d. What differences are there between the consultants’ comments?
III. In light of this information, redo your initial analysis under I.
IV. Make a correlation between what you have learnt from the case and essential
pedagogic issues such as: discipline, assessment of learning progress,
emotional adaptation of pupils, levels of pupils’ preparedness for school, the
role of counsellors and other special services, teaching and professional
ethics.In his interpretation of critical incidents, Tripp (1993) suggests considering
methodological aspects meant to orient a practitioner towards appreciating several
qualitative variants:
- Choosing the thinking strategy. The reference perspective on the case is
given by the automatic or oriented use of one or more strategies^2 of the kind:
a. Non-events: help understand the importance of events and become
aware of the reasons for which other events failed to take place. This
strategy contributes to bring balance between achievements and what
needs to be done, with a constructive tension towards what must be
obtained in the short and mid term.
b. Plus, minus, interesting : there are positive and negative aspects in all
situations, and sometimes we only see the aspects that are relevant
under the circumstances or for a certain person. In any critical
incident the subject’s or narrator’s general position, his/her system of
reference and set of values become evident.
c. Alternatives, possibilities, and choices: giving credit to individual
options, with their consequences and means of carrying them out. It
is recommendable to provoke lateral thinking when in a critical
incident, so that we not ignore favourable openings due to the
general trend of opinion.
d. Another point of view : deliberately look for other points of view,
especially of people involved and who did not take part directly, but
are familiar with the actors and/or the fact itself. The contribution, be
it adjacent, of significant or experienced people is not to be
neglected.
e. Parts and qualities: we can see any fact of life as a sum of parts
(rational structural and relational approach).
f. Reversal: if we manage to think of the opposite or the converse of
the situation we can reach the configuration of alternatives worth
(^2) The strategies enumerated under the points b and g have been inspired by De Bono (1987) CoRT Thinking.
In: Tripp (1993), p. 44-46.