BETWEEN ROUTINES AND ANARCHY - PREPARING TEACHERS FOR UNCERTAINTY

Many aspects of teaching reveal it to be an activity imbued with uncer tainty. Teachers are frequently unsure of their students' knowledge an d understanding, of the effects of their instructional strategies, of the most appropriate content to cover in their limited time with stude nts, and ultimately of their own intellectual and social authority. In itial inclinations to reduce teachers' uncertainty through the introdu ction of routines or through more extensive subject matter study may b e misguided, however, for whereas too much uncertainty may promote ana rchy, too little uncertainty may engender dogmatism. Teacher educators might instead consider introducing their students to the myriad uncer tainties they will face in their work, assist them in learning to judg e when it may be desirable to increase certainty, and encourage them t o view remaining uncertainties as an essential driving force in teachi ng.