This study examines inter-relations between school equipment and teaching ideals in relation to the Swedish comprehensive-school reform process that took place between 1949 and 1972. Experimental activities at two specific schools, marking the beginning and end of the reform period, are analysed. The study uses a sociomaterial perspective that sees human actors and material objects as intra-acting components of networks that make up what can be termed the social technology of teaching. The study identifies various forms of school equipment, and links these to the progressive ideals of the time. Dynamic relationships between the purpose of teaching and the use of teaching aids are explored, and it is argued that school equipment is introduced and disseminated in schools in order to teach specific topics. The overarching finding is that the relations between teaching ideals and materiality are entangled, and that the meaning of social technology for teaching is created through its usage. School buildings, classroom furniture, or teaching equipment alone have not provided a ready-made path to achieving teaching ideals.