Reflecting upon the teaching profession

Reflecting upon the teaching profession

Many times teachers believe that there are not useful tools to reflect upon their teaching practices. Nonetheless, along the following paragraphs, the Critical Incident Technique (CIT), which is a useful method of teaching thinking, will be explained. Furthermore, many terms related to critical incidents will be defined, and many areas in which CIT could be applied will be analyzed.

According to Flanagan (1954), the Critical Incident Technique is a set of procedures used to collect direct observations of human behavior. They are gathered so as to facilitate their potential usefulness in solving practical problems and developing broad psychological principles. This technique selects the incidents which are relevant as well as those that meet an established criterion.
An incident is an observable human event which is considered complete in itself to allow inferences and predictions to be made about the person in charge of that activity (Flanagan, 1954). In order to be critical, an incident should take place in a situation where its purpose is clear enough to the observer, and where its results are as much as precise as possible.
The word objectivity refers to the manner some independent observers judge the same incident. The Critical Incident Technique does not consist of a set of rules, but of a flexible set of principles that could vary depending on the situation which is about to analyze (Flanagan, 1954). The main idea is that these principles are not totally set before hand.
By general aim is meant a concise statement which takes into account those objectives which most people would agree (Flanagan, 1954). The authorities in each field are in charge of defining the general aims which are obtained with the purpose of reaching an agreement among the participants. If the general aims, while working with CIT are formulated, observers will know what it is necessary to do and not to do. In this way, if they understand what they are expected to accomplish, they will judge the situation successfully.
Whenever a general aim is designed, it is essential to follow some steps. First of all, it is necessary to specify the situation to be observed, such as the conditions, the people, the place and the activities. After the delimitation of the situation, it is convenient to analyze if the observed behavior is relevant or not. The next step is to decide if the critical incident makes a significant contribution to the general aims of the activity. Finally, it is required to select and train the observers who will make and report the judgements (Flanagan, 1954). The more familiar they are with the activity, the better decisions they will make.
Once the general aims have been designed, the data collection phase will take place. It is important to obtain recent events so as to ensure that the incidents represent what actually happens in the real world. There are four procedures used to collect data. One of them is the use of interviews, which requires trained people who could explain to the observers what data should be collected. Another method is the group interview which has been developed in order to lower the cost in time and personnel. The next one is the questionnaire which is needed when the group is mostly large. The last procedure is called the record form, which is done by writing records of the observed incident (Flanagan, 1954).
After taking into account the four procedures used to gather data, the group interview seems to be the most appropriate way of collecting data within the educational field. This procedure is useful because personal contact is always available and explanation on the part of the interviewer is provided to all the members of the observed group. Furthermore, all the members could interact with each other and have a voice to be heard.
According to Flanagan (1954), the data analysis is ultimately used for practical purposes. Therefore, data should be summarized and described as efficiently as possible in order to obtain a reference of what is being done in a proper way and what is not. Critical Incident Technique can be applied to many different and varied areas only if the obtained samples are representative, the judges are well-qualified and the procedures used to observe and gather incidents are accurate.
One of the areas is measures of typical performance, where the emphasis is placed on the preparation of a particular procedure to evaluate the typical performance of people engaged in this activity. The second one is measures of proficiency, where CIT is useful because it allows checking if proficiency along the training course is maintained or not. The third area is training, in which special training programs and materials are developed. Selection and classification is another one, where CIT is also applied to predict performance within a job (Flanagan, 1954).
The Critical Incident Technique could be applied to even more areas, which are going to be described below. To begin with, the job design and purification area, in which it is intended to maximize the effectiveness of performance. The next one is operating procedures, where data is analyzed in order to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of operations (Flanagan, 1954).
Another area is called equipment design, in which CIT provides a useful way of collecting a large amount of critical incidents related to the operating experience, and in this way it allows the design of equipments. The last one is motivation and leadership, where CIT is a valuable source for the study of attitudes, in the sense that it does not only contain data on opinions, but also factual data encouraging future choices and decisions (Flanagan, 1954).

As a conclusion, the Critical Incident Technique could be applied to many areas, such as education. It is a useful and effective method of reflective practice. It does not only provide observers with data about the observed situation, but it also helps them to solve practical problems. If the event is properly collected and analyzed, CIT is an effective way of reflecting upon our practices and making decisions about what should be changed or what should remain within our teaching experiences.




Reference
Flanagan, J. (1954). The Critical Incident Technique. Psychological Bulletin, 51-4. Retrieved September 2009, from http://www.apa.org/psycinfo/special/cit-article.pdf