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COLLABORATION AS CENTRAL TO PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT Most teachers I know are not fans of in-service days. They typically see these as time-consuming impositions with little relevance to their actual practice or specific needs as a professional. The gap between typical in-service foci and the improvement of teacher practice is obviously problematic . But even teacher development opportunities that deal directly with pedagogy cannot consist of disconnected, one-day workshops if they seek to bring about substantive, lasting change. A committed process of focused attention is necessary for an approach such as Ethical Dialogue to become successful. Helping teachers become adept at fostering Ethical Dialogue also requires a strong emphasis on peer collaboration. Working with colleagues can offer interdisciplinary insights, expose teachers to a wider array of ethical frameworks, and provide opportunities for constructive critique of their pedagogy. Perhaps most importantly, peer collaboration offers teachers the chance to connect on a philosophical level with others, to develop a joint vision for ethical education that provides the encouragement necessary to persevere in spite of its ample challenges. In many of the graduate courses I teach, I am fortunate to have former or current public school teachers who help us consider in authentic detail the omnipresent gap between theory and practice. One day during a seminar focused on Ethical Dialogue, three former math teachers happened to embark on a passionate and argumentative tangent about the most effective strategies for teaching math. I think the rest of us were somewhat impressed with the near ferocity that these otherwise mild-mannered colleagues brought to the topic. Finally one of them turned to me and remarked, “If teachers like us feel so strongly about a subject like math, imagine the controversies that erupt over religion in the classroom!” On the one hand, this comment might be seen as good reason to avoid talking with colleagues about Ethical Dialogue. The work will not be easy, nor always comfortable. But it is this experience of grappling that teachers need if they are to help their students do the same. The collaborative process of making our ethical perspectives intelligible to one another is practice for Ethical Dialogue itself, as well as an important step in creating a wider school culture that communicates to students that ethical exploration is worth their attention. The value of collaboration in preparing teachers for Ethical Dialogue should not be underestimated. Research suggests that professional devel134 Grappling with the Good opment featuring peer coaching and collaborative inquiry between teachers can effectively influence their pedagogy and—even more significantly —their deeply held beliefs about student learning. Effective professional development provides opportunities for supportive yet challenging conversations about teaching. It provides the time for colleagues to analyze pedagogical challenges, the safety to admit uncertainties and seek advice from others, and the chance to examine artifacts of classroom practice (student work, lesson plans, etc.). In particular, professional development aimed at Ethical Dialogue needs to emphasize the importance of scaffolding teachers’ understanding and seeking a process of gradual change. Schools and teachers must make a substantial, ongoing commitment to cultivating these skills and dispositions in themselves and their students.11 In my view, perhaps the most valuable benefit of teacher collaboration is the opportunity it can provide educators to discuss and consider their central beliefs about the purposes of schooling, particularly as they regard ethical exploration. Research on teachers’ professional lives has found that many feel interpersonally and philosophically disconnected from their colleagues. Given that teachers are resistant to changes that are incongruent with their personal beliefs about teaching, conducting conversations around these deeper normative commitments seems vital if school communities are going to embrace substantive reform such as Ethical Dialogue. Furthermore, many ethical questions inevitably cross disciplines , such as those involving the use of technology (often requiring consideration of physics, biology, economics, government, etc.). Since teachers cannot possibly develop an extensive knowledge base in so many areas, the opportunity to talk with and learn from colleagues can provide them with important insights from unfamiliar disciplines.12 At the conclusion of chapter 4, I referred to Katherine Simon’s recent book that advocated the classroom exploration of ethical questions. One particular strength of Simon’s approach is her heavy emphasis on teacher collaboration. She suggests that schools provide forums for teachers to consider the ethical implications of their curricula, and proposes the use of “critical friends” to visit teachers’ classrooms and provide constructive feedback on pedagogy. “The program I suggest is not a project for individual teachers...

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