Training Teachers In The Prevention And Resolution Of Conflicts By Studying Tv Series

Abstract

Within the framework of the Master’s Degree in Secondary School Teaching, one of the challenges arising in the training of secondary school teachers is to ensure that the future teachers experience teaching from a systemic perspective, grasping the full complexity of the educational phenomena and the conflict processes. The students in the three groups studying the course on Conflict Prevention and Resolution at the University of Zaragoza (2018-2019) were trained in conflict analysis and resolution skills. 171 students took part, grouped into 31 teams. Each team performed a task involving the analysis of the conflicts that arose in an episode of a current television series. The data obtained in the group discussion were categorised inductively with the support of Atlas ti. software and five categories were obtained: learning, weaknesses, difficulties, challenges and value of the experience. The most relevant categories were learning and value of the experience. The participants highlighted the usefulness of the series for acquiring a systemic perspective of the conflict, distinguishing between types of conflict and the monitoring and handling of conflict situations in their future professional lives as teachers. They emphasized that the realistic educational situations presented in the series were highly motivating and encouraged critical and reflective learning. On the basis of the qualitative analysis a pilot questionnaire was designed to evaluate students’ experience in a more systematic way in future courses.

Keywords: Conflict prevention and resolutioncase studyactive methodologiessecondary educationteacher training

Introduction

As made clear by Esteve (2002), teacher training programmes must adapt to the social, economic and political transformations that have taken place in recent decades. One of these changes is the widespread dissemination of television series and their increasing popularity, especially amongst the young. TV series offer role models with which young people can identify and are therefore an attractive way of approaching certain subjects from a didactic perspective. There is a long tradition of using audiovisual resources in secondary education, especially documentaries and films. Little by little, TV series have also begun to be used as an educational resource in both secondary (García, 2005) and further education (Rovira-Collado, Llorens-García, & Fernández-Tarí, 2016). Paradoxically, the use of fictional TV series in teacher training has only begun quite recently, with pioneering work by Saiz-Serrano and Parra, (2017) who train future secondary school teachers to use the most recent, historical TV series for teaching purposes.

Nowadays there is a broad consensus about the benefits of using active methodologies such as case resolution or cooperative learning in teacher training (Arregi, Bilbatua, & Sagasta, 2004). For his part, Korthagen (2010) insisted on the importance of basing teacher training on reflexive processes, which stimulate the creativity and critical thinking of future teachers.

From a socio-critical perspective, the prevention and resolution of conflicts in secondary schools requires an understanding of their systemic complexity (Farré, 2004), so as to better comprehend the conflict process. This requires the development of transversal skills. On this question, the European Council Recommendation for Lifelong Learning (2018) sets out the key competences in university learning, which include the following skills: critical thinking, problem solving, teamwork, communication and negotiation skills, analytical skills, creativity, and intercultural skills. Learning to resolve conflicts is a skill (Torrecilla Sánchez, Martínez Abad, Olmos Migueláñez, & Rodríguez Conde, 2014) that involves identifying the different elements that make up the conflict (Torrego, 2007), managing emotions (Redorta, 2007), developing relationship skills and knowing how to use cooperative methodologies and conflict resolution strategies (Lederach, 2000).

Problem Statement

The aim is that in reflection and decision-making processes, the future teachers can broaden their perspective to include other actors, taking the social context into account, and can come up with creative solutions as active members of a team.

Students in the three groups taking the optional subject of Conflict Prevention and Resolution in academic year 2018-2019 were trained in the skills required for the analysis and resolution of conflicts in educational contexts from a theoretical and practical perspective. In their analysis, the students were asked to apply the theoretical and practical contents they had learnt about during the course. Each team was given a task in which they had to analyse the conflicts that appeared in an episode of their choice from a current television series. The series is set in a secondary school and the interaction between teachers, students and families can be easily observed, along with the various conflicts that arise during the course of each episode.

Research Questions

The following research questions were analysed:

• To what extent do students view teamwork on case studies using videos as a facilitator of learning?

• What aspects of watching the series were considered by the students to be of value in the learning process?

• To what extent did watching the series help visualize aspects that might otherwise have gone unnoticed?

• What difficulties did they encounter in this methodological approach? And which aspects do they see as challenges in their learning process?

Purpose of the Study

The objective of the study was to analyse the views of the students after finishing the course on Conflict Prevention and Resolution, as regards the lessons they had learnt by resolving cases of conflict in teams using examples from a current TV series set in a Secondary School. The analysis of the data obtained also enabled us to design a questionnaire for use on subsequent courses.

Research Methods

A qualitative study was conducted by means of a group assessment survey with open questions about the value of using television series for learning conflict analysis and resolution skills. The questionnaire was conducted after the students had presented their findings in the practical work project to the class.

Findings

The results show the analysis of the data through the narratives, and the pilot questionnaire which was designed for use on subsequent courses on the basis of this analysis.

Conclusion

The description of the “learning” category covers a wide range of lessons learnt, which show that the students have been able to connect theory and practice in order to use theoretical models (conflict, stage of development …), or to better interpret reality from them, and to understand the approach of social harmony models in the current context. Additional lessons learnt include those relating to increasing awareness of existential aspects (complexity, conflict as an inherent part of life and teachers as models) and those that balance our way of thinking and doing to enable us to become skilful at conflict resolution, (diversity, possibilities taking different approaches into account, skills and systemic perspective). In addition, all these learning items are related with the nine key skills for the 21st century set out within the framework of Lifelong Education (Lamb, Maire, & Doecke, 2017): critical thinking, creativity, metacognition, problem solving, collaboration, motivation, self-efficacy, conscientiousness, and grit or perseverance.

When asked about the fundamental values of the methodology based on analysing the cases that arise in a TV series, the students cited the ability to adjust the viewing of the series in line with the needs of the team, being able to watch it again focusing on different specific aspects or taking a global perspective over time. All of this enabled them to take a critical approach to reality in which they could observe real situations and build as a team the analysis connecting the theoretical models, the skills required for mediation in the conflict and the possibilities for resolution, both those implemented and other possible solutions. In this case, the weaknesses they identified in terms of methodology are a strong indication of critical thinking in that they go beyond what was initially proposed.

It is important to emphasise that students valued being able to take stock, to become aware of the lessons learnt. In this sense, the process of learning to learn is very closely related to the difficulties and challenges they identified, in which the contrasting of opposing ideas was also a source of real conflicts which had to be resolved from direct experience.

This cooperative form of studying cases by watching and analysing a TV series in teams has proved to be a motivating methodology, which has enabled students to connect theory and practice from the collective construction of knowledge in which the student plays the lead role in the learning process, a vital factor in acquiring the skills required for the prevention and resolution of conflicts.

Acknowledgments

This work has been partly financed by the Aragonese Government and the EU through the FEDER 2014-2020 "Construyendo Europa desde Aragón" action (Group T25_17D).

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