鈥淒on鈥檛 poke the bear!鈥� Professor Ben Dotger tells his class. EDU 304: The Study of Teaching is meeting in Huntington Hall 070B for group reflection on its final clinical simulation of the Fall 2023 semester. It鈥檚 a basement classroom, it鈥檚 a dull winter morning, and it鈥檚 not yet 8:30 a.m. but Dotger鈥檚 exhortation has woken up the students.
In this case, the bear is one 鈥淢r. Smithers.鈥� For the student teachers, Smithers is the fictionalized character鈥攑layed by a hired actor鈥攖hey most recently tangled with in a simulated parent-teacher meeting, a belligerent parent challenging a tenth-grade book assignment. For Dotger, he was a real person encountered early in his career, when he was an English teacher in the southeastern United States.
Dotger confesses that he did indeed “poke the bear” and then got “chewed out” by his principal for arguing back at Smithers.
The point of introducing teachers-in-training to this challenging scenario in a low-stakes environment is so that they can learn skills and strategies to cope: how to read body language, recognize overly aggressive arguments, maintain authority and professionalism, keep cool under pressure, and communicate with superiors. But also how to empathize with a parent and understand when natural concern for their child is valid.
Clinical simulations involve different methods of student reflection. Here Professor Ben Dotger debriefs EDU 304 students immediately after a scenario. (Photo by Jeremy Brinn)
Smithers is the proud parent of 鈥淎llison,鈥� a straight A student, on the honor roll, active in 4H and Girl Scouts, a future nurse, and, according to dad, with the potential to “change the world.”
The book in question is “Siddhartha” by Herman Hesse, which Dotger notes is 鈥渞eally quite mild.鈥� Nevertheless, Smithers objects to its references to female body parts and prostitution. He complains that the teacher is 鈥減eddling smut鈥� and that the English class, or at least his daughter, should be given an alternative text.
鈥淲hat鈥檚 a one-word descriptor for Smithers?鈥� Dotger queries. “Aggressive,” “passionate,” “conservative,鈥� the students volunteer. But the challenges of this simulation are less about the parent鈥檚 moral, religious or political beliefs and more about book censorship, a challenged curriculum and a teacher’s authority.
Human data on EDU 304 students is being collected by Falk College students to ascertain the stresses role-playing professional interactions have on teacher candidates, part of a National Science Foundation grant. In this photo, students familiarize themselves with the data collection equipment. (Photo by Jeremy Brinn)
General reflection continues. The logic of a future nurse not being allowed to read a book referencing female body parts is not lost on the students. Dotger notes that the rooms used for this simulation had to be separated more than usual because of all the yelling involved. With a smile, doctoral student and graduate assistant Julie Harnett tells the class she encountered much the same scenario 10 years ago.
One difference now is that students from the David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics collected heart rate, breathing rate and other data from the teacher candidates to ascertain how they reacted objectively to the stressful Smithers encounter after weeks of practice with less contentious scenarios.
The semester-long data collection is part of a National Science Foundation grant鈥斺€溾€濃€攖hat provides STEM-focused undergraduates with hands-on training on how to collect, analyze and communicate human data gathered from clinical simulation subjects.
The hypothesis is that the teacher candidates should be calmer during Smithers鈥攄espite the yelling鈥攖han they were earlier in the semester, when they were new to one-on-one professional interactions.
During the second half of the reflections class, students share with their peers two or three video clips of their encounters, asking what might have been done differently.
Andrew is first up. He observes that he started out adamant that he wasn鈥檛 going to provide Allison with an alternative text. “That didn’t quite work out,鈥� he admits, as he prepares to share his first clip.
After the parent鈥檚 opening gambit to Andrew鈥攖hat he is 鈥減eddling smut鈥濃€擠otger interjects: 鈥淪mithers is clearly wrong!” He waits for the class to take the bait on that comment. 鈥淗e’s bringing politics into it,鈥� “He’s claiming to speak for his household,鈥� “He hasn’t read the book!” they say. That last comment is almost certainly true, but Dotger notes that Smithers hasn鈥檛 said anything 鈥渟trikingly egregious.鈥�
He adds, 鈥渋t’s not our place to tell a parent how to raise a child in his or her own household.鈥�
A second clip. This time, while Andrew is attempting to be civil, Smithers suddenly says, “Have you got any authority in your classroom, or is someone pulling your strings?!鈥� The class groans and laughs. It鈥檚 the bear. 鈥淚f someone pokes at you, how do you respond?鈥� asks Dotger. 鈥淚 took the Smithers bait when I was a teacher, but cooler heads prevail.鈥�
Educational clinical simulations involve one-on-one professional interactions between a teacher-in-training and an actor role-playing a parent, colleague, or other character. (Photo by Jeremy Brinn)
It鈥檚 Carrie鈥檚 turn to share clips. She confesses, “I get so scared in simulations that I don’t know how to start a conversation.鈥� The problem she identifies for her first clip is that her Smithers 鈥渏ust crossed his arms and stared at me.” She asks her classmates to suggest how the conversation could have opened better. 鈥淚f he’s going to be immature, just let it roll off you;鈥� “Quiet angry is worse than loud angry,鈥� her classmates say.
Dotger asks his GA to play Carrie鈥檚 first clip again with the sound off: 鈥淲hy am I going to give credit for the way she approaches the parent?” Now we can see more clearly how Carrie is leaning across the table with her arms out, while Smithers sits grumpily back in his chair. Light bulbs go on: 鈥淗er body language shows she is trying to reach out;” “She has not ceded any space.鈥�
Carrie鈥檚 second clip brings up an opposite problem. 鈥淗ow did you guys get him out the door?鈥� she asks. 鈥淚 didn’t know how to end the meeting!”
Some students laugh when they recall how their scenarios concluded: “Mine ended with a circular discussion;” 鈥淪mithers said he wanted to talk to my principal, and I said, ‘OK!'” “Mine went on so long that Professor Dotger had to come in and say it’s over!”
“One challenge of this profession is when to make a call,鈥� observes Dotger.
He tells the class that at one time he wanted to be a Navy pilot on an aircraft carrier鈥斺€淚 thought that was cool鈥濃€攈ence the analogy he uses to explain that it鈥檚 the teacher who should end the encounter, using their authority: 鈥淲hen the conversation gets ugly or circular, call the ball. Land that plane.”
