Understanding and Improving Professional Practice Through Critical Friendship

Abstract

This chapter provides background to the concept of critical friendship in self-study of teacher education practices as an introduction to the chapters that follow. Beginning with definitions of critical friendship and consideration of the role of collaboration in self-study, the chapter continues with discussion of five personal self-study experiences spanning the period 1995 to 2019. These five experiences illustrate the range of ways in which critical friendships can develop, often serendipitously; in such moments, the opportunity to collaborate in self-study may be recognized on the spot. Two of the five experiences occurred with a colleague, while the other three involved teacher educators in Australia and Chile. The ultimate impact of these critical friendships on the quality of my professional practice was profound. Particularly memorable was a critical friendship that generated a number of conclusions about the concept; seven of those are cited and discussed. The chapter closes by recalling the unique nature of both self-study research and critical friendship, offering challenges as well as rewards as two individuals negotiate conversations about teaching. Critical friendships are a way to escape the isolation and loneliness of teaching and ultimately reduce a teacher/teacher educator’s distance and isolation from students.