The conflicted role of uncertainty in teaching and teacher education

Uncertainty is our constant companion, a reality made more evident as of late by the COVID-19 pandemic. The productive navigation of uncertainty by future generations is crucial. Despite this, uncertainty is often perceived as something to be minimised in schools and classrooms. In this paper, we begin by illustrating the inherent, unavoidable uncertainty in education. We detail in particular disciplinary uncertainty, curricular uncertainty, pedagogical uncertainty, and contextual uncertainty. Next, we consider what influences whether (or not) and how teachers engage with uncertainty as a welcome companion to their teaching practice, noting how different approaches to teacher knowledge and teacher education within teacher preparation programmes invite or dismiss uncertainty. Finally, we share one case study that illustrates a model of teacher education that seeks, at least in part, to prepare teachers for engaging uncertainty in schools and classrooms not as a model but as a provocation for consideration.