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Teachers can feel somewhat isolated in their work, rarely having a chance to talk with one another about the art and practice of teaching and ways of improving during a regular work week. They ask themselves, “How can I strengthen my teaching in order to improve my students’ achievement?” Through Critical Friends Groups (a national organization) this situation is being addressed in our District. Many people agree “two heads are better than one,” and Critical Friends Groups give teachers the opportunity to put this idea into practice. A Critical Friends Group begins with a diverse group of teachers interested in learning together. The diversity of the group is its strength. Mrs. Linda St.Clair is one of our National Board Certified Teachers. Recently, an article she wrote was published in the September issue of Educational Leadership. In it she states, “At a spring 2005 Washington State National Board Certified Teacher Leadership Conference, I was introduced to Critical Friends Groups. These groups provide ongoing, authentic professional development that helps teachers reflect on and analyze their teaching and offer collegial support in a safe collaborative group. Returning to my middle school, I presented the Critical Friends rationale to my Principal and District Director of Learning. I requested support to attend a summer training institute. I was able to bring a Critical Friends Group to my school because both the building leader and the District Director of Learning shared my vision. Although I envisioned working with my building’s 30-plus teachers, the Director of Learning promoted the idea of expanding the training opportunity to educators from each of our four schools.” Through the process of building trust and sharing issues, teachers build upon their knowledge and understanding of teaching practices. The collaborative inquiry environment takes the members on a learning journey that they design for themselves. Teachers bring work to their group that they determine is important to their practice, their students, their classroom, and their school and are the ones who control the focus of the discussion. They provide the question about the work placed on the table; they frame the discussion around their needs. A Critical Friends Group’s work is individualized this way because learners construct meaning in their own unique ways and paces. Our school buildings have implemented Critical Friends Groups, which take on different forms according to the buildings’ needs. Lakeside Middle School began the process last year. Mrs. St. Clair, Lakeside Middle School’s art teacher, wanted to improve a writing assignment she gave to her art students. Not only does she teach students to draw and to paint, she teaches art appreciation and how to analyze an art piece. She used a four step format that she wanted to improve. She brought this assignment to her Critical Friends Group and received valuable, objective feedback from non-art teachers; this difference in perspective led Mrs. St.Clair to refine the assignment, which led to improved writing results from her students. “I see teachers being inspired to share their learning in a trusting team (Critical Friends Group). All of us are becoming more effective practitioners for all our learners,” shared Mrs. St.Clair. This year the Critical Friends Group meets during two of the four Thursday Collaboration mornings a month. Lakeside High School’s learning teams are using Critical Friends Groups protocols for professional learning that will lead to improvements in student learning. Teams meet regularly to re-build curriculum frameworks or create common assessments. This means teachers are carefully constructing the courses to exceed state and national standards, and then carefully assessing how students are learning. Teams are also building lessons together or looking at student work to decide how to best improve learning. The base idea is pretty simple; teachers can improve student learning if they learn and study together. This professional learning is centered on the things that will have the most impact on student achievement: the skills and strategies of the classroom teacher. The professional learning is not just done on Professional Development Days, but rather is a continuous part of teacher work throughout the week. At the high school, teachers are improving their Powerful Teaching and Learning by watching student learning in other classrooms in teams. The teams then debrief by discussing a researched set of effective strategies. “This is one of the most effective tools for improving learning that I have ever seen in my 23 years in education, ” stated Principal Mark St. Clair. Lake Spokane Elementary is focused on building communication between teachers at each grade-level, school-wide understanding, as well as working with the staff of Nine Mile Falls Elementary. Throughout the year, the schools will be sharing ideas, strategies, and using current data to best identify and implement what is best for students. Using the protocol from CFG (Critical Friends Group) as well as providing ongoing training, they will continue to use “teachers to teach teachers.” Giving the teachers the time and opportunity to present, assess, and discuss student work and classroom practices will have benefits that far exceed expectations. Each teacher has expertise to bring to the Critical Friends Group. Each teacher’s strengths emerge. Over time, as these strengths are shared, all members grow stronger. In turn, this strength opens the door to improved student learning. Mrs. St. Clair’s article can be found at
www.ascd.org
Publications link, Educational Leadership link, archived issue
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