The Reflective Practitioner and Behaviour for Learning
TRIPP - Critical Incident Framework
The Reflective Practitioner and Behaviour for Learning
First, Farrell (2013) suggests that educators should examine and clarify the incidents they feel are crucial
for themselves or others in order to reflect on their experiences and related practices. An approach to managing
behaviour in schools that is centred on rules, rewards, and sanctions has been supported for a long time by national
policy and guidance. For example, the Elton Report stated: ‘it is considered that the best way to reassure good
standards of behaviour in a school is a clear code of conduct backed by a balanced combination of rewards and
punishments within a positive community atmosphere’. (DES 1989: 99) (p.18). Subsequent guidance has typically
reinforced this message.
For most schools, rules, rewards, and sanctions tend to form the operational core of their behaviour policies, and for
most readers, these are likely to represent the aspect of the policy’s application with which they are most directly
involved during their day-to-day practice. Within the last Labour government’s School Discipline and Pupil-Behaviour
Policies (DCSF 2009), two sections entitled ‘Promoting and rewarding good behaviour’ and ‘Punishing poor behaviour—
use of disciplinary sanctions’ made it clear there was an expectation that rewards and sanctions would form a central
part of a school’s policy. In addition, my school’s behaviour management policy’s expectations were as follows: It is
expected that students always show respect to each other and all elders in the school, and most importantly, critically
evaluate my own classroom practice plus related policies and guidance using the theoretical framework related to
behaviour for learning, narrow down to analyse a particular theme, and Ultimately, by discussing and observing these
crucial occurrences, educators can better comprehend the seemingly disparate experiences that arise in their
pedagogical work (Farrell, 2013; Hernandez and Endo, 2017)(p.18).
This is because they embrace actual knowledge in the form of individual expertise, experience, and intuitive
knowledge developed over years of teaching in classrooms and school premises, so fundamentally, we reflect
when we're perplexed, unsettled, and emotionally unsettled by subjects, events, and situations that we don't fully
understand, and second, that we do so in order to re-establish our emotional equilibrium (Dewey 1944: 150) p. (193).
This essay will reflect on three different critical incidents in my classroom. I will use Tripp’s methodology of critical
incidents to focus on the reasons for students’ different behaviours and to analyse the reasons behind their actions
based on various elements. Teachers and educators can guide students’ development of a decision-making schema by
providing opportunities for students to reflect on authentic teaching experiences with feedback. This study examined
the effectiveness of an instructional tool, The Critical Incident (Tripp, 1993).
By using Tripp’s methodology it allows me as a teacher accumulate experience and add new methods to act up
effectively in classroom, furthermore using this specific methodology is different from other reflection models such as:
Schon’s “Reflection in action”(Schon 1991) and Brookfield’s four lens system(Brookfield 1995), as it implies to think and
reflect on the past practice instead of thinking deeply on a futuristic plan to move forward towards a better class
practice , an addition point is I will use Gibbs’s reflection model and add it to my reflection plan, because it’s cycle of
steps to help me gradually combine all elements of critically and profoundly understand what needs to be done in
various incidents , then comes the action plan where I can imagine how can I do differently in a professional and
educational procedures challenge my students. Differences in schools’ performance and improvement trajectories have
been related to both the levels of disadvantage in the community (Perry & McConney, 2010; Sammons et al., 2011) and
teachers’ expectations (Rubie-Davies, Flint, & McDonald, 2012). However, it has also been found that a positive school
ethos can ameliorate negative expectations that might be anticipated on the basis of a school’s socio-economic context
(Gibbs & Powell, 2012) (p. 4). To gain more in-depth look I will use Behaviour for learning frame work(B4L) Behaviour
for Learning Conceptual Framework (Ellis and Tod, 2015), to clarify how a teacher behaviour in classroom affects
students’ learning and attentiveness for example on incident No.2 it is showing how attentive learning and consistency
in addition to routine work has accomplished the hardcore obstacle and addressed the elephant in the room, in
contrast Inc.No.1 lack of engagement and speech barrier caused inability to address correctly and this is why exactly we
as teachers has the urge to critically analyse incidents that accrue in our classrooms, also show the difference between
the school that I am already employed in and different school policies around UK and UAE, as that will evaluate the
contrast and areas of similarities to help the learning and development of my accumulative learning process as a
teacher .
In the classroom, there are three core relationships identified from the original research (Powell and Tod 2004), starting
with relationships with others, relationships with oneself, and relationships with the curriculum. It explicitly recognises
and utilises the interdependence of the cognitive, social, and emotional aspects of learning and behaviour. The three
behaviour-for-learning relationships reflect the social, emotional, and cognitive factors that influence pupil behaviour
and learning. (p.18)
That is what will be discussed next by showing and analysing one incident that occurred in my classroom (Appendices
incident No. 1). The term ‘learning behaviour’ is placed at the centre of the triangle, indicating that the promotion of
learning behaviour provides a shared aim for teachers and others with responsibility for providing appropriate learning
experiences for children and young people. Within the Behaviour for Learning approach, an identified learning
behaviour provides the focus for assessment, intervention, and positive change. (p.37). Analysis- Why do you think it
happened? Firstly, in my opinion, child (j) came from a different country with no previous language knowledge; he left
all communities, such as family and friends; furthermore, his feeling anxious about leaving his father and mother
makes him feel abandoned. The problem was mainly a language barrier, and a lack of communication affected his
concentration.
As a teacher, we put our students as our priority, so we place emphasis on recognising and acknowledging ‘good’
behaviour. Though the central purpose is usually the management of behaviour, there is also likely to be an
accompanying intention to achieve this without damage to the teacher-pupil relationship or to the pupil’s emotional
wellbeing. (p.43). I was trying to help the student (j) grasp language naturally, work on a better connection and
relationship with the new surrounding environment, and engage with classmates. What action did I take? I use
challenge and motivation in every aspect of the classroom to address the language issue, such as implementing games
to enhance communication and language and singing rhymes in our daily routine. The importance of motivating pupils
is covered in the Teachers’ Standards (DfE 2011b), and to ‘Set high expectations that inspire, motivate, and challenge
pupils’ (DfE 2011b: 10), I implemented positive interactive relations between teacher and student by setting a
respectful way of interaction and helping the student to express his thoughts and ideas. Others responded variously. As
the class teacher, I’ve contacted parents to be part of our learning journey. In the beginning, they were disappointed
that student (j) didn’t show communication progress and his behaviour was becoming worse, so I explained that each
child has his own time to learn different subjects and his behaviour is due to a lack of ability to communicate. Then
they started to believe in the process till he started to communicate. In this essay, I will think more deeply about what
has influenced his behaviour to become incapable of having a smooth transition. For instance, his older brother is
having the same issue as per his parents: the environment of the class as it is multi-cultural. What I felt and what was
my role in this situation as per Gibbs’s cycle: I was able to create an environment where student (j) belongs to his
classroom, feel welcomed and relieved, furthermore encourage him to engage and learn, challenge student (j)
alongside his classmates, and set high boundaries. Use cooperative work and group work to allow more
communication language and in-depth knowledge. When I evaluate the incident and what happened, I realise that
parents wanted results as fast as possible, and that for me as a teacher, that was not a good matter, as I know from my
experience that every child has his own pace. In contrast, when student (j) started to talk, I was shocked and happy and
felt I had accomplished something incredible.
To analyse why it went wrong in the beginning, in my point of view, a pressure was made by parents; it put the student
under stress and confusion. After the parent meeting, we both agreed that they needed to let the student(j) take his
time first, so he started to showcase what he had been taught. In conclusion, having a good incident in the classroom
encourages me as a teacher to always believe in students’ capabilities; they can exceed our expectations. In future, I
will always meet with parents to understand the back story, seek help by a colleague or my direct coordinator, create
an individual plan that detailed and share it with my managers to be on the same page and have their full support, in
addition to bond with the student, as that will enable me as a teacher to proceed the correct approaches, last but not
least give myself and the students the appropriate time and space to learn , make mistakes, show likes and dislikes to
profoundly allow them to innovate and be themselves, instead of pressuring students to reach our expectations we
challenge and motivate and then we can see our students learning makes a difference and probably extends .
It is now necessary to get in depth with the different techniques such as: Gremler (2004), who explains introduced the
Critical incident technique (CIT) is one of the approaches used in various aspects on human behaviour in order to
collect, analyse and evaluate behavioural observations (Gremler, 2004), why would it be important for us as teachers?
The critical incident technique (CIT) has proven to be incredibly popular across many disciplines, enabling researchers
to examine specific incidents and assess their importance through qualitative discussions. Perceptions of interviewees
are accessed and the personal accounts are assessed for cognitive and behavioural components; this is one of
the primary characteristics of these qualitative interviews (Cottrell, 2017; Ramsey, 2006). The human activity that is
observable, significant, and informative in this case—that is, activities that allow the observer to draw conclusions—is
what would be considered critical incidents. According to Cassell and Symon (2004), in practical service studies,
the content that needs to be analysed in order to determine the underlying causes of a critical incident is obtained
through the collection of narratives from individuals who appear to be responsible for it. (Cassell and Symon, 2004),
further more Dealing with, and learning from, the variability of challenges can change understandings held by teachers
and educators, similar to the findings of Carter’s (2000) study in New South Wales, which highlights that educators’
ideals regarding teaching change over the course of their first year as teachers to accommodate a broader social
agenda. It was, evidently clear that the values that teacher educators hold can actually change, be extended and
elaborated in every day practice. These values come into pressure and conflict with the values circulating in teacher
education (Czerniawski 2010: 84)
Moving to another example of a critical incident occurring daily in teachers’ classrooms that coincidentally happened in
my classroom, it was described in detail in the appendix’s incident No. 2. That is why I will draw attention to this
incident, as it will relate to various detangled areas of teaching, such as inclusion practice, how we constantly
implement it in our classrooms, and negative behaviour addressed using positive methods. In this paper, I will analyse
and reflect using Tripp’s reflection framework, in addition to Gibbs’s reflection cycle, and describe why it happened and
evaluate whether it has had a good or bad influence on my teaching performance. I will also analyse the whole
situation in depth to detect the weak parts of how I deal with it. It is urging us to make an action plan to imagine next
steps and what the right action is to take in similar future situations. As discussed earlier, I will use Tripp’s reflection
framework, as it allows me to be more thorough, and I am using Gibbs reflection cycle to support my reflection and
empower the ideas I am trying to examine in this paper.
In my classroom, child (y) has poor communication and tends to direct his emotional anger into sort of violent actions
such as biting, scratching, and hair pulling. He couldn’t deliver his anger in a verbal way, such as by telling the teacher,
co-teacher, or even stopping the other child from taking the blocks; it took him a huge amount of energy and
screaming at the other child (m). I was trying to make a play group so that students could cooperate together and
explore and learn about sharing caring morals, so that I could implement positive manners. For me as a new teacher, I
lacked experience to have a better role and to be able to handle such a traumatising incident. I tried to act calm, and
my focus was on the harmed student (m) as I took the student to the nurse room. For the rest of the students, they
started to call my name. I contacted the manager to inform them about what happened, and then I contacted the
parents, as they were angry and wanted to call the police. I tried to explain to them what happened, and they said it
shouldn’t happen again. It was an incident that brought fear and sadness to the student. Instead of playing with friends
in groups, they had the fear they could get hurt. For me as a teacher, I started to question myself about my planning for
the activity and what evoked this student to act this way. I almost lost my job on the first day, so it affected my
confidence, and as per Gibbs reflection cycle to describe my feelings, I had miserable moments that day and constantly
thought about leaving my teaching position. I was scared about the injured student(s) and totally upset by my own
inability to stop the action and have the instinct to predict and separate both children into two separated groups, but I
was extremely confusing. I should’ve planned it better, maybe because it was my first day still, and I don’t know the
students well enough to judge, make a seating plan, or even put into consideration what would happen. I felt
afterwards that my manager had not given me sufficient time to compose myself and that she should have allowed me
to address my nerves. The situation left me very distressed, and I rang in sick the following week. It was only when I
reflected on the experience that I decided I needed to speak to my coordinator about the incident. I also realised later
that feeling nervous is a natural reaction to hard situations we face due to the feeling of responsibility towards all
students in the classroom plus ensuring their safety. which made me feel more accumulatively stressed.
on the evaluation part according to the Gibbs cycle, When I got to evaluate this incident, I realised that a lack of
experience could cause serious outcomes that would affect me and my teaching practice in the long term, but this
happens for a reason, to open our eyes and be attentive this incident taught me the hard way that ,students safety
begins with the first moment, it had a good reflect on me and the school I am working with ,as they implemented new
regulations and effective time in our daily circle time to implement good behaviour examples for all students. What
was not quite good that it didn’t give me a safe start off to the beginning of my work there, but that made me more
persistent to prove and to add change to all student and it becomes evident to me as a teacher before to anyone else.
My contribution was vague, it wasn’t evident in my practice either to prevent or to stop. I did not feel it got resolved at
the time of the incident, I thought it will take a worse turn of event.
To start with analysing this incident in particular, the reason it made that emotional and mental exhaustion is because
of the consequences and fear to lose everything, lose respect of parents in the first day of my job, lack of expertise and
experience bounced on my reaction to the incident and allowed it to affect me as a new teacher, rather than stop
panicking and thinking about my self only, I should’ve thought first of the child and acted up differently. Dealing with
situations like this immediately is preferable, as Cooper (2001) points out. Dewey makes a distinction between the
perspective of the adult and of the student. Children and student especially young learners are not conscious imitators
but process in their own way, the things they see, hear and feel the adult does. As stated earlier, a child is always active
and somehow this acting is enhanced by the action of the adult. The effect of this is, according to Dewey, that there are
constantly new provocations which are ‘richer, more complex in range, allowing more flexible edition, and calling out
innovative reactions’ (Dewey 1910: 307) (p.53). as it shown in this Studies of peer relationships have broadened the
scope of major developmental theories to capture new phenomena. Two stand out: attachment and socioconstructivist
theory. In attachment theory the main issues are emotional security in the teacher–child relationship and factors that
promote positive bonding among children (e.g., Howes 2011) (p.128), as it affects how student would react in different
situations when we build class with bonding activities and respect between each other. In the process of analysing to
get to know if I could’ve behaved differently, this question always comes to my mind for sure it is yes, I could’ve given
different activities to each table, so no children will fight, or probably read the policy of the school to know what is the
right steps that need to be taken in such incidents. When I sought out help from my coordinator that allowed her to
know what happened, what is the right action need to be taken. Having considered analysis we will now consider what
did I conclude out of this situation, I’ve learnt that bonding children starts from the first moment, as that will affect
their behaviour through the school year, student specially ages between 3- 6 years old they tend to act violently when
they lack communication and that could jeopardize the safety of the student , so implementing solutions for different
situations it is crucial for example : what to do if my classmate took my toy I should give the best way to act such as :
tell the teacher, share with my friend,..
When I think about what should I do in future situations, it is important to read policies thoroughly, plan for activities
that will support the idea of peer work, play time in group of students. Use circle time wisely to bond between students
using stories, rhymes. Make sure to take children to the outdoor play area as that release a large amount of the
negative energy inside and degrease stress in students. I will make direct and continuous contacts with student’s
parents and carers to check on how their behaviour in house and work cooperatively to embrace and encourage
positive behaviour. Reflecting on behaviour for learning:
Relationship with a student self: A student who feels hesitant as a learner and who has ‘internally feels’ that they will
not be able to succeed, constantly this learner will be likely to disengage and,as a result this may be more inclined to
present ‘unpleasant behaviours.
Relationship with other people: most ‘behaviour’ needs to be recognised as ‘behaviour in context.’ Pupil behaviour is
provoked as much by their interactions with others (student, teachers..) as it is by factors internal to them.
To conclude, based on a thorough examination, analysis, and discussion of relevant literature as well as actual
incidents, it is clear that critical incident deep reflection and analysis allows educators and practitioners to draw from
their own experiences to comprehend a specific incident in great detail. Although an incident may have been
confusing or positive, it still demonstrates multiple layers of consciousness and aids in bridging the personal with the
social and cultural dimensions. This practice of reflecting on one's own and one's career's experiences as a teacher
can therefore be a rich source of information generated by teachers, allowing them to consider their career paths,
methods of instruction, underlying presumptions, problem-solving skills, and the beliefs and values that
have guided past and present practices.
Stories and discussions about teaching, in the opinion of Harrison and Lee (2011), can aid in the discovery of
relevant strategies to address issues that many new teachers face. It emphasizes that the critical incident analysis
is the best tool for capturing these kinds of teacher-specific experiences. In this context, any unforeseen and
unexpected event that occurs inside or outside of the classroom that is vividly remembered can be considered the
critical incident. "Incidents only really become critical when they are subject to this conscious reflection," according to
the literature in this context (Harrison and Lee, 2011, p. 212). It emphasizes how these kinds of things can lead
to a fresh perspective on their methods of instruction.
As teachers, we are able to explore and realize the inner knowledge that we hold, particularly the experience,
expertise, and personal intuitive knowledge that is based on the knowledge accumulated by them over years of
working as teachers. This is a tool that helps me as a teacher gain experience from what other teachers in the field
have gone through. Teachers are also able to make better sense of the random experiences from everyday teaching
practices when stories and incidents are told.
References list:
Behaviour for Learning Promoting Positive Relationships in the Classroom 2nd Edition Simon Ellis and Janet Tod (p.18).
ReflectiveCycleGibbs.pdf
Dewey, J. (1933). How we think: a restatement of the relation of reflective thinking to the educative process. Boston: D.
C.
Heath Critical incident analysis: reflections of a teacher educator
Behaviour for Learning | BISS Puxi (nordangliaeducation.com)
BIS-1 BEHAVIOUR MANAGEMENT POLICY 2023-24 (bisuae.ae)
Microsoft Word - wje-v8n5-neiye (ed.gov)
Behaviour for Learning | Promoting Positive Relationships in the Class (taylorfrancis.com)Ellis, S., & Tod, J. (2018).
Behaviour for Learning: Promoting Positive Relationships in the Classroom (2nd ed.). Routledge.
https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315232256
Critical incidents in teaching: Developing professional judgement - Murdoch UniversityTripp, D. (2012) Critical incidents
in teaching: Developing professional judgement, Routledge eBooks.
https://researchrepository.murdoch.edu.au/id/eprint/34526/.
Routledge international handbook of philosophies and theories of early childhood education and care : CCCU Research
Space Repository (canterbury.ac.uk)David, T., Goouch, K. and Powell, S. (2015) The Routledge International Handbook
of Philosophies and Theories of Early Childhood Education and Care. Routledge.
Critical Incident Analysis Technique to Examine the Issues Faced by the Individuals with Learning Disabilities Adel S.
Alanazi1, * 1 Special Education Department, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
*Correspondence: Special Education Department, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom. E-mail:
adel.s.al@hotmail.com Received: August 5, 2018 Accepted: August 31, 2018 Online Published: September 17, 2018
doi:10.5430/wje. v8n5p17 URL: https://doi.org/10.5430/wje.v8n5p17
Published by Sciedu Press 17 ISSN 1925-0746 E-ISSN 1925-0754
International Perspectives on Education
All rights reserved. This edition is protected by the Bulgarian Copyright Law (adopted 1993, amended 1994, 1998, 2000,
2002, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011). No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system,
without permission in writing from the Bulgarian Comparative Education Society and individual contributors.
© 2012 Bulgarian Comparative Education Society (BCES) © 2012 Nikolay Popov, Charl Wolhuter, Bruno Leutwyler,
Gillian Hilton, James Ogunleye, Patrícia Albergaria Almeida © 2012 Authors of individual contributions ISBN 978-95492908-1-3
Critical incident analysis: reflections of a teacher educator Ruksana Mohammed, University of East London
Appendices
No.1
Date
12/12/2022
Brief description of the incident- what
happened?
On the 12th of December, I had a student from
China (j), at the beginning of the year he had no
Knowledge of the English language before as his
parents described for example if the teacher
asked to repeat with her, he would not say,
moreover (j) was not participating in circle time
activities. Parents were seeking help to learn
English as fast as possible. What happened was I
started repeating words in front of him(j), the
basics such as door, friend, make a line... but (j)
has not shown a response to any of the learned
vocabulary.
So, on 12/12/2022 student (j) was standing in line
to go to the playground when another student
started to put his hands on (j) shoulder to push
others, the students started to get disorganized,
student (j) said I am standing in line he repeated 3
times, all students were in complete silence.
Analysis- Why do you think it happened?

What was the problem/difficulty?

What was I trying to achieve?

What action did I take?

What was the response of others?

What were the consequences?
-The problem was: The language barrier was
stopping student (j) from expressing his
emotions, capability to take part in classroom
activities, and engaging with classmates to make
language interactions.
-I was trying to achieve
progression in language clarity and conciseness
towards allowing student (j) to acquiree language
smoothly.
- I Made sure to surround student (j) with language
to be able to pick as much vocabulary as possible
such as: always mentioning what we are going to
do step by step slowly, I put him(j) with friendly,
verbal students who can formulate good language
composition, to allow him to engage and feel
much comfortable.
- In the beginning, parents were feeling
disappointed that their child has not started to
speak fluently yet, his classmates were using
signals to talk they would say while pulling his
hand time to eat, I will turn on the break time song
he will get to know it is time to eat.
- The consequences were vivid on his language
acquisition, as a student (j) after the day started to
pick up vocabulary fast with confidence and
naturally.
TRIPP - Critical Incident Framework 2
Date
Brief description of the incident - what
actually happened?
As a start on the 26th of August 2022, it was
my first day on my job in (x) nursery in
Dubai, and I started my day normally as
children were starting the year with me,
noticed a child behaviour differently and
more tending to use his hand to express
himself, first he hit another child and then
when we went to the play ground for the
children play time . The child (y) grabbed
another child in the playground from the
shirt, I talked to (y) and told him we cannot
do that to our classmates, then we came
back to our class and then we started using
the blocks for maths learning approach, the
child (M) tried to take the same block as the
(Y),in a snap the child (y) grabbed the same
child from the face and bite him on the
cheeks, I took (M) child and asked my coteacher to take care of class and went to the
nurse room, and then I went up and she
went down to the nurse.
Analysis - Why do you think it happened?
•
What was the
problem/difficulty?
•
What was I trying to achieve?
•
What action did I take?
•
What was the response of
others?
•
What were the
consequences?
- The child(y) has a communication problem,
he couldn’t deliver his anger in a verbal way
such as telling the teacher, co-teacher, or
even
• What feelings did it evoke in the
pupil(s)? Myself? Others?
stop the other child from taking the blocks,
me as a teacher had a negative position as
it was first day.
-I was trying to observe not to take an
action as that would jeopardise my job, but
that did not help both children neither
myself.
- I started by taking the child to the nurse
room, urgently contacted his mother to be
aware of what happened. - The response
was degraded between the father who
wanted to call police to sort it out and the
mother who said they are children, but
please make sure that never happens again.
-consequences were as follows: the nursery
contacted the child (y) parent and informed
them about what happened.
I made an everyday time in the middle of
circle time to address the no no actions as
biting, hitting, kicking, and what to do
when I am mad at my friend. Story reading
on no hitting, no biting in our classroom.
- The feelings were conflicted and confusing
for child(m) he was scared of what
happened to him. Me as their teacher were
scared, worried, guilt feelings were all over
me. The rest of the class were scared and
not happy about what happened.
-
Thinking more deeply move outside the
immediate context.
-
What were the external
contributing factors?
Lack of communication abilities for
both children, me as a teacher should’ve
taken an action to stop this action right
away.
•
-
•
Being reflective - what was
my role in the situation?
•
What is the greater
significance of this?
I should’ve stopped these actions
from the beginning as it wouldn’t has
escalated to become that horrific.
I was negative I did not take a real action I
thought it is only some bad behaviours we
•
What did this incident mean?
can address them later.
•
What is it an example of?
The actions were not addressed
•
How does it relate to
in the beginning
policy/practice? … was challenging
so it led to an awful situation where a child
or positive about the experience?
was harmed.
•
What might be the
The great significance was the
consequences of this action?
effect of this incident on the action
plan and behaviour plan for our class,
it let us speechless.
-
It meant children always will be
children but their behaviour and
action sometimes are unpredictable,
so as practitioners we need to be
observant and be cautious around
children, and teach them how to
express
themselves in an appropriate way.
It is difficult to formulate but implement
well, The biggest challenge in any policy
analyst role is a big decision.