, for example, middle school science, high school history, undergraduate art history, or graduate-level astrophysics. Knowledge and the nature of inquiry differ greatly among content areas, and it is critically important that teachers understand the disciplinary “habits of mind" appropriate to the subject matter that they teach. As Shulman (1986) noted, content includes knowledge of concepts, theories, ideas, organizational frameworks, methods of evidence and proof, as well as established practices and approaches toward developing such knowledge in a particular discipline. In the case of art appreciation, for example, such knowledge would include knowledge of art history, famous paintings, sculptures, the influence of artists’ historical and social contexts, as well as knowledge of aesthetic and psychological theories for understanding and evaluating art.