Breaking out of the grips of dichotomous discourse in teacher post-observation debrief conversations

• Published in: Teaching and teacher education Vol. 67; pp. 418 - 428
• Main Authors: Lefstein, Adam, Trachtenberg-Maslaton, Rotem, Pollak, Itay
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.10.2017
• Subjects: Dichotomous discourse; Feedback conversations; Linguistic ethnography; Teacher professional discourse; Video representations of teaching practice; Teacher professional discourse; Feedback conversations; Dichotomous discourse; Video representations of teaching practice; Linguistic ethnography
• ISSN: 0742-051X; 1879-2480
• DOI: 10.1016/j.tate.2017.07.010

Educational discourse is dominated by problematic dichotomies, for example, between teacher- and learner-centred pedagogies, and between teacher control and pupil autonomy. Such dichotomies impede attempts to understand and address complex educational problems, and thwart productive discussion among practitioners and the public. This article examines how teachers in one Israeli school addressed dichotomous discourse around classroom management in video-based post-observation debrief conversations. Three ways of coping with dichotomies are conceptualized: either/or, synthesis and both/and. Factors contributing to the emergence of non-dichotomous discourse are discussed, including ambivalent leadership, the use of video representations, flattened hierarchies, and a focus on issues and dilemmas. •Dichotomous discourse plagues educational thinking and discussion.•Three ways of coping with dichotomies are discussed.•Teachers coped with dichotomous discourse in video-based feedback conversations.•Factors contributing to non-dichotomous discourse are identified.