Introduction
“Clinical supervision term has been borrowed from the medical profession and describes the process of perfecting the specialized knowledge and skills of practitioners.” (Pajak, 2003) “Clinical supervision in education involves a teacher receiving information from a colleague who has observed the teachers’ performance and who serves as both a minor and sounding board to enable the teacher to critically examine and possibly alter his or her own professional practice.” (Pajak, 2003) A formally designated supervisor or another teacher can conduct clinical supervision. The description of the advantages and disadvantages of each conductor is below.
Advantages of having clinical supervision conducted by a formally designated supervisor: …show more content…
(Glickman, Gordon and Ross-Gordon, 2014, p. 252) The collaboration between the supervisor and the teacher is important because it builds a positive professional relationship and an affirmation of support.
Disadvantages of having clinical supervision conducted by a formally designated supervisor:
Two disadvantages of having clinical supervision conducted by a formally designated supervisor are time and directive control. (Glickman, Gordon and Ross-Gordon, 2014, p. 252) Time is a remarkable factor when comes to teacher observation as noted by Pajak: “She had intended to observe the classrooms of all the teachers several times during the school year, but found that her duties as a first-year principal kept getting in her way.” (Pajak, 2003) Due to the supervisory position that a supervisor has in a relationship with a teacher, the supervisor might feel the need to use directive control. Again, as noted by Pajak: “Shocked by a statement that she thought might border on insubordination, and wanting to regain some control, Flora responded by saying, ‘Well, as the principal of this school, I have certain expectations about instruction that I would like to see followed.’ ” (Pajak, …show more content…
(Glickman, Gordon and Ross-Gordon, 2014, pp. 254-255) A teacher who is having difficulty setting time aside to meet with the team is more likely not to participate in the project. (Glickman, Gordon and Ross-Gordon, 2014, p. 254) A solution for that would be scheduling common preparation time during the school day. (Glickman, Gordon and Ross-Gordon, 2014, p. 254)
In regards to arranging a team of teachers, it is recommended that: “… teachers should be grouped with each other so that they are comfortable together but not necessarily at identical levels of experience and/or competence.” (Glickman, Gordon and Ross-Gordon, 2014, p. 255) Teams of teachers can include a new-hired teacher and superior teachers, or superior teachers and adequate teachers. (Glickman, Gordon and Ross-Gordon, 2014, p. 255)
Conclusion
Regardless of the professional chosen to conduct the clinical supervision, it is important to keep in mind the founders - Morris Cogan and Robert Goldhammer - emphasized the need that a less experienced teacher has to receive information from colleagues. (Pajak,
“Clinical supervision term has been borrowed from the medical profession and describes the process of perfecting the specialized knowledge and skills of practitioners.” (Pajak, 2003) “Clinical supervision in education involves a teacher receiving information from a colleague who has observed the teachers’ performance and who serves as both a minor and sounding board to enable the teacher to critically examine and possibly alter his or her own professional practice.” (Pajak, 2003) A formally designated supervisor or another teacher can conduct clinical supervision. The description of the advantages and disadvantages of each conductor is below.
Advantages of having clinical supervision conducted by a formally designated supervisor: …show more content…
(Glickman, Gordon and Ross-Gordon, 2014, p. 252) The collaboration between the supervisor and the teacher is important because it builds a positive professional relationship and an affirmation of support.
Disadvantages of having clinical supervision conducted by a formally designated supervisor:
Two disadvantages of having clinical supervision conducted by a formally designated supervisor are time and directive control. (Glickman, Gordon and Ross-Gordon, 2014, p. 252) Time is a remarkable factor when comes to teacher observation as noted by Pajak: “She had intended to observe the classrooms of all the teachers several times during the school year, but found that her duties as a first-year principal kept getting in her way.” (Pajak, 2003) Due to the supervisory position that a supervisor has in a relationship with a teacher, the supervisor might feel the need to use directive control. Again, as noted by Pajak: “Shocked by a statement that she thought might border on insubordination, and wanting to regain some control, Flora responded by saying, ‘Well, as the principal of this school, I have certain expectations about instruction that I would like to see followed.’ ” (Pajak, …show more content…
(Glickman, Gordon and Ross-Gordon, 2014, pp. 254-255) A teacher who is having difficulty setting time aside to meet with the team is more likely not to participate in the project. (Glickman, Gordon and Ross-Gordon, 2014, p. 254) A solution for that would be scheduling common preparation time during the school day. (Glickman, Gordon and Ross-Gordon, 2014, p. 254)
In regards to arranging a team of teachers, it is recommended that: “… teachers should be grouped with each other so that they are comfortable together but not necessarily at identical levels of experience and/or competence.” (Glickman, Gordon and Ross-Gordon, 2014, p. 255) Teams of teachers can include a new-hired teacher and superior teachers, or superior teachers and adequate teachers. (Glickman, Gordon and Ross-Gordon, 2014, p. 255)
Conclusion
Regardless of the professional chosen to conduct the clinical supervision, it is important to keep in mind the founders - Morris Cogan and Robert Goldhammer - emphasized the need that a less experienced teacher has to receive information from colleagues. (Pajak,