Methodology of Teaching the Subject
Domain 3 - Methodology of Teaching the Subject. This domain tests lesson design inside your own subject: writing objectives that can be assessed, choosing methods that fit the content, and aligning objective, activity and assessment.
Core rules
- One measurable objective per lesson, phrased with an observable verb ("classify", "compare", "justify") rather than "know" or "understand".
- Constructive alignment. Every activity and every assessment item must be traceable to the stated objective; if an activity cannot be assessed, either the objective or the activity is wrong.
- Subject signature methods. Communicative tasks and target-language use in foreign languages; hypothesis, variable control and data in science; source analysis and corroboration in history; representation and proof in mathematics.
- Cognitive load. New material in small steps, worked examples before independent practice, retrieval of prior knowledge at the start.
- Closure and transfer. A short retrieval task and a link to a new context.
Worked example
Objective: "Pupils will compare two primary sources on the 1916 Central Asian uprising and justify which is more reliable." The activity is paired source analysis using a grid (author, date, purpose, audience, corroboration). The assessment is a short written justification scored on two criteria: use of evidence, and reasoning about reliability. A teacher who instead sets a comprehension quiz on the textbook has broken alignment - the quiz tests recall, not comparison.
Traps
- Objectives written as activities ("pupils will read page 40").
- A method chosen for entertainment value rather than fit with the content.
- Assessment bolted on at the end without checking it against the objective.
- Ignoring the state standard's required outcomes when planning the unit.