Lauren Brine Student ID: 110231802

Analysis of critical incident through

educational perspectives
When building incorporative and engaging environments teachers should utilise
multiple educational perspectives to explore contemporary issues that cater for all learners
(Soto 2000, p.19). Through analysing a specific past critical incident this essay will explore
three key perspectives that teachers can utilise to reflect on their pedagogical strategies.
Through personal experience as a year 3 student in a multigrade year 3/4 classroom the
teacher conducted a discussion activity based on the students’ knowledge of the narrative text
by Lewis Carroll ‘Alice in Wonderland’. In the activity the students were situated in a class
group mat format with the teacher having the students call out their answers for her to write
on the whiteboard. Analysing this experience through a post-structural, post-colonial and
post-humanist lens there are significant aspects of this incident that can be critically explored.
From a post-structural perspective the pedagogical fish philosophy utilised in this activity can
clearly be altered to support the wide variety of learning styles and knowledge held by
individual student cultures. Building the cultures in the classroom environment is the focus of
a post-colonial perspective as the Western activity and strategies the teacher implements
restricts the active engagement of students in the learning. The last perspective that will be
evaluated expands on the post-humanist ideas that could be incorporated into this multigrade
environment to scaffold students in activities through altering the striations and structure of
the classroom.

Post-Structural Perspective

When analysing my experience from a post-structural perspective I can clearly make

links to Canella’s and Bourdieu’s theories of learning. Evaluating the multigrade discussion
experience through the post-structural lens of Canella’s theory it can be inferred that the
teacher did not take into account the multiple ways of learning and varying cultural
knowledge of the multigrade class (Nolan & Raban 2015, p.7). The teacher further controlled
what was perceived as knowledge in the discussion, looking for a restricted correct oral
answer that prevented the varying individual structural understandings of the world held by
the students to be taken into account. From a post-structural viewpoint the teacher did not
engage students’ learning styles and knowledge that had been developed from a range of
economic, social and linguistic structures, instead the activity privileged a white, western
Lauren Brine Student ID: 110231802

culture idea (Youdell 2006, p.35). Foucault, a prominent theorist in post-structuralism,

identifies student’s individual identities in the classroom as being influenced by the politics
of stories told by the societies and individuals that students are exposed to in their culture
(MacNaughton 2005, p.3). In the split grade classroom example the teacher gives greater
status to certain stories, specifically white western identities, as she conducts a lesson that
requires students to recall major narrative themes in a debate style activity. In future teaching
practices the teacher could utilise post-structural ideas and adapt the debate activity to reflect
the important propositions highlighted by Canella, Foucault and Bordieu through a greater
consideration into the student’s individual contexts and home worlds (Grenfell & James,
1998, p. 12 cited in Comber 2005, p.48). In my future pedagogical teaching I will cater to
these individual cultures through utilising resources, such as the smartboard in the room that
allow students to visually display their answers. Moreover, I will build more open
experiences that allow students to develop their ever shifting conventions through bringing in
knowledge built from, what Bordieu titled their home worlds (MacNaughton 2005, p.61).
Employing pedagogical strategies that reflect on different cultural ideas on a specific topic
paired with an array of learning styles (oral, written, visual and kinaesthetic) is a major
strength of the post-structuralist perspective as it highlights the importance of implementing
more inclusive experiences that takes into account the students individual cultures that may
not necessarily be centred in a white western idea.

Post-Colonial Perspective

As like many educational practices and systems the multigrade experience evaluated
in this essay has origins and structures in western colonial viewpoints (Crossley & Tikly
2004, p.149). From a postcolonial perspective Chow highlights the importance of shifting this
western focus to develop the wide variety of cultures that stretch beyond the geographical
borders of the classroom (Chow 1993, cited in Subedi & Daza 2008, p.2). In the multigrade
example the influence of Western education systems is clearly evident as the teacher creates a
restricted activity that focuses solely on a European text – Alice in Wonderland, and a
Western comprehension assessment. As the teacher places a dominant view on Western
understandings of narrative texts, the interpretation of students cultural viewpoints are
othered, a deferential practice that Viruru expands on in their text (Viruru 1005, cited in
Subedi & Daza 2008, p.2). Through a post-colonial perspective, Viruru outlines the
importance of decolonizing knowledge in the class environment, a practice that could easily
be incorporated in the multigrade example through the use of comparative pedagogical
Lauren Brine Student ID: 110231802

strategies (Viruru 1005, cited in Subedi & Daza 2008, p.2). When the teacher has the students
evaluate and reflect on narrative texts they could integrate more culturally responsive
resources, such as ‘Mirror’ by Jeannie Baker (Baker 2010). This particular resource shares a
story that is told across English and North African contexts which can be used to build a
broader vision of the narrative text type and to develop the students understanding of society
through creative tools (Baker 2010; Crossley & Tikly 2004, p.150). I would personally utilise
this text type in my future pedagogical teaching to bring the dominant view away from the
Western standards and to further scaffold the students towards the role of narratives around
the world. This type of activity could bring in the role of stories in students individualistic
cultures and their extensive funds of knowledge gained through their contexts (Anderson et
al. 2017, p.21). Anderson et al. builds on the importance of student’s culturally developed
funds of knowledge in a post-colonial classroom environment as they expand into play based
activities that emphasise cultural activities (Anderson et al. 2017, p.25). Vygotsky’s socio-
cultural theory can be explored in a post-colonial perspective as he highlights the cultural
tools that are developed through the student’s social values, customs and beliefs that shape
their identity in the classroom (Woolfolks & Margretts 2013, p.67). In the multigrade
example the teacher could utilise demonstration and modelling techniques to further scaffold
the students during the debate style activity by having them bring their funds of knowledge of
how imaginative narrative text types are displayed and told in different cultures (Anderson et
al. 2017, p.25). Moreover, it is important to consider the division of power in the classroom
when evaluating the experience from post-colonial perspective. The division of power refers
to the importance and dominance different cultures have within the students learning, a
definition highlighted in Kumaravadivelu’s text (Kumaravadivelu 1999, p.468). When
implementing a post-colonial perspective in relation to the division of power the teacher
needs to be careful to not fall into a tokenistic pedagogical practice where different cultures
are given a short analysis that is solely centred on one aspect of the rich culture.

Post-Humanist Perspective

The Post-humanist perspective examines the agency, and relationship between critical
aspects of intra-activity, rhizomes and striations of the classroom environment. Weaver
effectively defines post humanism as inviting voices, materials, objects and organic sentient
beings to construct a new ground of thought into educational field (Weaver 2010, p.189 cited
in Baltimore 2016, p.470). The following analysis of the multigrade classroom example
draws on Weaver’s post humanism definition paired with the scholarly works of Snaza and
Lauren Brine Student ID: 110231802

Taguchi to effectively identify the role of post-humanism in this particular classroom

environment. When evaluating the educational environment of the multigrade structure the
teacher incorporated many strict striations with the tables being utilised solely for silent
individual learning and the mat area for debate style whole class discussion. This restricted
the learning and agency of students during different activities and, from a post-humanist
perspective, neglected transformative pathways of learning (Taguchi 2014, p.80). Taguchi
further built on another key aspect of a post humanist perspective which encompassed the
role of materials in a classroom environment that should be utilised to branch students
thinking into more critical learning (Taguchi 2014, p.80). The multigrade classroom
environment relied on only a couple of materials that were solely used by the teacher during
the activity, the whiteboard and white board markers, a pedagogical practice that doesn’t
effectively integrate post humanist perspectives. An alternative strategy that the teacher could
utilise that would incorporate an ontological post humanist perspective would see the teacher
utilise technology as an alternate pathway for students to become part of the debate, bringing
in other perspectives that they actively combine with their own during the activity. This type
of practice can be seen highlighted in Bayne’s text, centred on post humanist strategies, to
incorporate digital technologies in the classroom environment (Bayne 2004, p.304). In my
personal future pedagogical teaching practice I will strive to incorporate post-humanist
perspectives into my activities and class environments through the utilisation of both man
made (such as technology) and organic materials. It is highlighted in Brad Petitfils text that
there are multiple subjective possibilities that are becoming available for students and
teachers, all mediated through digital technologies (Petitfils 2016, p.471). In my future
classroom environment I will ensure to include technology rich areas which students can
freely interact with during activities and a range of different work areas (such as bean bag
area, collaborative table areas and mat areas) which students are able to freely move between.
By having these areas available for students will create a ‘flow’ in the environment where
students will be able to build belonging in the class as they explore their individual learning
styles (Bayne 2004, p.303). However, there is an argument against removing striations from
classrooms, especially when integrating a digital learning space. In Bayne’s text on digital
spaces in educational learning environments they highlight how the use of striations gives
students much needed structure which they may not have in their digital or everyday lives
(Bayne 2004, p.304).
Lauren Brine Student ID: 110231802

In conclusion, when conducting a thorough evaluation of a singular critical incident in

the multigrade environment through a post-structural, post-colonial and post-humanist
perspective lens there are key aspects that should be incorporated into this narrative activity
to ensure that all students have a wealth of opportunity to actively engage within the learning.
When focusing on post-structuralist ideas the teacher should ensure that they do not ‘other’
certain learning styles and cultures while privileging others in activities, instead building
open opportunities for all individual learners to become actively involved through a range of
alternate pathways. From a post-colonial perspective the teacher needs to ensure that they
actively shift the classroom focus from a centred Western viewpoint and incorporate other
cultures in meaningful ways, avoiding ‘tokenistic’ snapshot activities. Finally, from a post-
humanist viewpoint the teacher should utilise a combination of striations and ‘flow’ within
the classroom to give the students the opportunity to explore their learning in varying formats
while still keeping supportive structures within the classroom.

Word Count: 1,812

Lauren Brine Student ID: 110231802

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