TEMPLATE DESIGN © Teacher Talk About Conflict: The Pinnacle Classroom Discourse Study Group Ebony Elizabeth Thomas, MA, ABD Joint Program in English and Education, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Introduction The Pinnacle Classroom Discourse Study Group (PCDSG) was a collaborative action research effort among teachers, administrators, teacher educators, and researchers working within a local school and larger school district vested in closing the racial achievement gap. This research builds towards a conceptual framework for implementing one type of Professional Learning Community (PLC), a classroom discourse study group that extends and supplements the Courageous Conversations model of attaining equity in schools. Impetus for Project About the PCDSG Preliminary Results Implications (Figure 1 ). Research Briefs created for National Council of Teachers of English Courtesy of In secondary English education, language is both subject-matter content and the mode of transmitting that content. Teachers of English are provided with training in subject-matter content and pedagogy, but less attention is paid to the mode of content transmission – language, or discourse in the classroom. Secondary English classroom discourse is inherently conflict-laden (Christie, 1999). One of the implicit roles of English teachers is to navigate this conflict-laden minefield; little training is provided for this teacher role. Recommendations Secondary English teacher education and professional development should include opportunities for formal and informal study of classroom discourse. Practicing secondary English teachers should be afforded time for reflection-in-practice that is specifically focused on teacher language and its place in classroom interaction. Professional development should aid teachers in managing the conflicts inherent in practice. Societal Dilemmas Professional Dilemmas CONFLICT References Research Questions How do inservice high school English teachers in a discourse study group talk about conflict? For the purposes of this study, conflict is defined as an ideological dilemma evident in teachers’ and students’ actions and discourses that impedes the negotiation of ethical positions in classrooms and schools. Teachers found the project to be transformative. Most reported being much more aware of discourse conflicts and language choice. At the same time, teachers did not think that enough time was allotted for the study. They requested more time in the individual workshop sessions, to record and analyze their classroom interaction, and to reflect on readings. Teachers found the PCDSG to be more relevant to the work of teaching than their other professional development contexts. Ethical Dilemmas Ideological Dilemmas Personal Dilemmas Within the PCDSG, conflict was found in teachers’ personal, professional, societal, ethical, and ideological dilemmas that impeded the negotiation of shared positions in the classroom, in schools, and in society. District invited Glenn Singleton of the Pacific Educational Group to consult in the spring of 2006; Singleton excoriated the white teachers in the district for perpetuating a racist system. Singleton’s perspective - Critical Race Theory (CRT) The district immediately implemented his Courageous Conversations framework, which bears some relationship to the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission Researcher is a former Pinnacle teacher ; also one of the first participants in Courageous Conversations During the semester of Singleton’s visit, the researcher was being researched ; later used transcripts of own teaching practice to learn SFL-influenced discourse analysis. Theoretical Framework Pinnacle Classroom Discourse Study Group Curriculum Part 1. The Case for Analyzing Conflict Dakin, M.E. (2008). The case for conflict in our classrooms. English Journal, 97(3), Part 2. Conflict in the Language of Schooling Lemke, J.L. (1995). Textual politics: Discourse and social dynamics. London: Taylor & Francis. Schleppegrell, M.J. (2006). The language of schooling: A functional linguistics perspective. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum. Part 3. How to Analyze Conflict in Your Classroom Christie, F. (1999). The pedagogic device and the teaching of English. In F. Christie (Ed.), Pedagogy and the shaping of consciousness. London and New York: Continuum, Christie, F. (2002). Classroom discourse analysis: A functional perspective. London and New York: Continuum. Rex, L.A. & Schiller, L. (2007). Speak to me for teacher educators: Sustaining conversations, maintaining relationships, building new knowledge. Systemic Interactional Autoethnography The word and the world interact in the TEXT. The word and the world interact in the SELF. Social and Psychological Theories Critical PedagogyIdeological Dilemmas Theories of Language Systemic Functional Linguistics Critical Discourse Analysis Timeframe January – June minute formal group workshops 1 60-minute individual workshop 1 30-minute interview Participants 7 of the 26 English teachers at Pinnacle High School (refer to chart) Teacher-participants chose their own pseudonyms and focal classes Teacher-participants audiorecorded this focal class for one month Researcher videotaped each teacher’s focal class (2-10 visits) Teachers would signal to the researcher when they wanted to be videotaped