This study explored the interconnectedness between teachers understanding of Assembly Drawing and teaching of Assembly Drawing (AD) in the UThukela district of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). Assembly drawing (AD) is an integral part of the Engineering Graphics Design (EGD) curriculum. AD is a universal graphical means of communication in the engineering field. AD requires learner to use spatial visualization skills when engaging in drawings, sectioning of machines, mental manipulation and rotation of objects in order to transform 2D images into 3D images. EGD learners have been repeatedly performing poorly in the AD section of the matriculation examination. Thus there is a need to establish the extent to which learners performance in AD results from the quality of teaching. Qualitative data was collected from 25 purposively selected EGD teachers using an open-ended questionnaire, focus group interviews, lesson plans, observations, and post observation interviews. The interconnectedness between teachers’ understanding of AD and their teaching of AD is revealed via our findings. The visual and spatial skills learners need to engage with AD were not foregrounded in teachers understanding of AD or their teaching of AD. Our findings elucidate teachers’ lack of pedagogical content knowledge pertaining to AD. It further points to the need to urgent continuous teacher professional development for practicing teachers if we are to overcome the challenges learners encounter with AD.

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