How to Apply the Critical Incidents Technique in my Classroom

In this paper, you will find a practical sample event of my personal experience and the application of Critical Incidents. I am really looking forward to reading your comments, your similar personal events and critiques.

As Moon (2000) pointed out, adults tend to be influenced by their peers’ opinions, the methods used in the classroom and the feelings for the teachers. The role of the teacher seems to be very important in selecting the appropriate learning materials and creating a positive learning atmosphere. This is sometimes not enough to enjoy the process of learning. I have a group of five adult students at a pre-intermediate level. They started last year, with an elementary level course. They got good marks; they enjoyed the classes, always did their homework, and had fun with songs and a karaoke party they participated in. Moreover, they had a fabulous final oral exam in which they prepared a mini-play to present the majority of the topics.

 Everything seemed perfect and this year they continue with this rhythm and enthusiasm. But there is a thirty-four year old woman who is shy and hardly ever participates. Her sister, who attends the same class, told me that she did not like the presence of one of her partners, so I talked to her and we could deal with the problem. I made her understand that it is positive to learn from others’ weaknesses and strengths; learning a language has a main purpose and it is to communicate within a society.

 Then I was told she did not like being with one of the other boys since he talked a lot and she felt distracted. I had a serious conversation with the boy so as to solve this issue and things appeared to be stable again. After some time, one of the women of the class decided to start a one-to-one course since she had a grave argument with this student (because they were close friends and had a row as regards personal problems) and the group felt relieved after she left because the atmosphere had ceased to be pleasant. In conclusion, she had had problems with three out of four (without including her!).

Last week we underwent another of the series of crisis: she gave me the progress test empty. She argued it had been utterly difficult for her and she waited for the group to finish it in silence. She added she had been studying for the test for several days and we had done revisions and mock exams, but nothing seems to be enough. The group has had a normal outcome in the test and she felt upset with this piece of information. Needless to say, she was absent the following class and she told her sister she was thinking of abandoning the classes since the pace of them are not coherent with hers. She wants to attend classes alone. Can you imagine those classes? Will she want to argue with me as there is not anybody else?

I have been taught that adults are not as enthusiastic as children, but I have also seen that adult learners are not sent to classes, they come because they are really interested in learning. It does not seem to be the case with the one I described above. I truly believe she comes to classes because her two other sisters come to learn and enjoy this process. I have tried everything I considered convenient to keep her and the rest of the pupils motivated; for example I used language at their level, gestures or pauses to give them time to think. As Harmer (2001)explained,  a clear feedback on their responses was given, visual support to show I understood what they say, modeling for them to do activities, and most importantly, moving from concrete to abstract, from known to new.

Some of the questions that come to my mind are: Does she have a problem to socialize with people that impedes the development of English? Can I find a solution or wait until she wants to find a way of undertaking this inconvenient situation? Must she take individual classes? Must she try to learn from others? My challenge is to develop the ability to observe the way they are working to plan and provide support more sensitively and flexibly based on their constantly changing needs. It is helpful to discover the students’ expectations about the role of the teacher as these may be different from what we predicted. Finding out more about the pupils helps to create a more harmonious working atmosphere. Creating a sense of confidence and self-esteem will be useful to create a better environment in this group and they will feel free to experiment and take risks.

References

Harmer, J (2001).The practice of English language teaching. Longman.

Moon, J (2000). Children learning English. Macmillan Heinemann.

How to Apply the Critical Incident Technique as a Classroom Resource

This is the second paper I will share with this community. In this paper, the theory and application of critical incidents technique is discussed and analyzed. I am looking forward to reading your comments and critiques.

Critical incidents are an essential strategy teachers must know how to use to be able to react when facing similar situations already experienced. Moon (2000) claims that there are many different problems the teacher may face in the classroom, and if he/she had received instruction of practical ways of solving them, it will be much easier to find solutions. Theoretical instruction together with practical instruction is a key element for teachers to solve complex events in a natural way.

When we encounter a difficult situation in the classroom, we should be able to know how to react and find a didactic solution. To deal with the problem, it is necessary to follow a series of steps. First, we should describe the context in which the situation has taken place. Description of the students’ and teacher’s characteristics should be provided as well as the topics included in the syllabus. The name of the school and some of its features can be included if relevant. Secondly, we must describe the problematic situation; that is to say, the report of the complex situation experienced in the class. Thirdly, possible causes of this issue should be given. They can be related to the student, the teacher, the group or any other component of the class. Finally, we should try to find some possible solutions to put into practice.

Some of the most common sources of conflict are the teachers. Their behavior and attitude may affect on students’ discipline. Teachers should not be unprepared or inconsistent and they should try to give interesting lessons. Teachers must be the first to seem interested in the topics they are teaching and they should care about the students’ reactions. The other main cause of conflict may be the students. They might have several reasons to be uncomfortable with the classes. Personal problems may be an important cause for their distraction as well as internal group conflicts. Adolescents may want to be noticed and behave disruptively with the only purpose of being recognized. “A lot depends on how the student views the class, the teacher, the subject being learnt” (Harmer, 2001, p.251).

There are a number of different actions a teacher can do to solve or avoid problems. Acting immediately after the conflict has taken place is a suitable way of dealing with them. If the problem is related to boredom in the class, changing activities would be a positive course of action. Talking to the members of the class and discussing the possible changes to develop a better atmosphere are always good ways of dealing with difficulties.  Talking to other teachers may also help since they can see the incident from another perspective.

In conclusion, reflecting about critical incidents is a valuable way of dealing with possible prospective problems we may have. Having seen other views and proposals would make our job easier if we encounter difficulties. These teaching strategies will be useful for our entire career since problems will never cease to exist.

References

Harmer, J (2001).The practice of English language teaching. Longman.

Moon, J (2000). Children learning English. Macmillan Heinemann.

Fernández González, J., Elótergui Escartín, N., Medina Pérez, 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, año/vol.17, número  001. Pp. 101-112. http://redalyc.uaemex.mx/redalyc/src/inicio/ArtPdfRed.jsp?iCve=27417107

Swales’ Requirements of a Discourse Community

This is the first paper out of three that will be written for the EAP class (English for Academic Purposes) in 2011. In the first assignment, Swales' requirements for a Discourse Community are analized and terms are defined so as to have a first glimpse of the concept and its main features.

Swales (1990) considered that a discourse community should meet six basic requirements. As regards the first characteristic stated, which refers to the group’s common goals, Clark (1994) describes “[the members of a discourse community] …determine the beliefs and purposes they will share” (as cited in Kelly-Kleese, 2001, p.61).

As for the second characteristic, which mentions participatory mechanisms that provides information and feedback, Kelly -Kleese (2001) states that there is a triad among readers, writers and texts, but in this triad the readers have a passive role since they do not have power to correct or criticize the texts and the writers have the real power. She reveals that members of a discourse community should have equal access to discourse that establishes the goals they have in common. Clark (1994) adds that these communities “tend to minimize or exclude the participation of some people as they establish the dominance of others” (as cited in Kelly-Kleese, 2007, p.61).

The third element of Swales’ (1990) basic criteria is connected to information exchange; the members should be intercommunicated. Hoffman-Kipp (2003) mentions the need for social action in these groups as well as Kelly-Kleese (2007) who points out the idea of multiple allegiances in human discourse.

With reference to the last three elements in Swales’ list, they concern “community-specific genres-the group should use at least one genre to define their association, highly specialized terminology and high level of expertise” (Pintos, 2011, p. 13). Kelly-Kleese states “language is a social event that is defined, shaped and constrained by the culture of the setting in which it is used” (p.774) By using the language system, skilled groups will control other people’s view of social reality. The usage of words, the pronunciation and topics to discuss are the elements that define speech communities. Wenzlaff (2004) suggests group work since problems are solved better and goals are further achieved within a group than individually. He states that this is a key element to improve the teachers’ development.    

 A conclusion drawn by Katz (1997) is helpful to summarize the majority of Swales characteristics:

[ I]ts members have, over time, developed a common discourse that involves shared knowledge, common purposes, common relationships, similar attitudes and values, shared understandings about how to communicate their knowledge and achieved their shared purposes, and a flow of discourse that has a particular structure and style. (Katz, 1997, p. 200)

References

Hoffman-Kipp, P.,Artiles, A.J., & Lopez Torres, L. (2003). Beyond reflection: Teacher learning as praxis. Theory into Practice. Retrieved from

http: / /findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0NQM/is_3_42/ai_108442653

Kelly-Kleese, C. (2001) . Editor’s Choice: An open memo to Community College Faculty and Administrators. Community College Review. Retrieved from

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0HCZ/is_1_29/ai_77481463

Kelly-Kleese, C. (2004). UCLA community college review: Community college scholarship and discourse. Community College Review. Retrieved from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0HCZ/is_1_32/ai_n6361541

Wenzlaff, T. L., & Wieseman, K. C. (2004). Teachers need teachers to grow. Teacher Education Quarterly. Retrieved from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3960/is_200404/ai_n9349405

Welcome Message

First of all, I would like to thank my tutor Veronica Pintos (Universidad CAECE) who has introduced me to blogs and the concept of discourse community. I want to say I am proud to be writing a blog since I feel I am nearer to get my Licenciatura.

One of my aims to fulfill with this blog is to improve my writing skills so as to please my audience. I am also writing to develop academic writing skills. By the achievement of these goals, I will be able to continue studying English as a second language in a more proficient manner and gain a master's degree. 

In this blog, I am going to write about English for Academic Writing and English for Specific Purposes. The first writings will deal with the requirements that a discourse community should meet, a journal entry on an article about critical incidents, and a critical incident report on my teaching practice.