COSERE | 35 The implementation of ‘Critical Friends’ in the school fosters an environment built on trust and mutual support. In this setting, colleagues experience professional development and improve student outcomes by providing support to one another and critically analysing their practices The following factors should be considered when working with a critical friend: • Create a safe environment for each other. • Privacy protection is essential. • The term ‘critical’ pertains to an idea, proposition, or problem, not to a person. • Comments and recommendations are considered as professional challenges, not criticisms. • Expectations regarding availability, commitment to the process, reliability, and progress evaluation should be discussed and agreed upon. • The agenda for the ‘Critical Friend’ meeting should be written and mutually agreed upon • Responsibilities should be distributed among critical friends. • Encourage openness and mutual trust. For process transparency, a preliminary agreement should be established at the outset of working with a ‘Critical Friend.’ Several logistical issues need to be considered for effective collaboration. The following sequential steps are recommended: • Conduct orientation meetings in the school, organized by the school directorate, quality development group, subject department, or individual teachers to help teachers understand the essence of working in this form of professional development, including the main principles, functions, duties, and benefits of those involved in the process. • Form critical buddy pairs or groups. Teachers are free to choose their group members. • In schools with a large contingent, use a group’s ‘critical friend’ with an ideal size of 4 to 8 teachers. In smaller schools, opt for ‘critical friends’ in pairs. • Members agree on basic work principles, symbolically signing an agreement document. • Establish a working format - critical peer meetings can be conducted face-toface or remotely, utilising online platforms such as Google Drive or Teams. These platforms enable synchronous and asynchronous communication, document sharing, and feedback. • Periodically, critical friends reflect on their own and their colleagues’ performance in the role of a critical friend
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