What Is the TPACK Model? 7 Components and Classroom Examples

The TPACK model is a framework that helps educators integrate technology effectively by considering the relationship between technology, pedagogy, and content. Developed by Punya Mishra and Matthew Koehler, the framework identifies seven interconnected areas of teacher knowledge: CK, PK, TK, PCK, TCK, TPK, and TPACK.

In this guide, you’ll learn what each component of the TPACK framework means, see TPACK examples for real classroom lessons, and find out how TPACK compares to the SAMR model.

What Is the TPACK Model?

TPACK stands for Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge. It describes what teachers need to know to use technology well: not just how a tool works, but how it fits the subject they teach and the way they teach it.

The TPACK model in education is usually shown as a Venn diagram with three overlapping circles: technology, pedagogy, and content. Where the circles overlap, new kinds of knowledge appear. At the center is TPACK itself, the point where all three come together to support student learning. The whole diagram sits inside a larger circle labeled “contexts,” a reminder that every classroom, school, and group of students is different.

Who developed TPACK?

Punya Mishra and Matthew J. Koehler, then researchers at Michigan State University, introduced the TPACK framework in 2006. They built on educational psychologist Lee Shulman’s idea of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) from the 1980s, which described how knowing a subject and knowing how to teach it combine into a distinct kind of expertise. Mishra and Koehler added a third element, technological knowledge, to reflect the growing role of technology in classrooms.

“It’s not just knowing the technology, or the content, or the pedagogy. It’s understanding how all three interact.”

— Punya Mishra, co-creator of the TPACK framework

Why TPACK matters

Most teachers have seen a new tool slow a lesson down instead of moving it forward. That’s the problem TPACK helps solve. Instead of starting with the technology, the TPACK framework asks teachers to start with what students need to learn and how they learn it best, then choose tools that support both.

• It prevents “technology for technology’s sake.” Every tool has to earn its place by supporting the content and the teaching method.
• It gives teachers a planning lens. TPACK helps teachers ask the right questions when designing a lesson: What should students learn? How will they learn it? What tool makes that easier or possible?
• It supports professional growth. Schools and districts use TPACK to identify where teachers feel confident and where they need support, whether that’s with a new tool, a teaching strategy, or a subject area.

What Are the 7 Components of TPACK?

The TPACK framework includes three core types of knowledge (CK, PK, and TK), three areas where two of them overlap (PCK, TCK, and TPK), and TPACK at the center, where all three meet.

1. Content Knowledge (CK)

What it is: Content knowledge is what a teacher knows about the subject they teach: the key concepts, facts, and skills, and how that content connects across grade levels.

Classroom example: When planning a lesson, a teacher starts with state standards, checks where the class is in the curriculum’s scope and sequence, and considers what students already know. Then they set clear objectives for the skills and knowledge students should leave with.

2. Pedagogical Knowledge (PK)

What it is: Pedagogical knowledge is a teacher’s understanding of how students learn and how to teach. It includes instructional strategies, classroom management, assessment, and lesson design and delivery.

Classroom example: A teacher plans several chances for students to engage with the material to keep them on task. They also build in regular checks for understanding so students can show what they know and ask questions before the lesson moves on.

3. Technological Knowledge (TK)

What it is: Technological knowledge is a teacher’s understanding of the digital tools and resources available to them, including what those tools do well and where they fall short in a classroom setting.

Classroom example: A teacher knows how to launch a lesson, get students logged in on their devices, and troubleshoot when something doesn’t load.

With Nearpod: Technological knowledge includes knowing the activity types available when building Nearpod interactive lessons, where to find ready-to-teach lessons, how to edit a lesson and launch a session, and how students join from their own devices. Teachers can build their Nearpod know-how through the Nearpod Help Center, the Nearpod Blog, and Nearpod’s resources page.

4. Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK)

What it is: Pedagogical content knowledge is where content and pedagogy overlap. It’s knowing which teaching strategies work best for a specific subject or concept. PCK is what separates a scientist from a science teacher, or an artist from an art teacher.

Classroom example: When teaching students to solve multi-step math problems, a teacher knows that a mnemonic like PEMDAS helps students remember the order of operations. The teacher understands both the math and the most effective way to help students learn it.

5. Technological content knowledge (TCK)

What it is: Technological content knowledge is where technology and content overlap. It’s understanding how specific tools change the way content can be represented, and which tools fit a subject best.

Classroom example: A biology teacher knows a 3D model of the respiratory system shows students more than a textbook diagram can.

With Nearpod: Nearpod’s VR Field Trips and 3D models make hard-to-reach content accessible, from touring the ancient pyramids of Egypt to rotating a 3D plant cell. PhET Interactive Simulations in Nearpod let students explore scientific phenomena and manipulate materials teachers couldn’t otherwise bring into the classroom.

6. Technological pedagogical knowledge (TPK)

What it is: Technological pedagogical knowledge is where technology and pedagogy overlap. It’s understanding how tools affect teaching and learning, including their benefits and drawbacks for classroom management, age-appropriateness, and instructional best practices.

Classroom example: With a paper handout or cold calling, a teacher can only hear from a few students at a time, and checking understanding takes time. A teacher with strong TPK knows digital tools can gather responses from every student at once.

With Nearpod: Teachers embed Polls, Quizzes, and Time to Climb into a lesson for real-time formative assessment, or ask students to explain their thinking with Open-Ended Questions and Draw It. Student-paced lessons and choice boards support differentiation, so every student can work at the right level.

7. Technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK)

What it is: TPACK sits at the center of the framework, where all three types of knowledge meet. It’s the ability to bring content, pedagogy, and technology together into a lesson where each one strengthens the others.

Classroom example: A teacher chooses a tool because it helps students understand a specific concept, using a teaching strategy that fits the content and the class.

With Nearpod: The Nearpod Lesson Library includes ready-to-teach lessons built with TPACK in mind. For example, the early literacy lesson “Rhyming Words” opens with a Draw It activity to activate what students already know about rhymes, giving the teacher real-time insight before instruction starts. After direct instruction, students practice with interactive activities like Matching Pairs, which give immediate feedback to both the student and the teacher.

TPACK Model Examples in the Classroom

Here’s how the TPACK model looks in practice across different subjects. In each example, the technology is chosen because it supports both the content and the teaching strategy.

Subject	Content (CK)	Pedagogy (PK)	Technology (TK)	Why it’s TPACK
Science	Plant and animal cell structures	Guided inquiry: students predict, observe, then explain	Interactive 3D cell model students can rotate and explore	Students see structures a flat diagram can’t show, inside a lesson built around inquiry.
Math	Order of operations	Worked examples followed by retrieval practice	Embedded quiz with instant, per-student results	The teacher spots which step trips students up and reteaches it during the lesson.
Social Studies	Ancient Egypt	Place-based learning and structured discussion	VR Field Trip to the pyramids plus a shared discussion board	Students “visit” the site, then build on each other’s observations.
Early Literacy	Rhyming words	Activate prior knowledge, direct instruction, guided practice	Draw It warm-up and Matching Pairs activity	Teachers see what students already know, then give immediate feedback as they practice.

In each case, the question isn’t “What tool should I use?” It’s “What do my students need to learn, how will they learn it best, and what tool makes that possible?”

TPACK vs. SAMR

TPACK and SAMR are two of the most widely used edtech frameworks. They work well together because they answer different questions.

	TPACK	SAMR
Main purpose	Describes the knowledge teachers need to integrate technology effectively	Describes how much technology changes a learning task
Focus	The teacher: how technology, pedagogy, and content knowledge work together	The task: what students do with technology, from replacing a tool to creating something new
Key components	7 knowledge areas: CK, PK, TK, PCK, TCK, TPK, and TPACK	4 levels: Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, and Redefinition
Best used for	Planning lessons and professional development; choosing tools that fit the content and teaching method	Reflecting on and evaluating technology use; pushing lessons from enhancement toward transformation

Use TPACK when planning a lesson to make sure technology fits the content and the teaching method. Then use SAMR to reflect on how that technology is changing the learning task. To learn more about the four SAMR levels, read our guide to the SAMR model.

Ready to put TPACK into practice? Start with ready-to-teach lessons in the Nearpod Lesson Library, or build your own Nearpod interactive lessons. School and district leaders can compare plans on the Nearpod pricing page.

Frequently Asked Questions About the TPACK Model