What is a critical friend? And how can teachers be one with their colleagues?

Jennifer Pieratt, school development coach for New Tech Network, offers tips for teachers to use when forming critical friendships with other educators in her article on TeachingChannel.org.

Being critical friends means that we can depend on our colleagues to help us reach our potential. We all serve as critical friends [and really, aren't these two words synonymous?] who push our practice, help one another see bright spots, and offer resources and a clear path for steps to quality teaching and learning. And while critical friends are who we are for each other, it's also what we do. 

Pieratt explores why teachers give feedback and when to give feedback to teachers, but she also shares with readers ways to give feedback.

"The Critical Friends protocol is just one of the many ways colleagues can engage in conversation about teaching and learning," she said. "Here are some of my favorite resources for providing collegial feedback:

• ATLAS- Learning from Student Work: This is a great protocol for letting student work stand on its own and having colleagues reflect and calibrate together.
• Deeper Learning- Looking at Student Work Protocol: This protocol is helpful because it provides a framework for high quality student learning experiences.
• Project Tuning from High Tech High: When thinking about problems of practice and trying to foster reflective practitioners, this protocol can be helpful."

"I encourage you to seek out colleagues to help you be your best by soliciting their feedback," she said. "I also invite you to become a critical friend."

Read the full story and comment below. 

Article by Kassondra Granata, Education World Contributor