Tamara Eyster, M.A. Lea Rosenberry, M.A.Ed.
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Online Critical Friends Groups: Getting Together with your Critical Friends to Become a Better Teacher Tamara Eyster, M.A. Lea Rosenberry, M.A.Ed.
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Online Critical Friends Groups: Getting Together with your Critical Friends to Become a Better Teacher. Tamara Eyster, M.A. Lea Rosenberry, M.A.Ed. What is a Critical Friends Group (CFG)?. Small group of educators Want to improve their teaching Want to improve their students’ learning - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
Transcript of Tamara Eyster, M.A. Lea Rosenberry, M.A.Ed.
Online Critical Friends Groups: Getting Together with your Critical Friends to Become a
Better Teacher
Tamara Eyster, M.A.Lea Rosenberry, M.A.Ed.
What is a Critical Friends Group (CFG)?• Small group of educators• Want to improve their teaching• Want to improve their students’ learning• Willing to meet regularly• Willing to provide constructive feedback to peers
Do you have what it takes?
(Cox, 2010, p. 33)
Traditional CFGs• Monthly meetings• Classrooms observations• Observation debriefs
• Lesson plans in general• Specific lessons• Teaching in general• Specific topics• Specific teaching techniques• Fine tuning
What To Do With Your CFG
Fine Tuning Activity
Fine Tuning Activity
We have studied three measures of central
tendency, the mean, the median, and the
mode. Explain how to calculate each of the
measures of central tendency. Which measure
of central tendency is the most useful?
Traditional CFGsAdvantages
• Support group• Regular meetings with peers• Professional development
Disadvantages• Travel• Accommodating participants’ schedules
Online CFGs
• Online chat rooms• Discussion boards• Scheduled phone meetings• Visit online classes• Online surveys
• And do all the same support
Online CFGs
Advantages• No travel• Synchronous or Asynchronous• Easier to accommodate schedules• Increased feeling of connectedness
Disadvantages• No face-to-face meetings
Form Your Own CFG!
• Think of 3 or more people who you would want in your CFG.
• Try to have at least one that is not in your department.
References• Annenberg/CPB Channel (Producer). (1999a). Innovations in
Professional Collaboration: A Community of Learners [VoD]. Available from http://www.learner.org/resources/series109.html
• Annenberg/CPB Channel (Producer). (1999b). Innovations in Professional Collaboration: Making Teaching Public [VoD]. Available from http://www.learner.org/resources/series109.html
• Cox, E. (2010). Critical Friends Groups: Learning Experiences for Teachers. School Library Monthly, 27(1), 32-34. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
• Dunne, F., & Honts, F. (1998). "That Group Really Makes Me Think!" Critical Friends Groups and the Development of Reflective Practitioners. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
• Garmston, R. (1987). How Administrators Support Peer Coaching. Educational Leadership, 44(5), 18. Retrieved from Education Research Complete database.
References• Kowalski, T. (2008). Case Study 1 & Case Study 17. In Case
Studies on Educational Administration (pp. 13 – 19, 149 – 156). New York: Pearson Education, Inc.
• Murray, S., Ma, X., & Mazur, J. (2009). Effects of Peer Coaching on Teachers' Collaborative Interactions and Students' Mathematics Achievement. Journal of Educational Research, 102(3), 203-212. Retrieved from Education Research Complete database.
• Showers, B., & Joyce, B. (1996). The evolution of peer coaching. Educational Leadership, 53(6), 12. Retrieved from Education Research Complete database.
• Trautwein, B., & Ammerman, S. (2010). From Pedagogy to Practice: Mentoring and Reciprocal Peer Coaching for Preservice Teachers. Volta Review, 110(2), 191-206. Retrieved from Education Research Complete database.
