Learning from dissonance

An ISTE describes how she and her colleagues used a framework for analysing videos and transcripts of their practice. When they viewed a video of that first session, the facilitators were distressed at the gap between the principles they had developed and their actual practice. By confronting this gap, they learned valuable lessons about the use of inquiry in their own practice.

We are a group of seven facilitators involved in inquiry-based learning. We’ve developed a framework for analysing learning conversations and have been using it with videos and transcripts of our practice.

Our first session began with some nervousness. Each of us had been asked to bring a video clip of an interaction with a teacher or a group of teachers and a copy of the transcript with our thoughts noted on the side. The video clip was paused at different points for discussion. It’s not easy to watch and critique your own work, let alone with six colleagues involved. Just sharing the video clips created tension and illustrated both the potential and the risks in the use of video/audio recordings.

The whole session was also videoed to capture each facilitator presenting their video clip and the group’s feedback and questions. This recording proved invaluable for reviewing our interactions and for reflecting on what contributed to the difficulties we experienced.

For example, for the second facilitator, we had a transcript but no video clip. The transcript made it easy to find evidence to support our feedback – “you said … and you said …”. However, when we reviewed the video of the session later on, we realised that we’d interpreted events through our own lenses. Our feedback and many of our questions reflected our own personal biases and beliefs. Instead of seeking to understand, we became the “experts”. We critiqued and offered advice instead of checking our perceptions and clarifying ideas.

Reviewing the video enabled our group to notice behaviours that may have contributed to the tension during the session. We failed to adhere to the principles we’d developed for the project. Everyone wanted to have their say at the same time. We talked over the top of one another and completely forgot about the learning conversation framework. It was as if it had never been discussed. It was question, advice, question, and more advice. The more we deviated from the framework, the more defensive became the responses from the facilitator receiving the feedback.

In effect there were two levels of dissonance: the external dissonance among the group because of the nature of our interactions, and the internal dissonance for individuals as they noticed or were challenged about aspects of their practice revealed in their particular transcripts or video clips. The professional learning that occurred as a result of both internal and external dissonance may not have been so powerful if the group had not formed strong relationships and had not been committed to inquiry-based practice. Through the video clips, we learned things about ourselves that have been invaluable in progressing our practice.

The first thing we learned was that inquiry is not necessarily a comfortable or easy process, but it does lead to a thirst for knowing more. Secondly, having the evidence to support improvement is important, but it can also create challenging situations, such as how to use the evidence. However, the dissonance that evidence generates can be a powerful motivator for improvement if facilitators are at the level of preparedness to change.

We also learned some valuable lessons about trying new approaches and accessing new knowledge. It is not enough to talk about a new approach; we have to practise using the new approach many times and in different contexts. And we need to be explicit about guiding principles and protocols in order for new approaches to become an inherent part of practice. Most important, within an inquiry-based approach effective communication and strong relationships are inextricably linked to a successful outcome.

What would we do differently, or what could we improve on? It comes down to the three key ideas we’ve identified: noticing, understanding, and adjusting – being able to ask each other and ourselves such questions as “What did I actually do and say?”, “Why did I do it that way?”, and “How might I do it differently next time?”.

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