Using Critical Incidents to Promote and Assess Reflective Thinking in Preservice Teachers

The powerful influence of prior educational experiences and a varying capacity to think reflectively and critically present potential barriers that preservice teachers face in implementing the knowledge and skills learned in their teacher education programs. Teacher educators can guide students' development of a decision-making schema by providing opportunities for students to reflect on authentic teaching experiences with feedback. This study examined the effectiveness of using Critical Incidents in a supervised field experience with explicit instruction and coaching to increase the capacity of preservice teachers to develop reflective and critical thinking skills. A three-person review panel analyzed 135 Critical Incidents. Examination of frequency and category data showed that writing Critical Incidents increased the degree of preservice teachers' orientation toward growth and inquiry. Results of the self-assessment of growth in critical reflection revealed the emergence of an orientation akin to Dewey's (1933) three attributes of reflective individuals, open-mindedness, responsibility, and wholeheartedness.