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INTRODUCTION (Part 2...Thursday) The Cycle of Clinical Supervision Clinical supervision acknowledges the need for teacher evaluation, under the condition that the teacher participates with the supervisor in the process. However, the primary emphasis of clinical supervision is on professional development, and the primary goal of this supervision is to help the teacher improve his or her instructional performance (Acheson and Gall, 1997). What are the Positive Aspects of Clinical Supervision? Planning conferences, classroom observation, and feedback conference are the major activities of clinical supervision. The major aim of these activities is the improvement of teachers' classroom instruction. In this respect, clinical supervision is a key technique for promoting professional development of teachers. Outlined below are a few of the positive outcomes resulting from clinical supervision in the school setting. Clinical supervision allows teachers to see what they are actually doing while they are teaching. Many times what teachers think they are doing is quite different than what is actually occurring, this type of supervision allows teachers to take a clear look at their teaching. What are the Negative Aspects of Clinical Supervision? Many teachers -- especially student and first year teachers -- have high anxiety and insecurity about their ability to perform in the classroom. Teachers may also experience personal crises in their lives which interfere with their classroom performance. Sensitive supervisors respond to teachers' anxiety and problems by providing emotional support and reassurance. In carrying out these functions, the supervisor actually takes on the role as a counselor, which is not the major focus of their clinical supervision objectives. Another form of counseling the clinical supervisor seems to be swayed into is providing career decisions to teachers who feel that they are not successful in the school setting. Instead of providing the teachers with means of improving their educational objectives, supervisors are spending time giving out suggestions related to career decisions. Teachers sometimes ask their supervisors for advice about curriculum materials they are using. Supervision in the form of curriculum support can be very helpful to the teacher, but it should not be equated with clinical supervision. Clinical supervision focuses directly on actual observable events of teaching (Acheson and Gall, 1997). I In order for clinical supervision to be beneficial for teachers, supervisors must be trained and highly knowledgeable in the area of clinical supervision itself. Unfortunately, clinical supervision is not an area which can be learned overnight, it takes many years of quality practice in order to fully understand its educational objectives. With all the other responsibilities of a principal today, it may be hard to convince districts that this time consuming form of supervision is truly beneficial. (All of this material may be found athttp://www.cwu.edu/~smithma/supervision/postivenegativeclinical.html Characteristics of Effective Supervision In order to characterize effective supervision we must consider effective leadership qualities, as leadership is a potent force for increasing supervisory effectiveness. Effective leaders make it possible for people to recognize and develop human characteristics for themselves. They arrange organizational conditions and methods of operation so that people can achieve their own goals best by directing their own efforts toward organizational objectives (Sergiovanni & Starratt, 1979) . This belief is consistent with the hopes of teachers, administrators and supervisors who are interested in raising the quality of life for students in our schools. Therefore, an effective supervisor is one who incorporates those human resources traits such as collaboration and trust. Supervisors can facilitate a teaching-learning environment that allows for teacher growth under teacher self-control. Although leadership quality plays a significant role in effective supervision, there are specific skills and behaviors that can be learned by supervisors. Glatthorn (1990) cites three that, when mastered by supervisors, can enhance participatory supervision. 1. Effective supervisors employ techniques for observing and analyzing observational data. 2. Effective supervisors implement an established set of guidelines when holding supervisory conferences. 3. Effective supervisors use coaching to improve teacher’s skills. Data Collection Techniques The main purpose in clinical supervision is to use a repertoire of data collection techniques. To understand the strengths and limitations of each technique and to apply an appropriate technique for a specific teaching practice. There are 6 main Data Collection Techniques as listed here
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