THE ROLE OF CRITICAL FRIENDS IN CONTINUING DEVELOPMENT OF TEACHERS

Dr. Jayagowri Shivakumar Ms Jayanthi VijaygopalNMKRV College for Women Principal ( retired) Bangalore –INDIA Mitra Academy Bangalore-INDIA

CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT‘is a planned ,continuous, and lifelong

process whereby teachers try to develop their personal and professional qualities ,and to improve their knowledge, skills and practice, leading to their empowerment, the improvement of their agency and the development of their organisation and their pupils.’

Padwad,Amol ; Dixit ,Krishna(2011) Continuing Professional Development :An Annotated Bibliography .British council

Continuing Professional Development can be defined as:Systematic maintenance and

improvement of knowledge, skills and competence.

Enhancement of learning, undertaken throughout an individual's working life.

TEACHER AS A REFLECTIVE PRACTITIONER Effective response to student requirementstechnological and organisational changechanging social and market conditions,

Dr. Jayagowri Shivakumar 22 Feb 2014

CPD- KEY POINTSReflective practitioner.

Critical friend/Mentoring

Portfolio/classroom diaries etc

Learner /learning centeredness

Classroom Observation-peer/ group

Classroom research/Action research

Feedback and Evaluation

Dr. Jayagowri Shivakumar 22 Feb 2014

CRITICAL FRIEND

Origins in critical pedagogy education reforms in the 1970s. attributed to Desmond

Nuttall.

Costa and Kallick (1993) define a critical friend as “a trusted person who asks provocative questions, provides data to be

examined through another lens, and offers critique of a person’s work as a friend”.

CRITICAL FRIENDSBuild a relationship of trust and respect

Ask constructive questions

Help people work collaboratively in democratic/ reflective communities

Provide a context to interact with students/peers/ and examine our thoughts, assumptions, and beliefs about teaching and learning

The Four main ‘lens’ of Critical Reflection- Brookfield (Becoming a Critically Reflective Teacher-1995)

• Self-reflection as the foundation of critical reflection.

• Teachers become aware of the assumptions and reasoning that frame how we work

autobiographical

• “Seeing Ourselves Through Our Students’ Eyes.”

Students• better

illuminate our personal stance

• share colleagues perspectives

• from the same ‘teaching culture’ or from a different onecolleagues

• alternative ways of conceptualising and articulating our unique mix of beliefs, knowledge and assumptions

Theoretical literature

SELF-DEVELOPMENT

WHO ARE CRITICAL FRIENDS?

HOW DO THEY AID CRITICAL REFLECTION?

Photographs-students workshop

Learning points as a PrincipalRecognise inadequacy of teaching at the

ninth grade .Aware of students expectations.Work from the agenda of studentsConscious of a teaching/learning

opportunities in a classroomIdentify prospects for collaboration/ team-teaching Discover teachers willingness to innovate/ experiment with teaching /

classroom procedures

Self Reflection- Questions?Why was I surprised?

Had my earlier experience made me believe that teachers were unwilling to change/take risks?

Was I typecasting teachers as not being able to do anything without a helping hand?

Was I pre-judging and underestimating my teachers even before giving them an opportunity?

Could I have decentralised ?

Would the management approve of my effort to decentralise?

Self Reflection- Questions? (continued)Could I have helped teachers to set up self-help groups ( CFG groups)?

Was I a typical Principal wanting to have complete control over teachers?

As an administrator had I lost out on providing them opportunities available to them?

Had I lost a good chance of setting up a CFG?

Could I? Could I? Could I?

CRITICAL REFLECTIONS Why did I feel gratified? Was I in some small way responsible for

triggering the process of people becoming autonomous learners responsible for their own CPD?

Could it be because we had co-opted young

mothers and housewives as substitution teachers? Could it be because they were willing to

upgrade themselves and take up teaching?

CRITICAL REFLECTIONS (CONTINUED) Were we helping each other to

get out of the ‘Tunnel vision’ and get a ‘Panoramic view’ of life?

Had we done the right thing by employing differently-abled people?

As part of administration ,had we been able to address our social responsibility?

Thematic Integrated Approach

MathematicsMeasurement/ graph

Social ScienceRainfall in various places/ value of

water

Sciencewater cycle/ Archimedes

law

Environmental Science

Saving water

Physical educationSwimming/ activities

around the pool.

Art and CraftBubble blow

drawing/making paper boats/washing

machines

LibraryStories or

topics related to water

LanguagesLessons or poems related to water

MY REFLECTIONS Had weFinally succeeded in building Critical Friend

Groups in our Organisation?Made the teachers see the importance of being

creative in their teaching?helped teachers realise the importance of

sharing?Motivated them to read more? Visit the library ? Initiated the making of text books customized to

learners’ needs?Encouraged them to edit and proof read?Was that why I was excited? Only

time can tell

Becoming a Critically Reflective Teacher, (1995)

critical reflection is important for some of the following reasons- to increase probability of teachers taking informed decisions – explain/ justify to self /othersprovide a rationale for practice - crucial to establish credibility with studentavoid self-laceration - believing that teachers are responsible for students not learningground teachers emotionally- make classes challenging and stimulating increase democratic trust of the teacher/ management /learner.

CRITICAL REFLECT

ION

CRITICAL REFLECTIONDescribe - articulation of beliefs,

assumptions and values of teaching

Understand- unique social settings- opportunities &constraints

Reflect - exploring the implications of these factors

Improve - classroom practice

BIBLIOGRAPHY Costa, A. and Kallick, B.(1993) "Through the Lens of a Critical Friend". Educational Leadership 51(2) 49-5. Brighouse, T. and Woods, D. (1999) How to Improve your School. London: Routledge.• Bolam, R., Smith, G. and Canter, H. (1978) Local Education Authority Advisers and the Mechanisms of Innovations. Windsor: NFER.• “Critical Friends,” Deborah Bambino, Educational Leadership March 2002 pp. 25-27.

“What if…” Peggy Silva, Connections: Journal of NSRF, Spring 2002 pp. 6, 14

“Documenting Decisions: Making Learning Explicit in our CFG,” Betty Shockley Bisplinghoff, et al.• “Critical Friends Groups: Teachers Helping Teachers to Improve Student Learning” Faith Dunne, Bill Nave, Anne Lewis, Phi Delta Kappa

Center for Evaluation, Development, and Research Research Bulletin, No. 28, December 2000.  

Bibliography“Critical Friends Groups: Teachers Helping Teachers to Improve Student Learning” Faith Dunne, Bill Nave, Anne Lewis, Phi Delta Kappa Center for Evaluation, Development, and Research Research Bulletin, No. 28, December 2000.

“Reflections of an NSRF Coach,” Jon Appleby, June 1998

“Building Professional Community in Schools,” Sharon Kruse, Karen Seashore Lewis, Anthony Bryk

Issues in Restructuring Schools, Report from Center on Organization and Restructuring of Schools Spring 1994

“Critical Friends,” Deborah Bambino, Educational Leadership March 2002 pp. 25-27.

“What if…” Peggy Silva, Connections: Journal of NSRF, Spring 2002 pp. 6, 14

“Documenting Decisions: Making Learning Explicit in our CFG,” Betty Shockley Bisplinghoff, et al

Connections: Journal of NSRF, Fall 2002 pp. 4, 15-18

Modified from a document prepared by Marie McKenzie and Anne Marie Carr-ReardonJune 2003-- 

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