critical incident essay sample

Reflective Analysis of a Critical Incident Demonstrating Nursing Essay: Navigating Challenges and Rewards

How it works

In the dynamic healthcare environment, nurses often face situations that challenge their skills, knowledge, and emotions. One such critical incident stands out in my memory. Shaping my approach to nursing care and offering insights into my strengths and areas for growth. In any healthcare profession, there is an inherent commitment to always act in the patient’s best interest. This duty is intensified during critical incidents. In the scenario above, the immediate response to initiate CPR was a technical reaction and an ethical decision.

It underscores the commitment to providing care.

Another ethical concern arises when considering the patient’s autonomy. While in dire emergencies, immediate action might be necessary. It’s also essential to be aware of any existing Do-Not-Resuscitate (DNR) orders or other directives the patient may have. It requires a delicate balance between urgency and respect for the patient’s wishes. In my experience, while we acted promptly, subsequent interactions with the family highlighted the importance of being informed about patient preferences. The critical incident showcased the efficacy of prior training. It is imperative to note that the world of healthcare is perpetually evolving. With advancements in medical research, techniques, and equipment, regular exercise is beneficial and indispensable. For instance, introducing newer CPR techniques or more advanced defibrillators necessitates periodic refreshers for all healthcare professionals. Often, training focuses primarily on the technical aspects, but emotional and psychological preparedness is equally crucial. Incorporating modules focusing on building resilience, handling stress, and managing grief can equip nurses with the holistic skills required in their challenging profession. Every incident, especially the critical ones, paves the way for personal introspection. Post the incident. I dedicated time to self-reflection, not just on my actions but also my emotional responses. This introspection was pivotal in recognizing areas for personal development, both as a nurse and as an individual.

• 1 Seeking Feedback and Engaging with Families
• 2.1 Areas of Improvement
• 2.2 Lessons Learned and Future Implications
• 3 Conclusion

Seeking Feedback and Engaging with Families

One significant step in personal growth is actively seeking feedback. Post-incident debriefing sessions with colleagues, superiors, and even the patient’s family provided diverse perspectives on the event. Such feedback is instrumental in refining one’s approach to care and understanding the broader implications of one’s actions. Engaging with the patient’s family post-incident was a learning experience in itself. It emphasized the importance of clear communication, empathy, and patience. While the primary focus is often the patient, the family’s emotional well-being is paramount. Offering them clarity, support, and understanding can significantly ease their trauma.

Wrapping Up: An Ever-evolving Journey

Nursing, as a profession, is a blend of science and art. While technical prowess is essential, the human touch, understanding, and personal growth define the essence of a nurse. Critical incidents, with all their challenges, are stepping stones in a nurse’s journey, offering lessons that textbooks often can’t. Embracing these experiences and striving for betterment ensures we provide unparalleled care, touching lives and making a difference daily. During a regular night shift, I was responsible for a patient diagnosed with advanced cardiac issues. As the night progressed, the patient’s vitals began to drop. Within moments, I found myself amid an unexpected crisis. Realizing the gravity of the situation, I immediately alerted the on-call physician and initiated CPR. While I had undergone countless training sessions, the sheer immediacy and urgency of the situation tested every ounce of my skills. My team and I worked cohesively, employing every available resource to stabilize the patient. Upon retrospection, several positive elements emerged:

• Quick Decision Making: Recognizing the signs and responding swiftly.
• Team Collaboration: Seamless communication and cooperation with fellow healthcare professionals.
• Application of Training: Effective use of CPR techniques, showing the importance of regular training and refreshers.

Areas of Improvement

While many actions were commendable, reflection allows for the identification of potential areas of enhancement:

• Emotional Preparedness: Though the situation was managed well, I felt a whirlwind of emotions. Building resilience and emotional stability is paramount.
• Enhanced Communication: While the team was informed promptly, ensuring that family members were updated promptly and empathetically is crucial.

Lessons Learned and Future Implications

This incident underscored the unpredictability inherent in the nursing profession. Moreover, it reinforced the idea that while technical knowledge is vital, soft skills such as communication, empathy, and teamwork play an equally pivotal role in patient care.

Furthermore, continuous professional development is not just a formality but a necessity. Regular training sessions, workshops, and simulations can bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application, preparing nurses for such critical incidents.

Critical incidents, while challenging, offer invaluable learning experiences for nurses. Reflecting on these situations provides insights into personal and professional growth areas, ensuring better preparedness for future challenges. Moreover, these reflections foster resilience and adaptability in the face of adversity. Embracing these experiences and the lessons they bring fortifies a nurse’s commitment to providing the best possible care to every patient they encounter.

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Critical Incident Essays

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Critical Incidents in Teaching

Introduction.

Teachers’ abilities to resolve disputes during the learning process and to promote effective methods of influencing student performance and interest are important professional qualities. To address various incidents, using appropriate reflective practices and approaches is essential since an opportunity to analyse each situation helps avoid unpleasant precedents and contributes to increasing teacher authority. Therefore, the application of the right tactical steps to resolve conflict and controversial situations should be part of teachers’ professional activities, particularly in a diverse learning environment.

As an example of an incident, the case will be described, which occurred during one of the math classes at Hackney School that is characterized by its heterogeneous composition of students in the context of ethnic background. Two boys (IB and RO) sitting next to each other constantly talked, regardless of whether I spoke or not. When noticing that RO was the initiator of the chatter, I offered him to take another place, and after several direct appeals, the student began to ask me to leave him in his former seat.

Nevertheless, insisting on my own, I ordered him to sit next to RI, the girl who was between IB and RO, and, thus, stopped the boys’ continuous conversations. The evaluation of this case based on current theoretical approaches may allow assessing the situation comprehensively and offering different positions regarding the incident.

Work in the field of education requires not only the availability of competent skills and knowledge but also other attainments that may help establish interaction with the target audience. According to Tripp (2012, p. 5), a teacher’s performance is largely determined by two significant criteria based on reflection – assessment and “common wisdom” that is a timely response to any ambiguous situations and challenges. The discussion of the proposed incident about the two students constantly talking during lessons may serve as an example of how a particular decision can affect students’ academic performance and prove the objectivity of taking measures in such a situation.

The key objective of the reflection is to explain why I acted in this way and used the appropriate authority leverage. Utilizing Tripp’s (2012) concepts and approaches is a convenient mechanism for analyzing the incident from different perspectives.

Thinking Approaches about the Incident

To conduct a detailed analysis of the incident in question, an appropriate assessment methodology will be applied. Tripp (2012) proposes a discussion algorithm involving the key aspects of evaluation based on discussions about the possible causes of a particular behavior, ethical and other dilemmas that arise in the process of resolving issues, personal attitude to the problem, and some other possible reflexive tools. These approaches will allow me to study the case in detail and, in turn, prevent bias in concluding.

Incident Description

For two weeks, I had been observing my focus 6-grade math group, and it came to my attention that two boys who sat next to each other were constantly distracted, sitting in places that are not easy to see immediately. After giving a warning, I told one of the boys that he needed to stand up and move away from IB. I had clearly explained what is my reason was for moving him. The child I had spoken to did not react to my request. I spoke again with a firmer voice, and he asked: “Why? I do not want to be moved, please, please, miss.’” However, I insisted on my request, and RO had to take a seat near RI, a girl. IB was sitting calmly and waiting patiently while I was explaining the lesson. His face looked surprised at finding that he was to sit on his own. At the end of the lesson, I had asked those boys to stay with me for a brief talk.

Me: Why do you think I move you away from each other?

Boys shrove their arms.

Me: Can you please think about something that you have done today what was your fault?

RO: Yes, miss, were we talking?

IB: And laughing?

Further, I explained to the boys that for their good progress in maths, I wanted them to sit in different seats. At first glance, they understood the reason for my remarks and realized their misconduct, in particular, RO who was the initiator. Nevertheless, when analyzing this decision more deeply, I can talk about additional factors that influenced the outcomes of the incident and might be taken into account.

During the learning process, RO did not create significant interference with other students, except IB, and did not show signs of aggression or other forms of deviant behavior. The academic performance of the initiator of the incident cannot be regarded as weak, although in mathematics, he lacks perseverance and diligence. I noticed him talking to the other student initially, but first, I watched the two, although this was problematic because their seats were located near the window. I decided to take action after I saw that my remark did not produce the desired effect, and all subsequent actions were the outcome of RO’s unwillingness to follow my request.

As another non-event, I did not ask the boys why they were unable to complete their tasks. This might be my mistake because, if I had found out the reasons for their poor learning outcomes, this could have helped me to understand the reasons for their low-performance results. Therefore, I need to be more careful in the future and ascertain the reasons for students’ unpreparedness.

Plus, Minus and Interesting

The plus is as follows: I have managed to separate IB from RO, thereby allowing both students to concentrate on educational tasks. Judging by the further performance of the initiator of the incident, such a decision helped to increase his diligence. In addition, when sitting next to the girl (RI), he was not able to distract her constantly, and this has brought positive results.

As a minus, I can distinguish a minor conflict that arose between RO and RI. Since the girl has personal views on the educational process and other interests, she is sometimes outraged that IB distracts her and creates discomfort. Disputes between the new neighbors have become a key issue, which, nevertheless, has significantly fewer negative consequences than the previous continuous interaction of IB with RO.

An interesting remark is as follows: despite my fears that the separation of IB from RO may lead to the dissatisfaction of the former and refusal to carry out educational tasks diligently, the measures taken have been fruitful. The initiator of the incident found a new interlocutor in the person of RI who, however, maintained communication less willingly and did not seek to be distracted. The test results prove that the performance of both boys has increased, and their independent activities have become more productive than the ones in pair.

Alternatives, Possibilities, and Choices

Reasoning about the possible outcomes of an incident is an important aspect of professional reflection. According to Tripp (2012), making a choice is possible in the context of analyzing the potential premises and consequences of specific actions, as well as preventing them. In the considered incident, a positive resolution could be one of the alternatives, for instance, by encouraging the efforts and silence of the boys. The system of bonus points might be offered to them as an encouragement and stimulation of their educational activities.

Another possible choice is a tough suppression of any inappropriate behavior during all the lessons. I could make constant remarks and condemn the boys, paying attention to the first of all and not allowing the violation of silence, including their communication on abstract topics. In the case of precedents, special punishments might be imposed, which would calm the students and call them to discipline and diligence.

Finally, another potential alternative is to leave RO sitting alone. Such a solution could have advantages since when he was close to RI, RO felt uncomfortable and depressed. Separating RO to an individual seat might help relieve tension and stimulate his interest in achieving positive learning outcomes on his own, without the help of classmates. At the same time, I would have to pay attention to him more often, which could affect his self-confidence adversely.

Other Points of View

An opportunity to look at the same situation from different perspectives is a valuable component of professional reflection. As Tripp (2012) notes, any analysis is a two-step process; initially, a specialist expects a certain point of view from a third party, and subsequently, he or she checks this position. About the case under consideration, I turned to my mentor who agreed with my decision to change RO’s seat.

Nevertheless, I received a remark about being too strict about the student because the latter could get tired of constant warnings, and stimulating his interest in the educational process, for instance, through bonus points, might have a more favorable effect. In addition, I should have known from RO the reason his her constant distractions before taking drastic measures to influence the situation. My mentor suggested that I was to approach these situations on the positive side next time to have an idea of ​​the causes that might prevent the student from fulfilling the assigned learning tasks.

One of the important factors in analyzing teaching incidents is the cross-checking of all situational aspects, which, as Tripp (2012) notes, is a mandatory procedure due to the imperfection of the thinking process. As an omission, I can admit that, previously, I did not evaluate how the boys behaved during other lessons and whether there were similar incidents. This could have helped me to understand whether their distraction was a deliberate factor or the reason for their misunderstanding of certain tasks and general theoretical materials. If I had had a conversation with them initially, we might have avoided a radical method of solving the problem.

The “Why?” Challenge

Finding out the reasons for teaching incidents is an important task to obtain an objective and comprehensive picture. Tripp (2012) argues that when asking the question “why?”, a person considers the prerequisites for the development of a conflict or another controversial situation in as much detail as possible. In this case, I seek to expand my understanding of the incident by asking a few special why-questions.

Q: Why RO spoke back when I asked him to take another seat?

A: He wanted to explain himself, and I did not listen carefully to what arguments he had.

Q: Why did not RO share my decision?

A: He probably perceived it as unfair and did not have a chance to have a voice.

Q: Why were the pupils talking during the lesson instead of doing their work?

A: They perhaps found the assignments too hard and disengaging.

Q: Why were the tasks hard?

A: There was no catch-up session available for over a week.

Dilemma Identification

The behavior of the students, which caused my close attention to them, entailed a dilemma that affected all the parties involved. On the one hand, it was necessary to take measures to stop the boys’ regular distractions and minimise RO’s excessive activity. On the other hand, my behaviour could be regarded as too harsh and contrary to teaching ethics since I did not find out the reasons for the students’ distractions. According to Tripp (2012), the variability of potential solutions causes stress on teachers and hinders professional activities. Therefore, dilemma identification is an important procedure to avoid precedents.

Personal Theory Analysis

The applied approaches have allowed me to evaluate all the nuances of the incident and draw relevant conclusions. I realize that I should listen to students before taking any action. Also, based on the reflection, I can argue that I will be able to assess my activities critically and prevent bias or any other unethical form of professional behavior. The strategies applied will help me to challenge any incident due to comprehensive appraisal principles and approaches involving the rechecking of the initial hypotheses. The analysis of the background of a particular situation is more important than its consequences, which is proved by asking why-questions.

Further discussion of the considered teaching incident will be based on the assessment of this situation both from a personal standpoint and from the perspective of relevant ideas offered by incredible academic sources. In addition to Tripp’s (2012) approaches, specific concepts and reasoning will be utilized to discuss the presented dilemma, its causes, and consequences. Both general and individual implications will be considered as key substantiating arguments.

Issues in Teaching Raised

Since the teaching process requires qualified training in various aspects of activities, including ethical, behavioral, communication and other areas, the continuous refinement of personal mastery is a valuable practice. According to McGregor (2011), a teacher can have all the necessary knowledge about a particular academic discipline, but despite a comprehensive educational background, issues may arise, which require developing new attainments.

In the context of the proposed incident, the topic of my interpersonal interaction with individual students was touched upon, and my professional competence was challenged by the need to take measures to eliminate the problem. I was not prepared for the fact that the students could not understand the teaching material, and the issue of presenting information was raised. The possibility of changing the curriculum and creating more convenient and favorable conditions for interacting with pupils could allow me to resolve the incident more productively.

Another issue addressed is the approach to interacting with students, in particular, RO who initiated the incident. As Sisson (2016) argues, even short positive incentives can be more beneficial than long-term psychological influences aimed at suppressing the will of students and instilling a sense of responsibility in them. Not only psychological support but also other stimuli could have been offered to RO who, in turn, had difficulties with studying the materials of the curriculum and distracted the other pupil. Such a positive form of communication, implying the involvement of students in an active learning process, may be more effective than the traditional model of authoritarian communication. Therefore, the issues of the approach to assessing and stimulating interest are significant in this analysis.

The issue of responding to students’ inappropriate behavior during the learning process is an issue that also requires analysis. According to Gu (2015, p. 5), “teaching is emotionally attached and value-laden”. In other words, the feelings that a teacher manifests about specific situations directly reflect his or her individual beliefs, preferences, and priorities. In my case, the pupil’s systematic violation of discipline entailed a severe reaction on my part, which underlined my unwillingness to put up with the student irresponsibility and disobedience. At the same time, the excessive manifestation of emotions is fraught with the violation of professional ethical principles. Therefore, the issue raised is of high importance in the context of competent teaching.

Relevance of the Incident to an Individual Practice

When analyzing the presented teaching incident from a broader perspective, I can notice that its implications on my practice are significant and may entail changes in interaction with students. As Moore and Ash (2002) state, in the framework of a mandatory educational policy, there is a concept of pupil autonomy that allows students to solve certain educational problems on their own. This aspect requires increased concentration from me since I cannot violate the rights of a child but, at the same time, I am obliged to control the quality of studying the proposed curriculum and monitor performance indicators.

As a result, according to McGregor (2011), by following the principle of the comprehensive assessment of my teaching style by evaluating the process itself and delivering knowledge, I can organize teaching so that, without exception, all students could achieve the highest academic outcomes possible. In this case, I need to think over the features of interpersonal communication with students and find out the causes of any disputes in advance to prevent a recurrence of the described incident.

Since my decision to ask RO to take another place was not based on a spontaneous impulse but the preliminary observation of the situation, I can note that I was guided by one of the basic principles of teaching, which consisted in achieving high academic results by my students. Polland and Filler (2015) remark that such an objective may be reached by various methods, including cyclic testing, group activities, and other tasks aimed at increasing control over pupils’ learning outcomes.

This means that my intervention can be regarded as one of the manifestations of the ultimate goal of teaching, in particular, achieving optimal results by stimulating student personal diligence. By resorting to such a practice in the future, I have an opportunity to earn pupils’ trust and, at the same time, retain the right to monitor children’s knowledge freely.

Finally, regarding a potential impact on my teaching practice, this incident may change my attitude towards individual credentials. As Hodkinson and Hodkinson (2015) note, any manifestations of power relations can lead to inequality, which is unacceptable in my professional activity. Thus, to avoid bias for individual students and consolidate the success achieved, I should treat pupils loyally and train the communication principles of interaction to avoid rudeness and, consequently, interpersonal conflicts with the target audience.

Personal Assessments and Conclusions

Creating a favorable environment for student learning is a task that rests on several conventions and potential challenges, and the example of the incident considered confirms this assumption. According to Ossa Parra, Gutiérrez, and Aldana (2015), one of the main causes of similar problems is the lack of sufficient information about a particular student. The authors argue that “the impact of context on how one carries out learning and teaching activities” is crucial when evaluating and making individual judgments (Ossa Parra, Gutiérrez, and Aldana, 2015, p. 25). I can draw conclusions based on the pupils’ current performance outcomes, but to resolve unique situations like the one presented by the incident, I should be familiar with the individual learning background of the whole class to make a more objective picture of potential interventions.

Reflection on any incident is an important aspect of my professional self-development. As Dewey (2015) states, doubts cannot be regarded as a factor determining a teacher’s inferiority and his or her lack of competence in interacting with students. Conversely, the analysis of personal practice and similar situations may allow me to gain new experiences, acquire valuable communication skills and overcome other difficulties that may arise throughout my career. Otherwise, excessive self-confidence in my power and unwillingness to compromise can lead to an authoritarian style of teaching, which is unacceptable in a dynamic educational environment and should not be applied in the context of promoting modern learning principles.

At the same time, teaching cannot be seen as a process of continuous innovations and changes. Schon (2015) remarks that school practice becomes routine and monotonous gradually, which may have negative consequences on the willingness of specialists to maintain the highest level of education. In addition, as the author argues, teaching does not imply spontaneity, and thorough preparation is required (Schon, 2015).

Therefore, I need to learn a lesson from the presented incident and be prepared for possible precedents. However, this does not mean that I should not change anything in my practice. Improving teaching skills and analyzing mistakes or omissions made are integral elements of professional self-development. Therefore, I can argue that the quality of my work is not a static variable and requires regular development to meet the status of a teacher.

Other Relevant Viewpoints

The assessment of the described incident will be more detailed and credible if additional points of view on my and my students’ behavior are given from the perspective of third parties. To begin with, the opinion of my mentor needs to be cited, which implies the fallacy of my uncompromising decision regarding moving RO to another place without first finding out the reasons for his and his classmate’s excessive activity.

Tripp (2012) describes this omission as a mistake that many teachers make. According to the author, focusing on a formal curriculum narrows the possibilities of productive interaction with the target audience and does not allow school staff to find hidden mechanisms of effective communication (Tripp, 2012). In the incident in question, I should have found out that IB was a new child in the class, and he wanted to impress RO. I will listen to the opinion of the mentor and analyze such ambiguous situations in more detail in my future practice.

Interaction with colleagues may be a valuable activity to find answers to specific questions related to the teaching profession and requiring a detailed assessment. In my case, the opinions of the school staff may differ based on the performance of RO and IB in different disciplines. When evaluating my decision to separate one student from the other is unlikely to cause a tough reaction from colleagues because they are familiar with different forms of pupil distraction and can practice such methods of influence on their own. Nevertheless, some representatives of the teaching staff will probably condemn my decision for being too rigid and inflexible in resolving the situation. Some employees adhere to modern views on the educational process that does not allow any form of suppression of student will. Therefore, individual colleagues may disagree with my method of influence, but in general, as Sisson (2016) notes, receiving critical feedback is of great importance for self-reflection.

The evaluation of the opinions of other third parties will be less significant in the context of this incident. Neither parents nor the boys’ classmates will be able to give an objective assessment of the situation due to the varying degrees of interest and bias. Accordingly, the mentor’s and colleagues’ positions are the most acceptable for analyzing my case and reviewing those events that entailed my reflection.

Approaches to Develop a Reflective Practice as a Teacher

Constant introspection and a personal assessment of professional activities may allow me to develop valuable teaching qualities that are necessary for the modern educational environment and help prevent incidents. As one of the approaches that are relevant to achieving these goals, the practice of conjectural anticipation proposed by Dewey (2015) may be useful. According to the author, this principle implies “a tentative interpretation of the given elements, attributing to them a tendency to effect certain consequences” (Dewey, 2015, p. 69).

Guided by this approach, I can plan the potential outcomes of certain solutions and predict possible scenarios based on available information. For instance, when working with students who have poor academic performance indicators, I anticipate specific behavior from them (self-doubt, anxiety, and other negative moods), which, in turn, can contribute to more effective teaching interventions. This principle provides for willingness to reflect and contributes to achieving the set professional goals largely due to initial preparation.

To cover a wider range of teaching opportunities for successful reflection, I should also take into account other relevant concepts. McGregor (2011, p. 11) presents the theory of “pedagogic enactment” and describes it as a mechanism involving various tools that facilitate a detailed analysis of individual practice. The rules for preparing for classes, peculiarities of interaction with students, question strategies, and other necessary teaching elements are included in this approach. As a result, in addition to the anticipated outcomes of work, I can count on the faultlessness of activity stages, which minimizes the likelihood of ambiguous situations and helps avoid unpleasant incidents.

Finally, to develop my effective reflective practice in teaching, a collaborative approach may be a relevant strategy. Tripp (2012) describes this principle as a methodology for the exchange of experience among colleagues, which helps expand knowledge regarding possible ways of self-esteem through the acquisition of new skills. Even in conditions of constant interaction with students, it is not easy to obtain comprehensive information about the individual characteristics of each pupil, for instance, academic performance in other disciplines or socio-cultural background. Collaboration with colleagues makes it possible to obtain valuable data about the target audience, thereby increasing the likelihood of positive teaching interventions and enhancing my professionalism.

The analysis of the considered teaching incident through the use of relevant theoretical approaches describing self-reflection strategies allows me to evaluate the presented situation from different perspectives and draw competent conclusions regarding its premises and outcomes. The assessment tools offered by Tripp (2012) help me to create a comprehensive picture of the event and contribute to analyzing possible errors or, conversely, the right solutions.

By utilizing these assessment tools, I can argue that my decision to separate the two students from each other was justified, although I missed some important aspects of interpersonal interaction and did not find out the initial reasons for the incorrect behavior at the lesson directly from the initiator of the incident.

There are alternative scenarios that I could have implemented successfully, for instance, special punishments. However, a positive approach to interacting with students may be considered a successful tactical step because those pupils who receive regular warnings can be stimulated better through personal rewards. Thus, the assessment of the factors that led to any incident is a prerequisite for self-reflection aimed at identifying individual decisions about ambiguous situations during a dynamic learning process.

In the context of the considered incident, the conclusions and decisions obtained as a result of reflection may be used in my subsequent practice with benefit. In the future, I will be more attentive to the premises of any controversial situations in my lessons and will be guided not only by observation but also by direct communication with the target audience. Also, I will take a positive approach to solve problems with the academic performance of students more often to stimulate their interest in achieving high learning outcomes.

The incident considered may allow me to react to similar situations more loyally in my professional activities and take into account additional circumstances, for instance, the social status of a pupil or other conditions of his or her learning. Since IB is a student who has been in this school recently, his behavior could be justified by the desire to impress his classmate. This nuance is a significant aspect that I needed to consider, and in my future practice, I will pay more attention to such individual factors.

The academic readings considered are valuable auxiliary resources that allow evaluating existing concepts and approaches to teaching self-reflection and contribute to assessing personal decisions objectively. In my future practice, the techniques learned may help prevent incidents and mitigate any conflict situations effectively. Despite some mistakes made during the case in question, I have learned to analyze my actions as openly as possible and take into account not only my views but also third parties’ opinions, which is of great importance in summing up objective results. Developing skills in this industry is a must for which I will strive.

The help of a mentor and colleagues can be valuable for evaluating my actions competently; therefore, I intend to study the principles of teaching reflection in the future and devote time to self-development and enhancing professionalism.

Reference List

Dewey, J. (2015) ‘Thinking and reflective experience’, in Colwell, J. and Polland, A. (eds.) Readings for reflective teaching in early education . New York: Bloomsbury, pp. 68-69.

Gu, Q. (2015) ‘Being a teacher in times of change’, in Colwell, J. and Polland, A. (eds.) Readings for reflective teaching in early education . New York: Bloomsbury, pp. 4-6.

Hodkinson, H. and Hodkinson, P. (2015) ‘Learning in communities of practice’, in Colwell, J. and Polland, A. (eds.) Readings for reflective teaching in early education . New York: Bloomsbury, pp. 84-85.

McGregor, D. (2011) ‘What can reflective practice mean for you… and why should you engage in it?’, in McGregor, D. and Cartwright, L. (eds.) Developing reflective practice: a guide for beginning teachers . New York: Open University Press, pp. 1-20.

Moore, A. and Ash, A. (2002) Reflective practice in beginning teachers: helps hindrances and the role of the critical other . Web.

Ossa Parra, M., Gutiérrez, R. and Aldana, M. F. (2015) ‘Engaging in critically reflective teaching: from theory to practice in pursuit of transformative learning, Reflective Practice , 16 (1), pp. 16-30.

Polland, A. and Filler, A. (2015) ‘Being a learner through years of schooling’, in Colwell, J. and Polland, A. (eds.) Readings for reflective teaching in early education . New York: Bloomsbury, pp. 7-12.

Schon, D. (2015) ‘Refledtion-in-action’, in Colwell, J. and Polland, A. (eds.) Readings for reflective teaching in early education . New York: Bloomsbury, pp. 70-72.

Sisson, J. H. (2016) ‘The significance of critical incidents and voice to identity and agency’, Teachers and Teaching , 22 (6), pp. 670-682.

Tripp, D. (2012) Critical incidents in teaching (classic edition): developing professional judgement . New York: Routledge.

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Critical Incident Essay Examples

Type of paper: Essay

Topic: Students , Stereotypes , Incident , Teaching , Spell , Learning , Knowledge , Study

Published: 12/18/2021

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According to Richards and Farrell, a significant number of critical incidents that occur in the classroom are basically common events that are considered critical owing to the fact that they expose or reveal underlying values, beliefs of motives existing within a classroom environment (Richards and Thomas 119). In their discussion, Richards and Farrell assert that in order to provide an effective critical incident report, it is crucial that one begins by providing a reflection of actions that might have led to the critical event (Richards and Thomas 119).

Critical Incident from My Teaching Context

As a teacher among ESL students, I have encountered various critical incidences that have enhanced my understanding on how ESL students perceive efforts that are implemented in order to ensure that they are provided with English language knowledge. However, one of the most critical incidents that I encountered occurred when I teaching a group of foreign students who were taking ESL classes. The session focused on pronunciation of certain English words. I was impressed to learn that almost all the students were able to pronounce the words I selected for our class session that day. When I asked the students whether they were able to write or provide the spelling for the words, it was quite surprising that almost all of them were not able to spell the words. I inquired how one could be able to pronounce words that they could not even spell and the answer I received was shocking. The students indicated that when they come to USA, the ensure that they can pronounce a few words so that they are not subjected to certain stereotypes that are usually associated with ESL students, particularly from Asia, Mexico and other parts of the world. After the lesson, I recorded this incident in my teaching diary that the stereotypes directed towards ESL students have a significant impact in relation to how they participate in learning activities. From this incident, I learnt that it was crucial for ESL teachers to ensure that they provide awareness among ESL students, specifically those that have just registered for ESL classes on the existence of stereotypes and how this could impact their learning. I also learnt that it imperative to ensure that ESL students are equipped with knowledge on how they can overcome stereotypes that EFL students may have about them. In summary, the critical part of this incident is the fact that ESL students could struggle to learn how to pronounce words that they cannot even spell properly only to avoid being subjected to certain stereotypes associated with ESL students from foreign countries.

Approach applied for to Investigate this Critical Incident

In order to investigate the critical incident for further understanding, an approach that involves a study of stereotypes that affect ESL students would be applied. This would be followed by identification of how ESL students perceive the stereotypes as well as how they usually react towards such issues. The next step would involve performing a study to determine how ESL students may be empowered in order to overcome psychological challenges that emerge as a result of the stereotypes.

Richards, Jack C., and Thomas S. C. Farrell. Professional Development for Language Teachers: Strategies for Teacher Learning. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2005. Print.

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How to Write a Critical Response Essay With Examples and Tips

16 January 2024

last updated

A critical response essay is an important type of academic essay, which instructors employ to gauge the students’ ability to read critically and express their opinions. Firstly, this guide begins with a detailed definition of a critical essay and an extensive walkthrough of source analysis. Next, the manual on how to write a critical response essay breaks down the writing process into the pre-writing, writing, and post-writing stages and discusses each stage in extensive detail. Finally, the manual provides practical examples of an outline and a critical response essay, which implement the writing strategies and guidelines of critical response writing. After the examples, there is a brief overview of documentation styles. Hence, students need to learn how to write a perfect critical response essay to follow its criteria.

Definition of a Critical Response Essay

A critical response essay presents a reader’s reaction to the content of an article or any other piece of writing and the author’s strategy for achieving his or her intended purpose. Basically, a critical response to a piece of text demands an analysis, interpretation, and synthesis of a reading. Moreover, these operations allow readers to develop a position concerning the extent to which an author of a text creates a desired effect on the audience that an author establishes implicitly or explicitly at the beginning of a text. Mostly, students assume that a critical response revolves around the identification of flaws, but this aspect only represents one dimension of a critical response. In turn, a critical response essay should identify both the strengths and weaknesses of a text and present them without exaggeration of their significance in a text.

Source Analysis

1. Questions That Guide Source Analysis

Writers engage in textual analysis through critical reading. Hence, students undertake critical reading to answer three primary questions:

• What does the author say or show unequivocally?
• What does the author not say or show outright but implies intentionally or unintentionally in the text?
• What do I think about responses to the previous two questions?

Readers should strive to comprehensively answer these questions with the context and scope of a critical response essay. Basically, the need for objectivity is necessary to ensure that the student’s analysis does not contain any biases through unwarranted or incorrect comparisons. Nonetheless, the author’s pre-existing knowledge concerning the topic of a critical response essay is crucial in facilitating the process of critical reading. In turn, the generation of answers to three guiding questions occurs concurrently throughout the close reading of an assigned text or other essay topics .

2. Techniques of Critical Reading

Previewing, reading, and summarizing are the main methods of critical reading. Basically, previewing a text allows readers to develop some familiarity with the content of a critical response essay, which they gain through exposure to content cues, publication facts, important statements, and authors’ backgrounds. In this case, readers may take notes of questions that emerge in their minds and possible biases related to prior knowledge. Then, reading has two distinct stages: first reading and rereading and annotating. Also, students read an assigned text at an appropriate speed for the first time with minimal notetaking. After that, learners reread a text to identify core and supporting ideas, key terms, and connections or implied links between ideas while making detailed notes. Lastly, writers summarize their readings into the main points by using their own words to extract the meaning and deconstruct critical response essays into meaningful parts.

3. Creating a Critical Response

Up to this point, source analysis is a blanket term that represents the entire process of developing a critical response. Mainly, the creation of a critical response essay involves analysis, interpretation, and synthesis, which occur as distinct activities. In this case, students analyze their readings by breaking down texts into elements with distilled meanings and obvious links to a thesis statement . During analysis, writers may develop minor guiding questions under first and second guiding questions, which are discipline-specific. Then, learners focus on interpretations of elements to determine their significance to an assigned text as a whole, possible meanings, and assumptions under which they may exist. Finally, authors of critical response essays create connections through the lens of relevant pre-existing knowledge, which represents a version of the element’s interconnection that they perceive to be an accurate depiction of a text.

Writing Steps of a Critical Response Essay

Step 1: pre-writing, a. analysis of writing situation.

Purpose. Before a student begins writing a critical response essay, he or she must identify the main reason for communication to the audience by using a formal essay format. Basically, the primary purposes of writing a critical response essay are explanation and persuasion. In this case, it is not uncommon for two purposes to overlap while writing a critical response essay. However, one of the purposes is usually dominant, which implies that it plays a dominant role in the wording, evidence selection, and perspective on a topic. In turn, students should establish their purposes in the early stages of the writing process because the purpose has a significant effect on the essay writing approach.

Audience. Students should establish a good understanding of the audience’s expectations, characteristics, attitudes, and knowledge in anticipation of the writing process. Basically, learning the audience’s expectations enables authors to meet the organizational demands, ‘burden of proof,’ and styling requirements. In college writing, it is the norm for all essays to attain academic writing standards. Then, the interaction between characteristics and attitudes forces authors to identify a suitable voice, which is appreciative of the beliefs and values of the audience. Lastly, writers must consider the level of knowledge of the audience while writing a critical response essay because it has a direct impact on the context, clarity, and readability of a paper. Consequently, a critical response essay for classmates is quite different from a paper that an author presents to a multi-disciplinary audience.

Define a topic. Topic selection is a critical aspect of the prewriting stage. Ideally, assignment instructions play a crucial role in topic selection, especially in higher education institutions. For example, when writing a critical response essay, instructors may choose to provide students with a specific article or general instructions to guide learners in the selection of relevant reading sources. Also, students may not have opportunities for independent topic selection in former circumstances. However, by considering the latter assignment conditions, learners may need to identify a narrow topic to use in article selection. Moreover, students should take adequate time to do preliminary research, which gives them a ‘feel’ of the topic, for example, 19th-century literature. Next, writers narrow down the scope of the topic based on their knowledge and interests, for example, short stories by black female writers from the 19 th century.

B. Research and Documentation

Find sources. Once a student has a topic, he or she can start the process of identifying an appropriate article. Basically, choosing a good source for writing a critical response essay occurs is much easier when aided with search tools on the web or university repository. In this case, learners select keywords or other unique qualities of an article and develop a search filter. Moreover, authors review abstracts or forewords of credible sources to determine their suitability based on their content. Besides content, other factors constrain the article selection process: the word count for a critical response essay and a turnaround time. In turn, if an assignment has a fixed length of 500 words and a turnaround time of one week, it is not practical to select a 200-page source despite content suitability.

Content selection. The process of selecting appropriate content from academic sources relies heavily on the purpose of a critical response essay. Basically, students must select evidence that they will include in a paper to support their claims in each paragraph. However, writers tend to let a source speak through the use of extensive quotations or summaries, which dilutes a synthesis aspect of a critical response essay. Instead, learners should take a significant portion of time to identify evidence from reliable sources , which are relevant to the purpose of an essay. Also, a student who is writing a critical analysis essay to disagree with one or more arguments will select different pieces of evidence as compared to a person who is writing to analyze the overall effectiveness of the work.

Annotated bibliography. An annotated bibliography is vital to the development of a critical response essay because it enables authors to document useful information that they encounter during research. During research and documentation stages for a critical response essay, annotated bibliographies contain the main sources for a critical analysis essay and other sources that contribute to the knowledge base of an author, even though these sources will not appear in reference lists. Mostly, a critical response essay has only one source. However, an annotated bibliography contains summaries of other sources, which may inform the author’s critical response through the development of a deep understanding of a topic. In turn, an annotated bibliography is quite useful when an individual is writing a critical response to an article on an unfamiliar topic.

Step 2: Writing a Critical Response Essay

A. organization..

Thesis . A thesis statement sentence is a crucial component of a critical response essay because it presents the student’s purpose, argument, and the conclusion that he or she draws from the textual evidence. Also, the thesis statement is the response to the thesis question, which an author creates from assignment instructions. After completing the research stage, students can develop a tentative thesis statement to act as a starting point for the writing stage. Usually, tentative thesis statements undergo numerous revisions during the writing stage, which is a consequence of the refinement of the main idea during the drafting.

Weigh the evidence. Based on the tentative thesis, an author evaluates the relative importance of collected pieces of textual evidence to the central idea. Basically, students should distinguish between general and specific ideas to ascertain that there exists a logical sequence of presentation, which the audience can readily grasp. Firstly, for writing a critical response essay, learners should identify general ideas and establish specific connections that exist between each general idea and specific details, which support a central claim. Secondly, writers should consider some implications of ideas as they conduct a sorting process and remove evidence that does not fit. Moreover, students fill ‘holes’ that are present due to the lack of adequate supporting evidence to conclude this stage.

Create an outline. An essay outline is a final product of weighing the significance of the evidence in the context of the working thesis statement. In particular, a formal outline is a preferred form of essay structure for a critical response essay because it allows for detailed documentation of ideas while maintaining a clear map of connections. During the formation of an outline, students use a systematic scheme of indentation and labeling all the parts of an outline structure. In turn, this arrangement ensures that elements that play the same role are readily discernible at a glance, for example, primary essay divisions, secondary divisions, principle supporting points, and specific details.

Drafting. The drafting step involves the conversion of the one-sentence ideas in an outline format into complete paragraphs and, eventually, a critical response essay. In this case, there is no fixed approach to writing the first draft. Moreover, students should follow a technique that they find effective in overcoming the challenge of starting to write a critical response essay. Nonetheless, it is good practice to start writing paragraphs that authors believe are more straightforward to include regardless of specific positions that they hold on an outline. In turn, learners should strive to write freely and be open to new ideas despite the use of an outline. During drafting, the conveyance of meaning is much more important than the correctness of the draft.

Step 3: Post-Writing

Individual revision. An individual revision process focuses on the rethinking and rewriting of a critical response essay to improve the meaning and structure of a paper. Essentially, students try to review their papers from a perspective of readers to ensure that the level of detail, relationship and arrangement of paragraphs, and the contribution of the minor ideas to the thesis statement attain the desired effect. In this case, the use of a checklist improves the effectiveness of individual revision. Moreover, a checklist contains 12 main evaluation categories: assignment, purpose, audience and voice, genre, thesis, organization, development, unity, coherence, title, introduction, and conclusion.

Collaborative revision. Collaborative revision is a revision strategy that covers subconscious oversight that occurs during individual revision. During an individual revision of a critical response essay, authors rely on self-criticism, which is rarely 100% effective because writers hold a bias that their works are of high quality. Therefore, subjecting an individual’s work to peer review allows students to collect critique from an actual reader who may notice problems that an author may easily overlook. In turn, learners may provide peer reviewers with a checklist to simplify the revision process.

Editing . The editing step requires authors to examine the style, clarity, and correctness of a critical response essay. In particular, students review their papers to ascertain their conformance with the guidelines of formal essay writing and the English language. Moreover, sentence fragments, subject-verb agreement, dangling modifiers, incorrect use of punctuation, vague pronoun references, and parallelism are common grammar issues that learners eliminate during editing. Then, writers confirm that their critical response essays adhere to referencing style guidelines for citation and formatting, such as the inclusion of a title page, appropriate in-text citation, and proper styling of bibliographic information in the reference list. In turn, students must proofread a critical response essay repeatedly until they find all errors because such mistakes may divert the audience’s attention from the content of a paper.

Sample Outline Template for a Critical Response Essay

I. Introduction

A. Summary of an article. B. Thesis statement.

A. First body paragraph

• The idea for the first paragraph.
• Evidence for the first point from an article.
• Interpretation of the evidence.

B. Second body paragraph

• The idea for the second paragraph.
• Evidence for the second point from an article.

C. Third body paragraph

• The idea for the third paragraph.
• Evidence for the third point from an article.

III. Conclusion

A. Summary of three points that form a body section. B. Closing remarks.

Uniqueness of a Critical Response Essay Outline

The presence of a summary in the introduction and an interpretation for each piece of evidence are defining features of a critical response essay. Typically, the introduction, being one of 5 parts of an essay , does not contain a succinct summary of a source that an author uses in body paragraphs. In this case, the incorporation of a summary in the introduction paragraph provides the audience with specific information concerning the target article of a critical response. Specifically, a critical response essay differs from other response papers because it emphasizes the provision of reasonable judgments of a text rather than the testing and defense of one’s judgments. In turn, authors of a critical response essay do not provide evaluation for their judgments, which implies that critical responses may be different but correct if a specific interpretation is reasonable to the audience.

Expanding an Outline Format Into a Critical Response Essay

1. introduction.

The introductory paragraph in a critical response essay consists of two primary sections: a summary of an article and a thesis statement. Firstly, a summary of an article consists of the text’s central argument and the purpose of the presentation of the argument. Basically, students should strive to distill the main idea and purpose of the text into a few sentences because the length of the introduction is approximately 10% of the essay’s word count. Then, a summary provides the audience with adequate background information concerning an article, which forms a foundation for announcing the student’s primary idea. In this case, writers may include an additional sentence between a summary and a thesis statement to establish a smooth flow in the opening paragraph. However, learners should not quote thesis and purpose statements because it results in a fragmented introduction, which is unappealing to readers and ineffective.

• All body paragraphs have in a critical response essay four main elements: the writer’s idea, meaningful evidence from a reading text, interpretation of the evidence, and a concluding statement.

A. Writer’s Idea

The writer’s idea for a paragraph appears in the first sentence of a paragraph, which is a topic sentence. For example, if students know how to write a topic sentence , they present readers with a complete and distinct idea that proves or supports a thesis statement. In this case, authors should carefully word their topic sentences to ensure that there is no unnecessary generalization or spillovers of ideas from other paragraphs. Notably, all the topic sentences in the body of a critical response essay share a logical relationship that allows the audience to easily follow the development of the central idea of a paper.

B. Evidence

Students should provide evidence that supports the idea that they propose in the topic sentence. Basically, the evidence for all body paragraphs is the product of critical reading of an article, which allows writers to identify meaningful portions of a text. During the presentation of evidence, learners should ascertain that the contextual meaning of paraphrases or quotations is not lost because such a strategy will harm interpretations that follow after it. In turn, critical response essays must not contain lengthy or numerous quotations unless the meaning or intended effect of a quotation is not replicable upon paraphrasing.

C. Interpretation.

Interpretation segments of paragraphs allow authors to explain the significance of the evidence to the topic sentence. In a critical response essay, the interpretation is the equivalent of an author revealing the possible assumptions behind a text paraphrase and commenting on whether or not he or she finds them reasonable. Moreover, students make inferences concerning their meaning in the context of the entire narrative and its relation to the paragraph’s idea. In turn, learners should refrain from reading too much into a piece of evidence because it may result in false or unreasonable inferences.

D. Concluding Sentence

The concluding statement is the final sentence of any paragraph. In this case, the primary role of the concluding sentence is to emphasize the link between the topic sentence, evidence, interpretation, and the essay’s central idea. Also, the concluding statement should not contain an in-text citation because it does not introduce new evidence to support the topic sentence. Therefore, authors use concluding sentences to maintain the unity between body paragraphs and a critical response essay in its entirety.

3. Conclusion

The conclusion comprises of three core elements: a restatement of a thesis statement, a summary of the main points that authors present in body paragraphs, and closing remarks. In particular, the first statement of the conclusion draws the attention of the audience to the central idea, which an author proposes in a thesis statement. Then, students review the main points of a critical response essay to demonstrate that written arguments in body paragraphs adequately support a thesis statement. Moreover, writers should summarize the main points of a paper in the same order that they appear in the main part to guarantee that logical pattern in the body is readily discernible in summary. Finally, learners make their closing remarks, which creates a sense of wholesomeness in a critical response essay or ties a paper to a larger relevant discourse.

Example of Writing a Critical Response Essay

Topic: American Capitalism: The New Face of Slavery

I. Sample Introduction of a Critical Response Essay

Capitalism is a dominant characteristic of the American economy. In this case, Matthew Desmond’s article “In Order to Understand the Brutality of American Capitalism, You Have to Start on the Plantation” discusses the role of slavery in shaping contemporary business practices. Specifically, the author attempts to convince the audience that the brutality of American capitalism originates from slavery. In turn, Desmond lays a strong but simple foundation for his argument, which ensures that the audience can conceptualize the link between plantation slavery and contemporary American capitalistic practices.

II. Example of a Body in a Critical Response Essay

A. example of the first body paragraph: american capitalism.

Early in the article, Desmond informs readers of the high variability in the manifestation of capitalism in societies, which creates the impression that American capitalism is a choice. For example, Desmond (2019) argues that the brutality of American capitalism is simply one of the possible outcomes of a society built on capitalistic principles because other societies implement the same principles in a manner that is liberating, protective, and democratic. Moreover, Desmond begins his argument by eliminating a popular presumption that exploitation and oppression are unavoidable outcomes of capitalism. In turn, this strategic move to establish this fact is in the introductory section of the article because it invites the audience to rethink the meaning of capitalism. Furthermore, its plants doubt regarding the ‘true’ meaning of capitalism outside the context of American society.

B. Example of the Second Body Paragraph: American Capitalism: Slavery and American’s Economic Growth

After establishing that the perception of capitalism through the lens of American society has some bias, Desmond proceeds to provide detailed evidence to explain the attempt to camouflage the obvious link between slavery and America’s economic growth. For instance, Desmond (2019) notes the role of Alfred Chandler’s book, The Visible Hand, and Caitlin Rosenthal’s book, Accounting for Slavery, in breaking the link between management practices in plantations and modern corporations by suggesting that the current business practices are a consequence of the 19th-century railroad industry. In this case, Desmond uses this evidence to make a logical appeal to the audience, which makes his argument more convincing because he explains the reason behind the exclusion of slavery in the discourse on modern industry. As a result, Desmond dismisses one of the main counterarguments against his central argument, which increases his persuasive power.

C. Example of the Third Body Paragraph: Input vs. Output Dynamic

Desmond emphasizes the link between slavery and American capitalism to readers by using the simple input vs. output dynamic throughout the article. For example, Desmond (2019) compares the Plantation Record and Account Book to the heavy digital surveillance techniques in modern workplaces because they collect data, which the employers use to maximize productivity while minimizing inputs. In particular, the comparison reveals that employers did not stop the practice of reducing laborers into units of production with fixed productivity thresholds. Moreover, the constant repetition of the theme of low input and high output dominates the body paragraphs, which makes it nearly impossible for readers to lose sight of the link between slavery and business practices under American capitalism. In turn, the simplification of the underlying logic in Desmond’s argument ensures its clarity to the audience.

III. Sample Conclusion of a Critical Response Essay

Desmond carefully plans the presentation of his argument to the audience, which allows readers to follow the ideas easily. In particular, the author starts with a call for readers to set aside any presumptions concerning capitalism and its origin. Then, Desmond provides the audience with an alternative narrative with support from seminal texts in slavery and economics. On the whole, Desmond manages to convince the audience that the American capitalistic society is merely a replica rather than an aberration of slavery.

Citing Sources in a Critical Response Essay

A critical response essay contains specific thoughts of the article’s author and direct words of the text’s author. In this case, students must conduct proper documentation to ensure that readers of critical response essays can distinguish between these two types of ‘voices.’ Moreover, documentation prevents incidents of plagiarism. Usually, instructors mention a referencing technique that students should use in writing a critical response essay. However, if assignment instructions do not identify a specific documentation style, writers should use a referencing technique that is acceptable for scholarly writing in their disciplines.

In-text citation:

• Parenthetical: (Desmond, 2019).
• Narrative: Desmond (2019).
• Desmond, M. (2019, August 12). In order to understand the brutality of American capitalism, you have to start on the plantation . New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/08/14/magazine/slavery-capitalism.html
• Parenthetical: (Desmond par. 1).
• Narrative: Desmond argues . . . (par. 1).

Works Cited:

• Desmond, Matthew. “In Order to Understand the Brutality of American Capitalism, You Have to Start on the Plantation.” New York Times , 14 Aug. 2019, www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/08/14/magazine/slavery-capitalism.html.

3. Harvard Referencing

• Parenthetical: (Desmond 2019).

Reference List:

• Desmond, M 2019, In order to understand the brutality of American capitalism, you have to start on the plantation . Available from: <https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/08/14/magazine/slavery-capitalism.html>. [27 August 2020].

4. Chicago/Turabian

In-text citation (footnote):

• 1. Matthew Desmond, “In Order to Understand the Brutality of American Capitalism, You Have to Start on the Plantation,” New York Times, August 14, 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/08/14/magazine/slavery-capitalism.html.

Bibliography:

• Desmond, Matthew. “In Order to Understand the Brutality of American Capitalism, You Have to Start on the Plantation.” New York Times. August 14, 2019. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/08/14/magazine/slavery-capitalism.html.

Final Provisions on a Critical Response Essay

• Critical reading is a precursor for writing an effective critical response essay.
• Students must conduct adequate research on a topic to develop a proper understanding of a theme, even if only one article appears on the reference list.
• Notetaking or annotation is a good practice that aids students in extracting meaning from an article.
• Writers should plan for all activities in the writing process to ascertain that they have adequate time to move through all the stages.
• An outline is an organizational tool, which learners must use to establish the sequence of ideas in a critical response essay.
• The purpose of a critical response essay has a significant impact on the selection of evidence and the arrangement of body paragraphs.
• Students should prioritize revision and editing, which represent opportunities to refine the content of an essay and remove mechanical issues.
• Collaborative and individual revision are equally important because they play different roles in the writing of a critical response essay.
• Evidence selection is dependent on the purpose and thesis statement of a critical response essay.

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