In this volume the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education offers the first in a series of state-of-the-art analyses of research, theory, and practice in the various domains of teaching. The knowledge base for teaching and teacher education takes a variety of forms and is drawn from many disciplines and other sources. This volume specifically covers generic knowledge, that is, knowledge considered by the profession as credible and generally applicable in most content areas and throughout elementary and secondary levels of teaching. More than 20 chapters are devoted to the following elements of knowledge essential for beginning teachers to practise: Content of teaching, relationships between content and pedagogy, organization and management, understanding individual students, curriculum planning, context/environment for learning and teaching, and professional functions and responsibilities.