Organising for teaching

This chapter explores the search for pedagogical equilibrium when teachers organise for teaching. In this context, organising for teaching is defined as the preparation and procedures teachers engage with when planning for teaching. This chapter is structured around the four themes that emerged from the data. These areas, although sharing some commonalities, arose as areas where teachers experienced unrest when organising for teaching, and include: developing teaching and learning approaches; teacher centred versus learner centred; balancing depth and breadth; and assessment and testing. Organising for teaching generally occurs before teachers have the opportunity to become familiar with the individual needs of their students. This chapter highlights that planning for teaching is time consuming, challenging and complicated, which frequently challenges teachers’ sense of pedagogical equilibrium. Unrest plays an important role in helping teachers identify misalignments between their goals for teaching and the realities of their context. Challenges to equilibrium also aid in identifying strengths and weaknesses of different teaching approaches. The chapter uses representative cases to highlight and unpack characteristics of each theme.