The Critical Friend

1. Feedback and Questioning
The Critical Friend

2. Intent
Learning Intention
- To understand the different levels and purposes of
questioning
Success Criteria
- To be able to write questions at various levels as
feedback for peers.

3. Feedback
Feedback enables students to gauge their
effectiveness against a given success criteria.
It tells students what they have achieved and
what needs to be improved. More importantly,
feedback provides students with specific
suggestions on how to improve.

4. Questioning
Questioning allows individuals to demonstrate
what they know, understand and can do.
At a higher level, questioning enables the
individual to ‘reinvent’ their knowledge, finding new
ideas, connecting ideas, and making judgment.

5. The Critical Friend
• It is essential that you draw on your own
knowledge of the task at hand, and provide
support in that context.
• A critical friend has an important role in the
success of that piece of work.
• As a critical friend it is your job to provide
feedback in the form of questioning that provides
thought provoking stimulus to the author as a
means of improving their own work.

6. Blooms Taxonomy
Questioning Skills

7. Levels of Questioning
• Knowledge/Remembering
Can you label…..
Can you describe….
• Comprehension/Showing Understanding
Can you explain……
Can you give examples
• Application/Using Understanding
What would happen if you changed….
Can you demonstrate……

8. • Analysis/Examination
How does this compare with….
Can you outline …..
• Synthesis/Creating
Can you construct….
What if you modified….
• Evaluating/Deciding or Judging
Select the most appropriate….

9. In this session, you are to provide feedback and questioning to a
member in your neighbourhood group. You will be looking at the
blogs that were posted at end of week 6 under session 5.
In order to complete this task you will need to:
1. Select a person to provide feedback to from the Office 365
link in your neighbourhood (session 6)
2. Locate their blog ideas- statement of intent for
writing to understand their purpose (from session 4)
3. Follow hyperlink in session 5 to their writing.
4. Read and provide feedback with questions under week
7/8 session 6 (in your neighbourhood group). Please be
sure to address your post with your partners name.
Your Task

10. In providing feedback, consider the purpose of the task, the
purpose of the author and what you currently understand of
blogs.
What did they do well?
What can they improve on with suggestions?
What prompts can you provide them to get them thinking
about their writing and purpose?
Sample questions from Blooms are available as a link on
the home page.
Look forward to reading your feedback questions!
Your Task (cont…)

11. References:
-Education Services Australia. Assessment for Learning.
http://www.assessmentforlearning.edu.au/professional_learning/n
tro_to_afl/introduction_key_questions.html
-Petty Geoff (2015). Feedback: Medals and Missions. Improve your
teaching and that of your team. http://geoffpetty.com/for-
teachers/feedback-and-questions/
-Silverton Primary School “Critical Friends Program”
http://www.education.vic.gov.au/Documents/school/principals/m
anagement/silvertcriticalftool.pdf