Critical incidents in teaching and learning

A useful tool for reflecting on teaching is the identification of 'critical incidents'. A critical incident may be a commonplace, everyday event or interaction, but it is 'critical' in that it stands out for you. Perhaps it was problematic, confusing, a great success, a terrible failure, or captures the essence of what you are trying to achieve in teaching and learning.

A description of a critical incident generally includes:

• the context (time of day, location, social context)
• as much detail of what happened as you can remember (who said or did what)
• what you were thinking and feeling at the time and just after the incident.

After writing down details of the critical incident, you might like to ask yourself why this incident stood out for you, what might have been going on at different levels and from different points of view at the time of the incident, and what you could learn from the experience that would help you to develop as a teacher. It is often helpful to reflect on critical incidents with a supportive colleague.

More information about this process can be found in Tripp, D. (1993) Critical Incidents in Teaching: Developing Professional Judgement. London: Routledge.

Previously published in
Issues of Teaching and Learning. Vol 2 No 8 November 1996