Supervisors are full- or part-time university faculty members who have experience as public school educators. Part-time university personnel must go through screening and hiring procedures just as for any other position on campus.
The supervisor serves as the main link between the public school site and the Education and Credentialing office. The supervisor works closely with the master teacher and student teacher to ensure that proper procedures are followed and all timelines met.
As a former public school educator with specific knowledge of the subject matter, the supervisor can offer valuable insight into the student's progress. The supervisor visits the student teacher periodically and performs clinical supervisions.
In the spring, the supervisor should make at least one site visit every other week, for a total of no fewer than six clinical supervision contacts. Each clinical supervision contact should include: 1) a meeting prior to observation to discuss the lesson plan and any issues of concern to the student teacher; 2) actual in-class observation (at least one full period); and 3) a meeting after the lesson to discuss observations. Within a week of every visit, contact reports should be typed and copies delivered to the student teacher, master teacher, and Education and Credentialing Office.
c) Provide the master teacher with copies of contact reports.
During the mid-semester assessment conference (SED 764) in mid-March, the student teacher, master teacher, and university supervisor are all evaluated. Set aside an adequate amount of time to discuss the student teacher's progress as well as the effectiveness and quality of guidance provided by both the master teacher and university supervisor.
At the end of the spring semester, the master teacher and student teacher independently evaluate the university supervisor using the form on p. 45 (of the printed version of this handbook).
University supervisors are under contract until the end of the HSU spring semester (mid-May).
Because student teachers continue in the schools until the end of the public school semester, the SED coordinator assumes general supervisory responsibility for all single subject student teachers from the end of the HSU spring semester until the end of the public school year. By mid-May, the supervisor will have made a final assessment of the student teacher. Completion of the final intersession (SED 766) is verified by the master teacher. The coordinator will determine whether the candidate should be awarded the final units of credit and recommended for a teaching credential.
Before visiting any school site in the Humboldt State University service area, nonsupervising HSU employees should observe the following protocol:
A successful student teaching experience is the keystone of pre-service teacher preparation. Clinical supervision is a means of ensuring that student teaching is carried out most effectively through systematic planning, observation, and feedback. The clinical supervision model is designed to help teachers grow. It systematically builds on strengths while eliminating counter-productive approaches. It recognizes that each student teacher is different. No candidate will be a carbon copy of "the ideal teacher" or teach every lesson exactly according to a given model. Clinical supervision develops the student teacher's ability to reflect on experience and apply principles and concepts to self-improvement efforts.
Three actors must play their roles well for clinical supervision to succeed. The student teacher must plan lessons early enough that the supervisor and master teacher can review them before class. The master teacher and supervisor must find compatible strategies in supporting the student teacher. When clinical supervision is a cooperative endeavor, the results can be rewarding to all.
Clinical supervision is a continuous series of cycles in which the supervisor assists the student teacher in developing ever more successful instructional strategies (not necessarily the mentor's pet methods). The approach was first published by Goldhammer (1969) and Cogan (1973) but effective supervisors had been using similar methods for some time. In Clinical Supervision: A State of the Art Review (ASCD, 1980), Cheryl Sullivan describes clinical supervision as an eight-phase cycle of instructional improvement:
Obviously these may be modified, but the significant elements of each should be addressed. The process is assessment-formative, not summary-evaluative. Subsequent evaluation may be based on progress toward the goals set in the post-observation conference.
In the pre-observation conference, the objectives of the lesson will be established. During observation, the supervisor will record performance and pupil response in relation to the objectives. The supervisor will also note critical incidents that impact on teaching effectiveness. In the pre-observation conference, the student teacher may ask the supervisor to watch for particular things.
The supervisor may want to delay discussing all the negative aspects of the student teacher's performance in the first session. A person can handle only so much criticism at one time. This is especially true when using videotaped reviews, where the student teacher may see many things that are wrong. The role of the supervisor is to support the teacher and point out what went well rather than dwelling too long on the errors. As student teaching progresses, and the major problems have been addressed, there will be time to introduce secondary considerations.
There are many methods for recording observations. Ned Flanders' interaction analysis methodology is appropriate. One useful book is Keith Acheson and Meredith Gall's Techniques in the Clinical Supervision of Teachers (Longman, 1987).
When clinical supervision was first introduced, participants said, "Fine. Now what should I look for as the critical incidents of teaching?" Since direct instruction is the most common teaching strategy, and since Madeline Hunter's seven-step model is an effective direct-instruction model, the Hunter model was provided. However, some supervisors tried to make it fit where it wasn't appropriate, resulting in an undeserved negative reputation for clinical supervision. The Association of California School Administrators (ACSA), recognizing this problem, published A Practical Guide for Instructional Supervision: A Tool for Administrators and Supervisors. This excellent handbook contains ten models describing a range of the more useful teaching strategies. Bruce Joyce and Marsha Weil's Models of Teaching (Prentice-Hall, 1987) describes more than eighty strategies.
More than 130 lesson plan models have been identified, each appropriate to certain teaching objectives. The California Department of Education identifies these models within four families (similar to Joyce and Weil's, with different titles):<
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Behavioral--Transmits the culture by teaching skills and knowledge.
Strategies: direct instruction, written language, etc.
Social Interaction--Teaches social skills and communication.
Strategies: cooperative learning, group discussion, total physical response, etc.
Generative--Develops internal resources to see things in new ways.
Strategies: brainstorming, synectics, etc.
Cognitive--Improves logical thinking processes, develops thoughtful citizens through critical thinking, etc.
Strategies: concept attainment inquiry, math problem solving, etc.
The supervisor should determine whether the model chosen is appropriate for the student teacher's objectives.
Continue to The School Administrator section [Page 29 of the printed version of the Handbook]
Continue to The School Administrator section [Page 29 of the printed version of the Handbook]
