Critical Incidents in Nursing: the Case of Homophobic Prejudice - Essay Example

Description and Analysis of the Critical Incident two The occurrence of the second critical analysis was when one of the nursing group I had arranged, the nursing group A, displayed the case of homophobic prejudice. It was on a Tuesday afternoon when I handed out gander posters to the class so that they can later discuss them in their previously arranged small groups. One of the gander posters was of a homophobic nature, and the groups had to discuss the posters in detail. Group A had a composition of five female students who had different ethnicities and religious backgrounds. As I was going round the groups to inquire on the progress of their discussion, I walked into a heated debate in that particular group. One of the girls had a very prejudiced outlook and was making homophobic remarks that appalled the rest of the group members. In my shock over her remarks, I admonished the student and clearly told her that such kind of remarks she was making were of an insulting nature and, therefore, unacceptable. In critically analyzing the critical incident, I had to evaluate the situation from different angles. It was in the effort of trying to uncover a new aspect of the situation, not just my own understanding of the issue at hand. The objective is in creating awareness concerning the situation. It provides a way of differently handling the incident. The use of the thinking strategies provided by Tripp forms a useful and comprehensive manner of critically analyzing the incident with nursing group A (Tripp 2011, p. 145). The discussion involved the analysis of gander posters I gave out to the class groups. The occurrence with group A was not out of the ordinary because one of the posters was of a homophobic nature. It increased the likelihood of a discussion in the groups that was of a homophobic nature. It means that it was not entirely the fault of the student who felt strongly on the homophobic material, because I, as their teacher, gave the poster to them for discussion. Considering that there was a possibility of a heated discussion on the homophobic material that could raise negative remarks, I could have been less shocked and handled the situation in a better way. The school accepts diversity and promotes equality among all in the school. An alternative to the situation would have been the encouragement of other members to have more understanding to the views of the student in question. She had a right to have diversity and a different opinion than the rest of her peers. On the positive side, the group had full attention to the discussion and they were all actively engaging in discussing the posters. Consideration of Own Context Area and the Appropriate Context-Specific Pedagogy The critical incident touched on the homophobic context in the classroom. The fact that the school encourages the promotion of equality and diversity in the classroom means that the students have the freedom of speaking out their minds on the topic. The posters handed out to the class, however, had an image of a homophobic nature. It means that the student felt like she had the freedom to reveal her homophobic remarks openly to her peers. The teaching process should have the following of an anti-homophobic pedagogy. It involves encouraging the students in speaking out their ideas while at the same time passing the message that there is no harm in being different. The speaking out of the issues of a homophobic nature has encouragement because all students, whether straight or not, have an equal consideration in the school. The pedagogy insists on relentlessly deploying anti-homophobic agendas in the classroom, and not simply hushing them among the students. Relevance of the Critical Incident to Theories of Learning and Inclusive Practice The critical incident presented a case of a homophobic reaction of a student. The reaction appalled the rest of the peers, and shocked me immensely that I strictly silence the student in question. Homophobia has the conceptualization of having an extensive ego-defensive functionality that protects the unconscious anxiety of a person to experiencing any form of homosexual impulses. From a social sense, homophobia reinforces a positive attachment feeling to a group that has hostility towards homosexuals. The social cognitive learning theory is an applicable teaching theory in this critical incident analysis. The theory has insistence on the observation and modelling of the attitudes, behaviors and the emotional reactions of other people. It helps in the better understanding of other people. Through the observation and learning of the behaviors of other people, it is possible to have a guide for the action we must take in dealing with a particular situation. Through the application of this theory, I would have used a better method of dealing with the student instead of relying on my own judgment and feelings. Impact of the Critical Incident on my Teaching Practice The critical incidence presented me with a rare opportunity where I had to deal directly with the issues of homophobic behavior in my class. I realize that through critically analyzing the situation, there is a high probability that I would have resolved the incident differently instead of hurriedly hushing up the student for making homophobic remarks. The issue of homosexuality will always exist, especially in the classroom. The incident made me have the awareness of the extent of the existence of homophobic behavior and reactions in the class, and through the analysis, I am now able to deal with a repeat of the situation in a more tolerant manner. Instead of ordering the student to stop voicing her homophobic opinions to her peers, I should have encouraged her peers to understand her point of view so as to encourage diversity in the classroom. Additionally, in the efforts of stopping the homophobic attitude, the address of the issues raised by the student in the class could have made the students understand that it is acceptable to have a different lifestyle and opinion. Conclusion Through the analysis of the critical incident, it is possible to assess the situation from different perspectives. The aim of this is to find out the various acceptable ways in which the incident could have had a better reaction and outcome. Through critically analyzing the incident, I realized that the incident had other ways of solving it when dealing with the situation where a student had homophobic remarks. Through the recognition that people have diverse ways of thinking and assessing issues, the analysis of the incident made me aware of the anti-homophobic pedagogy that I can use in the teaching practice so that I can avoid such an incident in the future. Bibliography Tripp, D., 2011. Critical Incidents in Teaching (Classic Edition): Developing Professional Judgement. New York: Routledge. Read More