Teachers dealing with disciplinary uncertainty in the context of climate change education

Disciplinary uncertainty is ubiquitous, particularly regarding climate (change) science, and it is increasingly presented and discussed in the media. This is both an opportunity and a challenge for geography education and teachers, who have to deal with disciplinary uncertainty when teaching. According to Mannheim’s sociology of knowledge, implicit orientations guide teachers’ actions in the face of uncertainty. This raises the question of which orientation frames teachers follow when dealing with disciplinary uncertainty in the context of climate change education. To investigate this, narrative interviews were conducted with geography teachers (n = 20) in lower secondary education (ISCED 2) and upper secondary education (ISCED 3) in Germany. The data were analyzed using the documentary method to reconstruct the teachers’ underlying knowledge leading or orientating practical action. Four types of orientations emerged from the analysis, ranging across the entire spectrum, from ignoring uncertainty to addressing it explicitly in class. The findings indicate that teachers use different implicit incorporated knowledge and mechanisms to deal with uncertainty, which enables them to teach under conditions of disciplinary uncertainty. In the context of climate change education and the development of related competencies, these frames of orientation should be further examined to improve teacher training.