ILLINOIS PROFESSIONAL TEACHING STANDARDS

STANDARD 1 - Content Knowledge
The teacher understands the central concepts, methods of inquiry, and structures of the
discipline(s) and creates learning experiences that make the content meaningful to all students.

Knowledge Indicators: The competent teacher
1A. Understands major concepts, assumptions, debates, principles, and theories that are central to
the discipline.
1B. Understands the processes of inquiry central to the discipline.
1C. Understands how students' conceptual frameworks and their misconceptions for an area of
knowledge can influence their learning.
1D. Understands the relationship of knowledge within the discipline to other content areas and to life
and career applications.
1E. Understands how a student’s disability affects processes of inquiry and influences
patterns of learning.
Performance Indicators: The competent teacher
1F. Evaluates teaching resources and curriculum materials for their comprehensiveness, accuracy,
and usefulness for representing particular ideas and concepts.
1G. Uses differing viewpoints, theories, "ways of knowing" and methods of inquiry in teaching subject
matter concepts.
1H. Engages students in generating and testing knowledge according to the process of inquiry and
standards of evidence of the discipline.
1I. Designs learning experiences to promote student skills in the use of technologies appropriate to
the discipline.
1J. Anticipates and adjusts for common misunderstandings of the discipline(s) that impede learning.
1K. Uses a variety of explanations and multiple representations of concepts that capture key ideas to
help students develop conceptual understanding.
1L. Facilitates learning experiences that make connections to other content areas and to life and
career experiences.
1M. Designs learning experiences and utilizes adaptive devices/technology to provide access
to general curricular content to individuals with disabilities.