From Avoidant to Active Embrace: The Role of Conflict in Teachers’ Learning about Racism

• In Event: Teachers' Racial Remembering and Learning: Toward Courageous Conversations

Abstract

Teachers commonly draw upon the expertise of their peers as they prepare to learn about and teach new and challenging subjects. At times, complex interpersonal dynamics and conflict arise as teachers work together. This is particularly the case when teachers come together to discuss highly charged social justice topics—including systems of racial hierarchy and oppression. This paper examines the experiences of one teacher practitioner inquiry group that strove to make sense of how racism affected teachers’ personal, professional and organizational lives. Specifically, the paper examines how teachers navigated conflict in the inquiry group. I argue that teachers’ decisions about how to navigate conflict informed the breadth and quality of their learning about race and racism in the group.

Author

• Rhiannon Maton, SUNY Cortland