Lecture on CFG Session 3

1. MLS JUL 2018
COURSE FACILITATION 3
AST PROF HAIRON SALLEH

2. Agenda
Peer Feedback
 Journal Entry 2 to 5
 Critical Friend
 A-D-E-S-A
 E-Q-A

3. A critical friend is someone who is
encouraging and supportive, but who also
provides honest and often candid feedback
that may be uncomfortable or difficult to
hear. In short, a critical friend is someone
who agrees to speak truthfully, but
constructively, about weaknesses,
problems, and emotionally charged issues.
http://edglossary.org/critical-friend
… Critical Friend

4. Affirm
Deepen
& Extend
Suggest
Alternatives
… Critical Friend

5. Guiding Questions
Content
ContextContest

6. Guiding Questions
Essence of the
Topic
Application
of the Topic
Questioning
the Topic

7. Essence of the Topic
Describe how one aspect of the reflection shows that the
writer has thought through in-depth the essence of the
topic at hand.
 Question to ask: Has the writer shown understanding on
the topic to be reflected?
 Example: On the topic of the Singapore’s Curriculum
Model, I really like the way you see it more close to
Tyler’s model. It is indeed very step-by-step in nature –
very sequential, prescriptive, logical and technical, which
starts with questions and ends with appropriate
assessment. This is very perceptive of you …
(Affirm)

8. Essence of the Topic
 Example: I think it is sequential simply because it adopts
a pragmatic way of thinking and doing that is quite
natural for teachers – especially in terms of lesson
planning and delivery. Teachers essentially go through
that momentum and routine every day. And
Singaporeans and Singaporean teachers are a pragmatic
lot. We would love to do things in an almost automatic
fashion … (Deepen & Extend)
 Example: Although I am all for the idea of planning and
carrying out our plans in the context of classroom
teaching, I believe a good teacher is someone who is able
to be able to do reflection in action – that is, being able to
make changes to what they have planned so as to address
the learning needs of students in the midst of his or her
teaching … (Suggest Alternatives)

9. Questioning of the Topic
Describe how one aspect of the reflection shows that
the writer has thought through in-depth in
questioning the topic at hand.
 Question to ask: Has the writer shown questioning
of assumptions on the topic to be reflected?
 Example: I totally agree with you on our obsession
with academic results. I also see where you are
coming from in terms of valuing the learning process
itself, and this is something that cannot literally be
measured in the usual assessment regime …
(Affirm)

10. Questioning of the Topic
 Example: I think we are kind of ‘stuck’ in terms of
meeting student needs for both the national
examinations and holistic needs of education. The former
tends to be reductionistic and short-term oriented. The
latter, which we are trying to progress more towards to
tends to be more holistic and long-term oriented. In a
way, we are constantly living in this dilemma, and must
have wisdom in rightly and equitably mobilizing our
resources … (Deepen & Extend)
 Example: Should we then move towards delaying the
national examinations from Primary 6 to perhaps
Secondary 2 or 4. This is not to say that they are no
longer assessments prior to this. There would be, but not
the formal and high stakes ones … (Suggest
Alternatives)

11. Application of the Topic
Describe how one aspect of the reflection shows
that the writer has thought through in-depth
regarding the application of the topic at hand.
 Question to ask: Has the writer shown
contextualizing in terms of applications on the
topic to be reflected?
 Example: I agree with you completely with the
obsession we give to formal and high stakes
examinations. Not that it is evil per se …
(Affirm)

12. Application of the Topic
 Example: I think as a middle manager, I must really be
cognitive of this dilemma. Although assessing how our
students have learned or not learned is indeed important,
we cannot be too obsessed with it to the point where we
sacrifice all the other good things about education …
(Deepen & Extend)
 Example: Would it be possible to remove high stakes
examination at the primary level in order to place greater
value on the process of learning, which is more consistent
with the spirit of lifelong learning? How do my school go
about ensuring that the non-IP subjects are valued, or
equally valued? … (Suggest
Alternatives)

13. Enjoy what you do …