scholarly journals The critical friend – a way to develop as a tutor in problem-based learning groups

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 39
Author(s):  
Elaine Sjögren ◽  
Anita Kärner Köhler

Tutors in problem-based learning (PBL) need to reflect on their role, to prevent stagnation. We aimed to explore the learning experiences of tutors gained by being and having a critical friend in a PBL group. Eight teachers, from several professional programs at the Faculty of Medicine of a Swedish university, participated in a cross-program activity involving the being and having a critical friend to improve their skills as PBL group tutors. They were individually interviewed, and the transcriptions were subjected to conventional qualitative content analysis. The results revealed that a critical friend from another discipline can be useful and that experiences from both roles, to be and to have a critical friend, is necessary for reflection and learning, and thus optimal results. We conclude that support from the organisation, knowledge sharing, and communication are required to enable a systematic use of critical friends to be implemented with credibility.

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 113-131
Author(s):  
Tore Nilsson ◽  
Pirjo Harjanne ◽  
Pernilla Steuer

The present study explores patterns of cognition among 14 foreign language (FL) teacher students in Sweden regarding teaching oral proficiency and grammar in French German, Italian and Spanish. It is based on reflective cumulative log texts written by the students during a theoretical course in FL pedagogy. The log texts were investigated using qualitative content analysis to uncover central themes and patterns of agency. The findings indicate, among other things, that the FL teacher students hold strong experience-based cognitions regarding teaching both oral proficiency and grammar, and that, regardless if their FL learning experiences at school were based on form-focused teaching or communicative teaching, they struggle to negotiate the role of grammar in a communicative language teaching framework.


2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melanie E. Brewster ◽  
Esther N. Tebbe ◽  
Brandon L. Velez

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