Critical Incidents (CI) analysis : A new valuable tool for educators

The article by Fernandez Gonzalez , J. , Elórtegui Escartín, N. ,& Medina Perez, M. (2003) deals with the issue of using the critical incidents as a strategy for continual teaching development as well as for integrating theory and practice in Teaching English as a Foreign Language(TEFL) college. The term critical incidents (CI) mainly refers to the conflicting situations that take place within the classroom environment. The strategy previously mentioned is structured in four steps (a) description of context, (b) problem, (c) causes and (d) possible solutions. As the critical incidents analyzed in the article belong to some teachers´ real life experiences, they are taken as case studies.
After analyzing the article I believe that working with critical incidents is a valuable tool, which Methodology teachers at the TEFL college should make use of. They should lead case study debates in order to train future teachers for their practice not limiting it to the theoretical knowledge of the subject . In the real teaching practice, there are many situations a teacher must face that go beyond the knowledge of content. Life has become more difficult in the last years, with parents working endless hours and children being left too much on their own. This situation inevitably takes its toll on the students’ behavior and attitude towards teachers and adults in general. If teachers are prepared with these critical incident strategies, they will surely be in a better position to deal with the difficulties that may, eventually, arise.
I also find it a very useful resource for departmental meetings at schools. Heads at schools should devote some time to the discussion of real critical incidents that may have taken place at that school. Some teachers would also tell the rest of their colleagues how they managed the situation, and thus, the whole staff would profit from the experience. In my case, I always discuss these issues with the rest of the teachers at the staffroom during breaks and I generally listen to my senior colleagues’ advice.
To conclude, I must say that to be able to work with case studies is a great advance in Education. I know that it has been a technique applied in other courses of studies like Business Administration or Medicine but, before attending English for Academic Purposes (EAP), I did not know it could also be implemented in my field.

References

Fernandez Gonzalez , J. , Elórtegui Escartín, N. ,& Medina Perez, M. (2003) Los incidentes críticos en la Formación y Perfeccionamiento del Profesorado de Secundaria de Ciencias de la Naturaleza . Revista Interuniversitaria de Formación de Profesorado , vol.17, número 001 , Universidad de Zaragoza, España . pp. 101-112.