Making Peace With Ambiguity: The Symbiotic Interaction Between Prospective Teachers ’ Subject Matter Knowledge And Intellectual Development

he theorized prospective teachers need to master as they learn to teach. Today, reform movements have targeted subject matter knowledge as a domain of special importance. Programs of teacher education have responded by raising grade point standards for admission, increasing the number of discipline-specific courses prospective teachers need to take and in some places requiring students of teaching to complete their bachelors degrees before proceeding with certification course work. Tests of basic knowledge as well as teaching knowledge are required for certification in many states. Subject matter standards emanating from collaborative work between academics and school persons (See National Standards For Language Arts, 1996; Math Standards, Science Standards) reflect a national sense that what we want school children to know and learn and what we want their teachers to know and be able to teach are intimately connected. Teacher educators have supported these reforms. We have joined disciplinary colleagues and participated in the development of the nationa