Let’s Talk! Facilitating a Faculty Learning Community Using a Critical Friends Group Approach

Abstract

This article focuses on the complex process of facilitating a Critical Friends Group as a form of a professional learning community by teacher education faculty. During a three-year initiative, seven faculty members created a forum for collegial conversations regarding pedagogical dilemmas in efforts of improving teaching practice and student achievement. Critical Friends Groups use protocol guides to actively engage its members in learning, thinking, reading and discussing dilemmas from interdisciplinary perspectives. This article reviews the literature of Critical Friends Groups, the work of this particular Critical Friends Group and concludes by providing a rationale for sustainability of Critical Friends Groups in Institutions of Higher Education.

Developing a Faculty Learning Community for Non-Tenure Track Professors

“…The FLC provides opportunities for faculty members to reflect on their teaching, share creative ideas, and overcome pedagogical challenges (Cervato et al, 2015;Slapcoff & Harris, 2014). When professors interact with others in a FLC and deepen their professional relationships, they feel more connected to their university (Moore & Carter-Hicks, 2014). …”

Critical Friends Protocol: Andragogy and Learning in a Graduate Classroom

“…A CFG is typically a group of eight to 12 educators who meet regularly to discuss issues of practice and improve student learning. Their discussion is guided by the use of facilitated conversation protocols to examine student work, conduct peer observations, and drill into dilemmas or analyze text (Moore & Carter-Hicks, 2014).…”

“…The higher education six-step CF protocol (see Figure 1) developed by Storey and Richard (2015) modified the AISR model to encourage graduates to engage and reframe in the quest for understanding. The protocol requires CFs to remain in their role and that dialogue is constructive, purposeful, and within an agreed-upon time limit (Bernacchio, Ross, Washburn, Whitney Wood, 2007; Burbules, 1993; Costantino, 2010; Moore & Carter-Hicks, 2014). The protocol follows the steps outline below:…”

“…Moore and Carter-Hicks (2014) found that higher education faculty members involved in an interdisciplinary CFG began to transfer some of the CFG processes and protocols to their university classroom as a result of being introduced to them during CFG sessions. Moreover, they found that by introducing teacher education candidates to these practices within their program, not only are they improving on current practice, but also they are engaging in professional activities that can affect their practice for years to come.…”

Making sense of librarian-led information literacy instruction

“…FLCs are groups of faculty members from various disciplines that engage in a collaborative project that focuses on enhancing teaching and learning (Moore & Carter-Hicks, 2014). Moore and Carter-Hicks (2014) surmised that FLCs increased "faculty interest in teaching and learning and provide safety and support for faculty to explore, attempt, test, and…”