Taken with Surprise: Critical Incidents in Teaching

Abstract

This collection of essays tackles thorny questions related to critical incidents in teaching. By using different pedagogical methods and techniques, each author provokes creative thinking about how to address specific concerns common to teaching. The authors demonstrate that the teaching and learning process must make room for -if not celebrate -the surprises that happen not only to the students, but to the teachers as well. The discussion of critical incidents helps to promote reflection on teaching practice and prompt insights into the intricate dynamics shaping the increasingly diverse learning community. Each individual essay is accompanied by reflection questions that can be used to spark conversation among colleagues and/or prompt further personal reflection on teaching and learning.At mid-career, we have the freedom to take more risks than we could as new teachers. Having prepared hundreds of lectures, graded thousands of papers, and handled crises large and small, we have earned the right and can face the unexpected rather than run from it.While other professionals routinely meet and discuss difficult cases from their practice, teachers seldom invite colleagues into their classrooms or have the opportunity to talk about issues raised in teaching. At a mid-career teaching workshop sponsored by the Wabash Center, we took the risks to share moments in our teaching in which we were "taken with surprise."The discussion of critical incidents in teaching turned out to be the most rewarding part of the workshop. For some, this was their first time to talk freely about these incidents and to have their trusted colleagues listen in and offer comments. We used a variety of methods to facilitate our conversations, such as role play (with another person playing the teacher), a fishbowl discussion technique, and even imagining one case as a cartoon! In the process, we learned much about the intricacies and practical details of teaching and had fun doing so. We are convinced that other colleagues will find writing and discussing critical incidents helpful for talking about teaching within their own contexts. To that end, we are offering here for readers' use some incidents from our own classrooms, with names and some details changed to protect anonymity. Keep in mind, however, incidents from your own experience and context will likely be even more enlightening and helpful.

Reflective Teaching via a Problem Exploration–Teaching Adaptations–Resolution Cycle

“…Reflections included a Subjective retelling of lesson events, progress toward Objectives, Analysis of the lesson, and Reflection. Since recognizing and describing problems is the first step to developing reflective practices (Jay & Johnson, 2002; Pui-lan et al, 2005), novices were encouraged to describe teaching challenges, plan instructional responses, and develop questions to explore during further teaching. Focusing reflections this way addressed course goals of linking assessment, instruction, and student learning through goal-directed teaching and systematic intentional inquiry into practice (Cochran-Smith & Lytle, 1993).…”

“…Developing such routines is a crucial milestone in teacher development and an indicator of growth through the novice stage. When novices notice and describe problems (Jay & Johnson, 2002;Pui-lan et al, 2005), feel ''empowered and perplexed enough to pose questions'' (Miller, 2007, p. 312) then reflect and generate solutions, they move toward adaptive expertise.…”

“…These approaches provided solid quantitative data but lacked rich descriptions and grounded perspectives of novices immersed in reflection on teaching. Other studies provided case descriptions of individual teachers’ development of reflection and adaptive expertise (Hayden, Rundell, & Smyntek-Gworek, 2013; Jay & Johnson, 2002; Lytle & Cochran-Smith, 1992; Orland-Barak & Yinon, 2007; Ostorga, 2006) and teacher educators’ reflective development (Pui-lan et al, 2005), but one analyzed data for only one lesson instead of following teachers over time (Orland-Barak & Yinon, 2007) and none connected that with confirmatory analysis that measured relationships among variables. We aimed to fill this gap by providing comprehensive, convergent analysis of the reflective data these novices provided.…”

Uncovering cultural assumptions: Using a critical incident technique during an international student-teaching field experience

“…To take something as a critical incident is a value judgment we make, and the basis of the judgment is the significance we attach to the meaning of the incidents. (Tripp, 2012: 8) According to Tripp (2012) and Pi-Lan et al (2005), an important aspect of writing a critical incident is to have the teacher unpack the event in order to examine the judgements that are attached to ways of seeing classroom events and practices. The teacher explains the significance of the critical incident and identifies the core values that the incident makes visible.…”