Dissoi Logoi : fostering cognitive dissonance through teacher development

Abstract

For its 2015 symposium, the Centre for English Language Proficiency at the University of Malta invited Prof Michael Burke to give a keynote speech on critical thinking in the ELT classroom. Burke (2015), a professor of rhetoric at the University of Utrecht, started by considering the benefits of the rhetorical exercise of dissoi logoi. This exercise is meant to enable individuals to develop a richer understanding of an issue by compelling themselves to evaluate it from an opposite perspective to their own. Also known as dialexeis due to the two-fold nature of an argument, dissoi logoi provides access to a deeper truth (Kent Sprague, 1968). By arguing both sides of an issue, individuals are forced to consider a position that may run counter to their beliefs. Even if they still determine that their opinion is superior, they will have become aware of a position that might be equally valid. This article explores the significance of enabling ELT practitioners to engage in dissoi logoi as part of teacher development. It also posits how in the process teachers might experience cognitive dissonance, which can instigate a critical re-evaluation of their beliefs and practices.