EXPLORING THE USE OF THE CRITICAL INCIDENT AS A WAY OF ENCOURAGING REFLECTIVE PRACTICE IN PROFESSIONAL LEARNING SETTINGS

Abstract

This study examines the use by student teachers and their supervising senior teachers in partner secondary schools of critical incident analysis, as part of a required directed task for all student teachers on the one-year postgraduate education course at Leicester. Systematic analysis using evidence from students’ reflective writing about critical incidents, and one-to-one interview data, was carried out at the mid-point and end of year. Critical moments and their analysis emerge as professional ‘turning points’ for many student teachers. This is particularly so when professional learning conversations in relation to the critical incident also take place. Individuals’ choices of different writing structures as scaffolding devices for supporting the narratives and their analysis indicate high levels of personalization in learning. As an outcome, more structured support has been developed for many of the supervising teachers to raise their awareness of the importance of, and their skills within, professional dialogues, in order to enhance and deepen reflective practice.A ‘Reflection Framework’ used in the analysis of the written narratives shows considerable potential for further academic work in finding ways of supporting understanding of deeper reflective practice, which should be of interest in a variety of professional and vocational settings.