The out-of-field teacher in context: The impact of the school context and environment

Abstract

School environments impact student behaviours and share specific goals, and they develop shared understandings through perceptions and experiences which demonstrate a specific culture in a school community (Shields 2002). Teacher support needs vary, but the adequacy of the support according to teacher needs will strongly influence whether teachers simply cope or manage their out-of-field teaching load. The challenge for out-of-field teachers, then, is how to manage to develop in-depth knowledge of the specific curriculum and how to contribute to planning and evaluating the fit-for-context/fit-for-purpose aspects of the curriculum and the school context. Supporting out-of-field teachers entails an in-depth look at the meaning of out-of-field teaching for enacting a specific curriculum and of the in-school context as a whole, with a specific focus on communication, collaboration and cooperation within the wider school community.