Personal Learning Networks

Week 6: Thing 13

PLNs, I thought, were new to me; but after reading about them, they weren't.  For this exercise, I joined Ed Tech Talk and read Dave Cormier's blog.  He mentioned the term, "critical friends," and their importance to a person's overall growth professionally.  I think, I would add, that having a critical friend is also important personally. 

What is a critical friend? 

     This from John MacBeath; Professor of Education Leadership, Cambridge University:

The Critical Friend is a powerful idea, perhaps because it contains an inherent tension. Friends bring a high degree of unconditional positive regard. Critics are, at first sight at least, conditional, negative and intolerant of failure. Perhaps the critical friend comes closest to what might be regarded as 'true friendship' - a successful marrying of unconditional support and unconditional critique

AND

A critical friend can be defined as a trusted person who asks provocative questions, provides data to be examined through another lens, and offers critiques of a person’s work as a friend. A critical friend takes the time to fully understand the context of the work presented and the outcomes that the person or group is working toward. The friend is an advocate for the success of that work.

~ Desmond Nuttall ~

Why do we need one?

When we are creating projects, it is helpful to have a trusted person whose role is to ask probing questions to enable those involved to gain fresh insights into their work. The strategy may be used in individual or group settings. The main benefits of using critical friends are that they provide

• an outsider's view of the project/task/issue
• independent questioning to ensure that the focus is maintained
• alternate sources of information or expertise.

Critical friendships begin by building trust. Critical friends must listen well, offer value judgements on the learner's request, respond honestly and promote the work's success - Costa and Kallick 1993

Wouldn't it be lovely for everyone to have such a person in their work life?  Many of us, I think, have critical friends in our personal lives, but it requires a great deal of trust in a work colleague in order to be able to give and receive criticism.  It has been my experience that the work environment is a dangerous place - one in which people derive a great deal of pleasure from fault finding.  Real honesty on topics is a rare gem.  To build real community, and to know that your opinion is valued and accepted - even if it differs from that of the herd - takes courage.  It also requires the mindset that results are better when collaboration has occurred. 

The following are links to further reading on this topic:

The missing Critical Friends' voices: An angel's heart or a beautiful mind?

This paper explores the identity of critical friends in research study using an action research approach. The paper begins with the observation that in a common sense, critical friendship seems to be ambiguous in both its conception and practice. A person is a friend but does not need to be critical; a person is critical but may not position himself/herself to be a friend any more.

Critical Friends: A Process Built on Reflection

This paper outlines the formalised use of critical friends at Brown University (USA). It gives insight into how a structured approach can be successfully adopted by a larger educational institution.

Developing a Teacher Identity: The Impact of Critical Friends Practice on the Student Teacher

The collaborative inquiry model presented by CFGs is grounded in the belief that teachers at all levels can mentor and support one another. It offers a wealth of potential as a means of inducting new teachers into the practice and exposing them to the essence of professional development by inviting them to join with teachers examining their own evolving practice.

Standards need 'critical friends'

This is a short document however, it provides a good overview of critical friends, their value and some hints for taking on the role. Well worth the five minutes needed to read it.