Facework in teacher collaborative learning: Does choice of classroom representation matter?

Abstract

Collaborative learning based on classroom representations (video recordings, spoken narratives) can benefit teachers' professional development. However, sharing such representations may threaten teachers' face – the self-image they present to others – and hinder their learning. We challenge the common assumption that classroom videos are more face-threatening than spoken narratives, by analysing 26 teacher discussions of classroom representations, from 13 Israeli teacher teams. The findings show that both types of representation involve facework – efforts to protect one's face – to a similar degree; moreover, both involve learning-conducive associative facework strategies, as well as learning-inhibiting dissociative ones.