Uncertainty is a constitutive   element of teaching and appears in different manifestations: in the choice of   topics for teaching, which should be oriented towards an open future, in   interactions in the classroom when a lesson content encounters more or less   motivated students, in the unforeseeable dynamics of a school class, in   non-guaranteed effects of impulses for learning and in school cultures which   are determined by criteria beyond the planning capability of teachers. Teachers   often find themselves swamped by these forms of uncertainty.

However, this is   only one face of uncertainty. The other embeds it in concepts of learning. The   notion of experiential learning, which goes back to considerations by John   Dewey and was elaborated by Combe and Gebhard (e.g. 2012), is based on the   production of uncertainty by provoking irritations and crisis on the part of   the learners by the teachers. Following this idea, it is the teachers who   induce crises, they become ‘crisis inducers” (‘Kriseninduzierer’). Such irritations and crises are thought to be   starting points for learning as they question matters of fact when they   reveal discrepancies, shifts and differences towards expected outcomes and   anticipated results, when ‘something’ crosses the threshold of our attention   and interest. In this sense, teachers are not suffering from uncertainty. Quite   the opposite: they have to awaken uncertainty, irritations and crises in their   students. If they are successful, and the students start to ask questions,   deep learning processes are able to occur. Such learning is not superficial;   it has the potential to change their access to the world and transform   existing patterns of thinking. In the German tradition for this kind of   learning, the term ‘Bildung’ is   used. Hans-Christoph Koller, who is an expert in this field, will present the   main ideas behind this concept and elaborate the transformative processes of Bildung.

At the University of   Hamburg, a research group has been established to discuss uncertainty in the   context of Bildung in general, but   also in the context of the subjects   taught in schools. This is a new approach and will be presented by some of   the members of the research group (Ingrid Bähr, Andreas Bonnet, Britta Lübke,   Kerstin Michalik and Sandra Sprenger). The idea is to emphasize the special   challenges deriving from uncertainty in the subject and combine this idea   with the concept of Bildung.

Following these   ideas and using uncertainty in teaching creates special requirements for   teachers: They must become aware that they are not guardians of specific   knowledge but should instead accept ambiguity and have the courage to ask   questions where there are no answers. Simultaneously, they need a special   sensitivity for the heterogeneity of children and their different accesses to   subjects. They should be able to build bridges between irritating content and   children’s thoughts by creating an open-minded atmosphere for conversation   and an open dialogue. Teachers need the competence to put the students’   statements into a broader context and contrast the different ideas that students   may have. These abilities need a “situated creativity” (Combe & Paseka   2012) to cope with uncertain situations.

Given the two sides   to uncertainty, its consequences for teacher education must also be discussed.   How can such abilities be developed in university courses? There are some   approaches currently under discussion, e.g. case analyses, inquiry-based   learning or working with videos, but alternative approaches have to be taken   into consideration as well. These options have to be used to discuss learning   processes in the context of Bildung  - also in teacher education.

Combe, A. & Ulrich, G. (2012). Verstehen im Unterricht [Understanding in teaching and learning]. Opladen & Farmington Hills: Barbara Budrich. Combe, A. & Paseka, A. (2012). Und sie bewegt sich doch? Gedanken zu Brückenschlägen in der aktuellen Professions- und Kompetenzdebatte. [And yet it does move? Building bridges in the current debate on professionalism and competences]. Zeitschrift für Bildungsforschung, 2(2), 91-108. Paseka, A., Keller-Schneider, M. & Combe, A. (eds.) (2018). Ungewissheit als Herausforderung für pädagogisches Handeln [Uncertainty as Challenge for Educational Practice]. Wiesbaden: Springer-Verlag. Bähr, I., Gebhard, U., Krieger, C., Lübke, B., Pfeiffer, M., Regenbrecht, T, Sabisch, A. & Sting, W. (eds.) (2019). Irritation als Chance. Bildung fachdidaktisch denken [The Educational Potential of Irritation. Rethinking Bildung in Terms of Subject Matter Education]. Wiesbaden: VS Springer.