THE ROLE OF CRITICAL FRIENDS IN CONTINUING DEVELOPMENT OF TEACHERS

1. THE ROLE OF CRITICAL FRIENDS IN CONTINUING DEVELOPMENT OF TEACHERS Dr. Jayagowri Shivakumar Ms Jayanthi Vijaygopal NMKRV College for Women Principal ( retired) Bangalore –INDIA Mitra Academy Bangalore-INDIA

2. 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

3. 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 requirements • technological and organisational change • changing social and market conditions, Dr. Jayagowri Shivakumar 22 Feb 2014

4. CPD- Key Points • Reflective 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

5. 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”.

6. CRITICAL FRIENDS • Build 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

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

8. SELF-DEVELOPMENT • WHO ARE CRITICAL FRIENDS? • HOW DO THEY AID CRITICAL REFLECTION?

9. Photographs-students workshop

10. Learning points as a Principal • Recognise inadequacy of teaching at the ninth grade . • Aware of students expectations. • Work from the agenda of students • Conscious of a teaching/learning opportunities in a classroom • Identify prospects for collaboration/ team-teaching • Discover teachers willingness to innovate/ experiment with teaching / classroom procedures

11. 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?

12. 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?

13. 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?

14. 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?

15. Thematic Integrated Approach

16. My reflections • Had we • Finally 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

17. 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 /others • provide a rationale for practice - crucial to establish credibility with student • avoid self-laceration - believing that teachers are responsible for students not learning • ground teachers emotionally- make classes challenging and stimulating • increase democratic trust of the teacher/ management /learner.

19. CRITICAL REFLECTION Describe - articulation of beliefs, assumptions and values of teaching Understand- unique social settings- opportunities &constraints Reflect - exploring the implications of these factors Improve - classroom practice

20. 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 BrykIssues 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 alConnections: Journal of NSRF, Fall 2002 pp. 4, 15-18Modified from a document prepared by Marie McKenzie and Anne Marie Carr-ReardonJune 2003--  • Harmony Education CenterPO Box 1787 Bloomington Indiana 47402 • 812.330.2702nsrf@harmonyschool.org • fax 812.333.3435Comments: webmaster@harmonyschool.orglast modified: 08/13/2012 20:53:11