Teaching Supervision Approaches

Directive Supervision

• Supervisor directs and informs the teacher, models teaching behaviors, and evaluates the teacher's mastery of defined behaviors.
• Problems:
  • Supervisors may have differing definitions of "good teaching."
  • This approach can lead to teacher defensiveness and low self-esteem.
  • Supervisors may take responsibility for classroom activities.
• Explanation:
  • People have different perspectives on what constitutes "good" teaching, although effective teaching generally leads to learning.
  • Identifying specific teaching behaviors linked to learning is challenging.
  • A directive approach can cause teachers to feel inferior to the supervisor, reducing self-esteem and potentially hindering creativity.
  • The supervisor's prescribed actions can make teachers feel pressured to comply, reducing teacher autonomy.

Alternative Supervision (Freeman - 1982)

• Supervisor suggests various alternatives to the teacher's classroom strategies.
• This approach reduces anxiety by offering choices while maintaining teacher responsibility.
• The supervisor avoids favoring one alternative to promote a wide range of teaching approaches.

Collaborative Supervision (Cogan - 1973)

• Supervisor works collaboratively with the teacher, actively participating in decisions without direct control.
• The supervisor aims for a sharing relationship.
• Supervision emphasizes problem-solving through shared ideas.

Nondirective Supervision (Curran - 1978)

• Supervisor supports teachers without directing them in a process of understanding their teaching strategies.
• The supervisor listens and demonstrates comprehension.
• This facilitates teachers' expressing ideas, developing self-confidence in decision-making, and gaining experience in making choices and understanding the consequences of their actions.
• The focus is on the relationship between the student teacher and teacher, allowing the student teacher to solve problems independently without control.

Creative Supervision

• Any approach that looks at teaching from multiple perspectives is considered creative.
• Combines different supervisory models, potentially shifting responsibility to other sources or using knowledge from diverse disciplines.
• Encourages adaptability in models and teaching approaches.

Self-help-exploratory Supervision

• Teachers gain awareness of their teaching through observation and self-assessment.
• Visiting teachers encourage observation, exploration, and deeper understanding of teaching approaches and behaviors, generating alternative solutions.
• Encourages free exchange of thoughts, ideas, and observations.

Clinical Supervision

• This process systematically observes, analyzes, and evaluates teaching performance.
• The supervisor monitors, guides, and improves teaching performance.
• Examines teacher development through a supervisory lens.
• Supervisor acts as both a trainer and educator while teaching teachers that classroom actions can be approached from different angles.

Explore the differences between directive and alternative supervision models in education. Understand the challenges teachers face under different supervisory styles and how these impact their teaching efficacy and self-esteem. This quiz delves into theories from 1982 by Freeman and their implications for effective teaching.