Getting critical reflection from students

“Our vision is more obstructed by what we think we know than by our lack of knowledge.” Kristen Stendahl

Published Friday, March 03, 2006 by bev trayner | E-mail this post

I'm participating in a discussion about action research at the moment where Steve Cockerill from Leeds Metropolitan University shared how he uses "Critical Incident Questionnaires" with his students after every seminar. He did it after reading Stephen Brookfield's "Becoming a Critically Reflective Teacher" (p115)

He tells us:

Not only does it give me feedback as it happens, rather than once a term or semester evaluation but it affected the students too. They read my weekly feedback to theirs so they realised I was sensitive to their learning AND they saw how common difficulties were followed up by alternative explanations by me, of their problematic experience. Additionally it has helped me deliver new material to the next cohort of students informed by the CIQ. I've copied and pasted it in below but leave much more white space than this suggests ..."

And this is his questionnaire (shared with permission):

A Critical Incident Questionnaire

Please take about 5 minutes to respond to each of the questions below about this week's class. Don't put your name on the form ~ your responses are anonymous ~ but agree an ID between you so you can collect the returned CIQs next week. When you have finished writing put your form on the table by the door. At the start of next week's class, I will be sharing the responses with the group. Thanks for taking the time to do this. What you will write will help me make the class more responsive to your concerns and you can place this in your portfolio as evidence of your ongoing learning.

1. At what moment in the session did you feel most engaged with what was happening?

2. At what moment did you feel most distanced from what was happening?

3. What action that anyone took did you find most affirming and helpful?

4. What action that anyone took did you find puzzling or confusing?

5. What, about the session this week, surprised you the most?

(this could be something about your own reactions to what went on, or
something that someone did, or anything else that occurs to you)

"Becoming a Critically Reflective Teacher" (Stephen D. Brookfield)