Introduction
The modern world is quite demanding, and educators need to improve themselves and learn practical ways to interact better with their students. Schools can utilize clinical supervision (CS) to positively influence both teachers and pupils (Brott et al., 2021). Nonetheless, adapting CS can be quite complicated and requires concentration on detail. Principals and educators must consider such questions as how they address emerging issues and be attentive to the supervision cycle and data that must be obtained.
Discussion
As school principals are the ones resolving to use CS, they must be knowledgeable about the method. CS is based on twelve principles that must be followed for satisfactory outcomes (Glickman et al., 2018). Consequently, the first question about the principal’s attitude to CS would be about the aspects the school is most struggling with and how the administration intends to overcome the obstacles. Furthermore, during the supervision cycle, supervisors must consider each teacher’s level of development, expertise, and commitment (Glickman et al., 2018). Accordingly, the second question the principal may need to answer would be about how they utilize information about the educators when choosing a supervisory approach. CS is an intervention in instruction, but it is not meant to make judgments about performance criteria and employment (Glickman et al., 2018). Therefore, the third question to ask the principal should be about why they decided to utilize CS and whether they know how CS differs from the summative evaluation (Glickman et al., 2018). It is important to determine whether the school administration understands the specifics of CS to ensure that the principal would not misguide educators.
Furthermore, since teachers are the ones primarily involved in CS, they should be assessed on certain topics. First, because CS aims to improve instruction, educators may be asked about the steps they plan to take to advance after receiving feedback during the supervision cycle (Glickman et al., 2018). Second, teachers may need to answer questions about whether the principal acting as a clinical supervisor is fair and if the educators can voice their concerns when the school administration exhibits bias. Such matters are important as the efficiency of CS depends on the process being non-judgemental and requires an equal and trusting relationship (Glickman et al., 2018). It is significant to ensure that teachers can participate in CS comfortably because CS is meant for educators to learn and develop rather than being additionally pressured.
When going through a clinical supervision cycle, one should look at whether principals in the role of supervisors and teachers follow the steps of CS. For instance, during the pre-conference stage, it is noteworthy to observe whether the involved parties agree regarding the purpose, focus, method, and norms of observation (Glickman et al., 2018). In comparison, in the third step, which is analysis and planning, it is important to assess if the supervisor considers each teacher’s characteristics, such as expertise, to determine a relevant supervisory approach (Glickman et al., 2018). In addition, during all phases of the cycle, one should monitor how the principal and the educator interact with each other to ensure that they act as co-contributors to improvement (Glickman et al., 2018). Overall, all partakers should have a mutual understanding and follow the requirements of every step of CS.
Conclusion
Finally, when reviewing samples of data collected during classroom observations, one should look for sufficient information that could be useful for further advancement. Supervisors may have different tasks or instruments but should concentrate on making sense of a large amount of gathered data (Glickman et al., 2018). For example, while some situations may require analyzing the number of asked questions and received answers, other cases may need to emphasize the nature of questions asked by students (Glickman et al., 2018). Consequently, when examining information after observation, it is crucial to determine areas for teachers to improve. Overall, CS is meant to enhance the learning process for students and requires collaboration between educators and supervisors.
References
Brott, P. E., DeKruyf, L., Hyun, J. H., LaFever, C. R., Patterson-Mills, S., Cook Sandifer, M. I., & Stone, V. (2021). The critical need for peer clinical supervision among school counselors. Journal of School-Based Counseling Policy and Evaluation, 3(2), 51-60. Web.
Glickman, C. D., Gordon, S. P., & Ross-Gordon, J. M. (2018). Supervision and instructional leadership: A developmental approach (10th ed.). Pearson Education.