Abstract:
This exploratory case study, arising from a longitudinal project into
the establishment of a new secondary school in New Zealand,
examines reflective practice through critical friend roles among
staff. The paper describes, through the lens of Bourdieu’s logic of
practice, the implementation of a critical friendship approach
linked to the school leaders’ vision and aim regarding learning
within open classroom spaces as part of a modern learning
environment. Reflective practice involves critiquing, rethinking
and reframing existing professional practices, often through a
critical friendship approach among school staff within a fostered
collaborative and open culture. The researchers interviewed six
participants (four leaders and two teachers), observed how the
teaching and learning took place in the new open classroom
spaces, and reviewed blog posts and the school’s website.
Findings reveal that critical friendship, as a way to develop staff
cohesion, is fostered and supported by the school leaders’ vision
and actions, while the physical geography of the new classroom
spaces, and the redesign of learning, also make this easier to
enact. Staff cohesion, trust and openness to peer scrutiny are
hallmark of this emerging school culture. These emerging findings
provide some insights into how one new school culture develops
cohesion with its stated vision and mission
