Critical Friends Groups: Learning Experiences for Teachers

How can school librarians know about other teachers' professional development experiences? School librarians need time to talk with fellow teachers about the wide range of issues and challenges present in schools. A collaborative mission gives precious time to create learning opportunities for students; but does it give enough time for reflective practice by the school librarian and content area teachers? School librarians can lead the way to creating more time for the adult learners in K-12 buildings--the teachers. Launching this effort will require a format of professional learning that can work within the current system. A Critical Friends Group (CFG) is an ideal way to shift the paradigm to teacher as learner. These groups contain all the attributes of great professional development, such as job-embedded, ongoing, and personalized. Tips on how to establish a Critical Friends Group are provided.