Kerstin Michalik

Although uncertainty has gained increasing attention in education, to date, existing research on the topic has not been collated. Therefore, this systematic review sought to understand which range of phenomena, terms, and theoretical conceptualizations of uncertainty are found in the education research literature in the context of school and teacher education. A systematic search of publications (2005–2020) in the two most widely used publication languages in the social sciences (English and German) yielded an initial sample of n _initial = 3,847 publications. The rigorous application of four inclusion criteria reduced that number to n _final = 201. Synthesis revealed four types of uncertainty: disciplinary uncertainty addressed by subject-specific curricular research, individual uncertainty addressed by teacher knowledge research, interactional uncertainty addressed by classroom research, and contextual uncertainty addressed by school research. The review found a fundamental contradiction: While many theoretical publications constitute uncertainty as something to be taken into account and addressed, empirical papers found widespread camouflaging or eradication of uncertainty in educational practices. The presented conceptual scheme and findings will hopefully inspire future work into uncertainty in education.

Die Autorin greift in ihrem Beitrag zunächst den international geführten erziehungswissenschaftlichen Diskurs um Merkmale einer zukunftsfähigen Bildung sowie die erziehungswissenschaftliche Debatte um Ungewissheit als Dimension pädagogischen Handelns auf, um darauf aufbauend Konsequenzen und Schlussfolgerungen für die Didaktik des Sachunterrichts zu ziehen. Insbesondere dem Philosophieren mit Kindern misst sie in diesem Zusammenhang eine große Bedeutung zu. (DIPF/Orig.)

In German primary schools, natural sciences and social studies are learned and taught in an integrative manner within a subject called Sachunterricht. To teach Sachunterricht in a high-quality manner, it is reasonable to assume that primary school teachers themselves require—among other things, such as knowledge about pedagogy, teaching Sachunterricht, and the various content areas of Sachunterricht—a distinct interest, academic self-concept, and sense of belonging regarding natural and social sciences. Furthermore, they should possess a solid interdisciplinary competence that enables them to teach natural and social sciences in an integrative way. In the present study, we conducted a longitudinal survey of pre-service primary school teachers from a German university over a period of 2 years to investigate the changes in their (self-evaluated) interdisciplinary competence; the changes in their interest, academic self-concept, and sense of belonging regarding natural and social sciences; and the correlations between these constructs. Our data analysis revealed a decrease over time in participants’ sense of belonging to natural and social sciences, as well as their (self-evaluated) interdisciplinary competence, while their academic self-concept in natural and social sciences remained stable. Participants’ interest in social sciences decreased, while their interest in natural sciences increased. Moreover, we found varying degrees of correlation between these constructs. In summary, the results of the present study provide important insights into the professional development of pre-service primary school teachers within university-based teacher education for teaching natural and social sciences in primary school. The implications of these findings are discussed in detail at the end of this paper.

Uncertainty is a key feature of philosophising with children. It is central to the theory and methodology of philosophical inquiry and the educational assumptions underlying it. Uncertainty also presents a specific challenge for pupils and teachers undertaking philosophical inquiry in the classroom, because mainstream education is mostly based on certainty: reduction of complexity in view of assessment, a focus on students giving the right answers, standardized skills and competencies . This paper presents empirical research, reporting the reflections of primary school children and teachers on their experiences with philosophical inquiry in the classroom. It revisits the opportunities and challenges presented by philosophising with children in mainstream education and discusses the implications for teacher education.

The chapter will address the challenges posed by Philosophising with Children for teacher education in primary schools, and the opportunities it offers for teaching and learning in general, and in particular in the light of an unknown and more and more uncertain future. In the first part, I will argue that uncertainty is a central feature of philosophical inquiry and that this is an important quality in the context of the challenges facing education in the 21st century. In a world that is increasingly characterised by uncertainty, instability, injustice, and the openness of values, the ability of individuals to deal openly and constructively with uncertainty, complexity, and different perspectives is increasingly important. Educational research has highlighted that there tends to be considerable tension between pedagogical goals and approaches to teaching, with complexity and uncertainty being limited as a consequence of the need for a standardised curriculum and standardised assessment. Interviews with primary teachers focusing on the experience of uncertainty when Philosophising with Children indicate that philosophical inquiry with children might be an important means for embedding uncertainty within educational practice. In this regard, the chapter will discuss how to design teacher education in order to prepare pre-service teachers to undertake philosophical inquiry with children.

Zusammenfassung. Hintergrund: Der Beitrag untersucht Potentiale des Philosophierens mit Kindern im Kontext von Inklusion. Methode: Auf einer theoretisch-konzeptionellen Ebene werden Merkmale und Besonderheiten des Philosophierens mit Kindern im Hinblick auf Möglichkeiten zur Förderung von Kindern in inklusiven Lernsettings herausgearbeitet. Das Philosophieren mit Kindern, so lautet die zentrale These, trägt zur Partizipation und Förderung aller Kinder bei, weil die philosophische Forschungsgemeinschaft einerseits besondere kognitive Anregungen und Herausforderungen bietet und andererseits einen leistungs- und bewertungsfreien Raum gegenseitiger Wertschätzung und Anerkennung darstellt, der insbesondere für Kinder mit Förderbedarfen und Problemen in der sozialen Interaktion spezielle Partizipationschancen bietet. Ergebnisse: Auf der Grundlage einer Vielfalt sowohl quantitativer als auch qualitativer internationaler empirischer Befunde werden Wirkungen philosophischer Gespräche für das Lehren und Lernen in inklusiven Lerngruppen konkretisiert, die zeigen, dass das Philosophieren nicht nur als ein Förderinstrument für Kinder mit unterschiedlichen Voraussetzungen und Begabungen geeignet ist, sondern gleichzeitig auch bei den Lehrkräften zu einer Erweiterung der Wahrnehmungs- und Diagnosemöglichkeiten und der professionellen Reflexionsfähigkeiten beitragen kann. Diskussion und Ausblick: Das Gespräch in der philosophischen Forschungsgemeinschaft vermag Kinder darin zu unterstützen, ihre kognitiven, meta-kognitiven, sozialen und emotionalen Fähigkeiten zu entwickeln und es trägt auch zu einem tieferen inhaltsbezogenen Verständnis bei als herkömmliche, stärker auf das individuelle Lernen der Kinder bezogenen Unterrichtsformen bei. Für eine „Schule der Vielfalt“ bedarf es auch vielfältiger Veränderungen im herkömmlichen Schulsystem.