The Skillful Teacher

particularly revealing or provocative. I also let them know that the
only comments I will not report publicly are those in which students
identify other students in a disparaging way. I inform students that
if such comments are included on the form I will either reframe them
as general observations or problems the group needs to address, or
communicate them in a private, confidential conversation with the
Understanding Our Classrooms
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EACHER
student concerned. Such conversations are usually with students who
are reported on the CIQs to be dominating the class or generally
throwing their weight around in an obnoxious manner.
If I have the time, I will type up a one- or two-page summary
and leave copies of this on students’ chairs for them to read as they
come in. Most times the pressures of other work mean I give a ver-
bal report. If students have made comments that have caused me to
change how I teach, I acknowledge this and explain why the change
seems worth making. I try also to clarify any actions, ideas, require-
ments, or exercises that seem to be causing confusion. Criticisms of
my actions are reported and discussed. If contentious issues have
emerged, we talk about how these can be negotiated so that every-
one feels heard and respected. Quite often students write down
comments expressing their dislike of something I am insisting
they do. When this happens I know that I must take some time to
reemphasize why I believe the activity is so important and to make
the best case I can about how it contributes to students’ long-term
interests. Even if I have spoken this case before, and written it in
the syllabus, the critical incident responses alert me to the need to
make my rationale explicit once again.
Using the CIQ doesn’t mean that I constantly change everything
I’m doing because students tell me they don’t like it. We all have
nonnegotiable elements to our agendas that define who we are and
what we stand for. To throw them away as a result of students’ opin-
ions would undercut our identities as teachers. For example, I won’t
give up my agenda to get students to think critically, even if they all
tell me that they want me to stop doing this. I will be as flexible as
I can in negotiating how this agenda is realized, but I won’t abandon
it. I’ll ask students to suggest different ways they might show me that
they’re thinking critically. I’ll also vary the pace at which I introduce
certain activities and exercises to take account of students’ hostility,
inexperience, or unfamiliarity with this process. But for me to aban-
don the activity that defines who I am as a teacher would mean that
I ceased to have the right to call myself a teacher. So if students use
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their CIQ responses to express a strong opinion that challenges what
you’re trying to do, or how you’re trying to do it, you owe it to them
to acknowledge this criticism. But you don’t owe it to them to aban-
don entirely your rationale for teaching. What you need to do is
make your own position known, justify it, and negotiate alternative
ways of realizing your aims.