Learning From Conflict: A Study of Reflections on Experiential Learning

• In Event: 29.024 - Narratives, Reflections, and Socially Just Practices in Aspiring Educational Leadership Coursework

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore how educators in teams consisting of K-12 leaders in a university graduate course reflect on their experience of conflict as they work toward fulfilling a task. We sought to understand more fully the tension between constructive controversy and concurrence-seeking. Findings include: The “leader” of any group session or meeting is often perceived as holding more power than anyone else in the group. The pressure to produce something in a short period of time can lead to concurrence seeking rather than full discussion and debate. The desire to surface differences and allow creative controversy clashes with such things as personal and professional dispositions, confidence level, and fear or anxiety related to voicing disagreement.

Authors

• Sarah V. Mackenzie, University of Maine

• Heather L. Ball, University of Maine at Machias