Critical incident analysis: reflections of a teacher educator

As a teacher educator I consider myself an advocate for research-informed education, and strongly believe that it starts with one’s own critical self-reflection and analysis of one’s own teaching practice. Critical incident analysis is a pedagogical theory developed by Tripp (1993), whose analytical approaches allow reflection on teaching situations – ‘the critical incident’ – so that teachers can develop their professional judgments and practices. This article examines the concept of critical incident analysis through a teaching situation, with the aim of improving the teaching practice of students on teacher education programmes. I conclude that although critical incident analysis is a useful tool in navigating teaching practices, often challenges need to be addressed at much broader levels than the teaching context itself.

Reflections on inclusion: how far have we come since Warnock and Salamanca?

In England, inclusion has once again become a much discussed topic following the publication of the 2015 Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Code of Practice. There have been successes and improvements in inclusion since the Warnock Committee first published its findings on special educational needs in 1978, but many argue that these improvements are not enough. When the state of inclusion today is compared to the ideals advocated by both the Warnock Report and the Salamanca Statement it is clear that the education system has fallen short of the expectations outlined in these documents. There have been efforts to reduce the level of segregation between special schools and mainstream schools such as the establishment of resourced provisions, but these settings often have their own difficulties when considering inclusion.