The PLT course focused upon the relationships among four fundamental aspects of the educational process: first, concepts about the subject matter of the curriculum, second, concepts about the diverse capabilities of students and the character of their learning, and third, concepts about the character of the context of the classroom. Fourth, we wanted to help students understand teaching as the creation of bridges between the knowledge embodied in the subject matter,  the minds and motives of students, and the context of their particular classrooms and communities. We hoped that at the end of the course, students would leave with a deeper understanding of how to teach central concepts in their own subject matter, of the diverse learning of their students, of what and how they teach, and of the cultures and contexts in their classrooms. 

The diagram below illustrates that relationship, by showing some of those key concepts students explored in the course with us: