Discipline of noticing – the case of three university teachers

Classroom practice greatly relies on the experiences and observations of the teachers. We notice what students do, how they respond, we reflect on what is presented or done in the lectures or teaching materials in relation to learning outcomes. In the classroom we constantly notice, for example, we notice when students do not understand the lesson, we notice that students lose concentration, so during the lectures we give more attention to different methods and content of the lecture. Noticing these critical moments when we make, or might make, choices, and the disposition of alternative responses at hand, provides a way of informing and developing our teaching practice.
John Mason introduced the discipline of noticing (2002) as a systematic “method of sensitising oneself to notice possibilities for action” and change in the future through noticing. This methodology can be applied in the process of a teacher’s professional development. The process of becoming “more expert in the field” can be considered as a process of “broadening and deepening sensitivities to notice and to act” in the moment.
In the last 20 years there has been a significant amount of research dealing with the topic of teacher noticing. However, there aren’t many papers in which Mason’s methodology is used. In this talk we report on the experiences of three university teachers of mathematics from different faculties who implemented discipline of noticing in their own practice within the period of six months.