Generic teaching knowledge and skill is seen as a central component of preservice teacher education programs. Generic domains of teaching are the common base of knowledge and skills important to all teachers regardless of subject matter or grade level. Most classifications of generic teaching skills fall generally into one of two categories, one based on the functions and tasks of teaching, the other on behavior or acts of teachers. A summary of research studies regarding the content of generic pedagogical knowledge and skills is reported in this paper. Precis are given of the substance of several studies: (1) New Horizons for the Teaching Profession, 1961; (2) Effective Teaching Traits Model, 1963; (3) Preservice Professional Component of a Program of Teacher Education, 1964; (4) Teachers for the Real World, 1969; (5) Realities and Revolutions in Teacher Education, Ohio, 1972; (6) The Florida Catalog of Teacher Competencies, 1973; and (7) Educating a Profession, 1976. Other studies reviewed were on the topics of tasks of teaching, the teacher as facilitator of classroom learning, teacher competencies, teachers' perceptions of needed skills, generic instructional strategies, and goals for an extended teacher preparation program. It is concluded that an emphasis on generic teaching understandings and skills in teacher preparation programs can help to build a sense of professional collegiality, which will bring all teachers together as a profession. (JD)