| Disagreement is an inevitable and important part of life in any multi-ethnic society that is trying to be democratic---inevitable because democratic decision making involves disagreement, and important because those same disagreements inform our decisions. Rigorous classroom discussion can play a role in providing students the opportunity to learn to value and manage disagreement. Yet, discussions are rare in social studies classrooms. As a result, students have few opportunities to learn a fundamental skill for living in a democracy: how to disagree. This study investigates whether attending to the kinesthetic elements of discussion might deepen our understanding of how to facilitate disagreement in classroom discussion. The martial art of Aikido is examined as a kinesthetic practice that practitioners interpret as the facilitation of physical disagreement. Social studies teachers are then asked to evaluate the implications of the principles and practice of Aikido for facilitating verbal disagreement in classroom discussion. I ask, What can social studies discussion leaders learn from Aikido instructors about facilitating disagreement in classroom discussion? The five hypotheses generated in this grounded theory study contribute to theoretical notions about the potential relationship between movement and learning and the use of discussion in preparing students for life in a diverse democracy. |
