- Email invite to my focus group ‘You and your connections’. Final version
- Information Sheet
- Consent form
- Pre-session information
- Focus group prompt cards
Critical Friends – Have you got feedback for me?
- Asking my critical friends, my course team, for feedback: “Have you feedback for me?”
- Mikha’s feedback
- Ella’s reply
When developing my student invite draft, I sought feedback from my course leader, Ella Sharp-Mitchell, and my colleagues Mikha Mekler and Sean-Henry Fitzsimons. As a team, we are mindful of each other’s workloads, so I appreciated that Mikha was able to respond with constructive comments. She recommended adding more detail about the purpose of the session and the activities involved. On reflection, I realised that I had not fully explained the meaning of the topic, “You and your connections,” nor provided a concrete example of what students would be doing, namely discussing prompts. I revised the invite to address these omissions and ensured I expressed my thanks for her contribution.
Mikha also suggested including ethical considerations such as anonymity and voluntary participation. These elements were already covered in the information sheet and consent form linked beneath the image, which she had overlooked. This highlighted to me the importance of providing my critical friends with clear contextual information upfront. In future, I intend to begin feedback requests with a brief explanation of the document and its purpose, followed by the material I would like them to review. This approach aligns with my aim of making the feedback process efficient and respectful of colleagues’ time.
Although my course leader, Ella, was unable to offer detailed feedback, her brief message: “Go for it.” was warm, encouraging, and supportive. This reinforced my confidence in my approach and underscored the value of collegial reassurance alongside formal critique.
