Critical Incident Analysis

Case 3 - A matter of confidence

1. Background - the incident

In a first year seminar there were 16 students. Two students had prepared a presentation for the rest of the group. I then attempted to initiate a whole-group discussion of issues raised, using six questions I had prepared. The students responded to my first question with silence. I then re-worded the question in case they had not understood it and received only a brief reply. I then invited other members of the group to speak, but nobody responded. This pattern was repeated when I asked my second question and the third was met with total silence. It seemed that few students had done the preparatory reading, and, when asked, it emerged that only four students (including the presenters) had prepared for the session. I reminded the students of the purpose of the seminars and their responsibilities relating to them. I then told the group it was pointless to continue the session if so few of them had prepared for it, so I apologised to the presenters and to those who had done the reading, then told the class to leave.

2. Tutor's reflections

As the situation unfolded, I felt increasingly uncomfortable and embarrassed. The students sat and stared at me as if waiting for me to do something and, due to my complete lack of training and experience, I felt vulnerable and out of my depth. I was also unsure how to react because I was ignorant of the range of possible responses open to me; I felt angry that my department had placed me in this situation without any prior training.

After the incident, I felt cross and disappointed with the students because I had done a lot of wasted preparation. I felt they were not taking me or the seminar seriously. I was also uncertain whether I handled the incident appropriately, although it was difficult to see what the alternatives were. The incident made me doubt my capabilities as a teacher and to blame myself for it. I started to ask myself whether I am really cut out for teaching and whether the behaviour of the students was somehow my fault, triggered by some deficiency or failing in my teaching style. In short, the incident seriously shook my already fragile confidence in my teaching skills.

3. Learning points

The problem may have resulted from my teaching style, which requires me to initiate and perpetuate group discussion. If students have not prepared adequately then discussion will not get off the ground. The incident resulted from a combination of my teaching style and students' behaviour

Whole-group discussion format will only work if students have prepared adequately and are willing to contribute. As a graduate teaching assistant my role must be to facilitate discussion, not be the sole source of it. Therefore, I need to ensure that most, if not all, of the students participate in the class, perhaps by giving them more of the responsibility for its success.

A possible alternative would be the group discussion and presentation format, which encourages students to contribute more to seminars.

4. A colleague's perspective on the incident

I shared my account of the episode with a colleague. She thought I was being too harsh in my self-criticism and that I acted professionally in a difficult situation. By ending the session early, she said I showed the students 'it is their efforts that are needed in order for the seminar format to work effectively'. I had made the students more aware of my expectations. She was impressed that I apologised to the students who had prepared for the class. This, she said, demonstrated an ability to relate to the students.

Until I shared my analysis with my colleague I saw the event as the encapsulation of all my failings as a teacher. However, her feedback suggests I am a better teacher than I thought.