So I was not able to access this book in an accessible format (only print version available) but I wanted to know what it is in. I asked Gemini if it can provide a summary: so it did. For anyone how was able to read the book how accurate do you think the representation of this is?

It also offered to develop an infographic¹:

Infographic: Shulman’s Teaching as Community Property https://cdn.tailwindcss.com https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/chart.js body { font-family: ‘Inter’, sans-serif; background-color: #e6f2ff; } .chart-container { position: relative; width: 100%; max-width: 500px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; height: 300px; max-height: 400px; } @media (min-width: 768px) { .chart-container { height: 350px; } } .flow-arrow { font-size: 2rem; line-height: 1; color: #0066ff; } .venn-circle { border-radius: 50%; display: flex; align-items: center; justify-content: center; text-align: center; font-weight: 600; color: white; padding: 1rem; }

Teaching as Community Property

Visualizing the Core Arguments of Lee S. Shulman

1. The Challenge: Pedagogical Solitude

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The Closed Door

Lee Shulman identified “pedagogical solitude” as a primary obstacle in higher education. Unlike research, which is public and peer-reviewed, teaching often remains a private act, performed in isolation behind the classroom door.

This isolation hinders professional growth, prevents the sharing of effective practices, and contributes to teaching being undervalued within the academic community.

2. The Vision: From Private Act to Community Property

Shulman’s central thesis is a call to transform teaching into “community property” by making it visible, debatable, and valued. This involves a cultural shift from private practice to a shared, scholarly endeavor.

Private Act

Isolated teaching, unexamined practices.

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Scholarly Exchange

Sharing artifacts, peer review, and pedagogical colloquia.

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Community Property

A collective, valued, and improvable craft.

3. The Foundation: Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK)

PCK is Shulman’s cornerstone concept—the “missing paradigm” in teaching. It’s not just knowing *what* to teach (content) or *how* to teach (pedagogy), but the unique, expert knowledge of how to make specific subjects understandable to specific learners.

This includes using the best analogies, examples, and representations, and anticipating common student misconceptions. It is the defining knowledge base of the teaching profession.

Content Knowledge

Pedagogical Knowledge

PCK

4. The Framework: Seven Knowledge Bases of Teaching

Shulman argued that effective teaching is a complex intellectual activity built upon seven distinct, integrated knowledge bases. An expert teacher draws upon all these areas to make informed decisions.

This framework demonstrates that teaching is a profession with a deep, specialized body of knowledge, far beyond simple intuition or personality.

5. The Mechanism: Scholarship of Teaching & Learning (SoTL)

SoTL is the process by which teaching becomes “community property.” It treats teaching as a subject for scholarly inquiry, fostering a cycle of continuous improvement and professional dialogue.

Investigate

Systematically study teaching practices and student learning.

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Document

Create artifacts that capture the complexity of teaching.

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Disseminate

Share findings with peers for review and discussion.

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Improve

Apply insights to enhance pedagogical practice.

6. The Impact: Elevating the Profession

Shulman’s ultimate goal is the professionalization of teaching. This requires a cultural shift in academia to rethink institutional rewards and value teaching as highly as research.

By making teaching a public, scholarly, and communal activity, we can foster excellence, adapt to diverse learners, and give the profession the respect and rigor it deserves.

I am always torn between using AI (because there is nothing ethical about using AI) and the positive aspects particularly in regard to accessibility. ↩︎