Supervision

Running head: SUPERVISION FOR INSTRUCTIONAL IMPROVEMENT Supervision for Instructional Improvement Angela Johnson Grand Canyon University EDA 550 Supervision and Instructional Leadership February 24, 2010 Shawn Feaster Johnson, Instructor Supervision for Instructional Improvement Administrators of today need to have interpersonal skills, knowledge and technical skills to run a highly effective school in today’s ever changing society. They also must have the knowledge to implement four technical tasks that will help them improve instruction. The four tasks are direct assistance, group development, professional development and curriculum development. (Glickman, Gordon, Ross-Gordon, 2001, p. 285) The following paragraphs will give details about each task and explain why they are necessary for instructional improvement. The paragraphs will communicate how to incorporate these tasks effectively and refer to some issues that could obstruct the progress of the administrator while trying to put into operation these tasks. Direct Assistance Direct Assistance is needed to help teachers improve instruction by using one on one feedback. This is one of the crucial elements of a successful school and the supervisor needs to take responsibility to “…ensure that teachers receive feedback, are not left alone, and are involved as part of a collective staff.” (Glickman, Gordon, Ross-Gordon, 2001, p. 288) Direct assistance can take many forms; but the two most accepted are clinical supervision and peer coaching. Clinical supervision is a must in every school across the country. According to Annick Brennen, MA, in the article Clinical Supervision; A teacher’s main duty is to preside over classroom activities and ensure that learning takes place in accordance with the aims and objectives of the lesson. While it is believed that teachers in general do an excellent job, continued supervision is necessary to not only maintain standards, but also to ensure that students continue to be exposed to improved teacher instruction. (2009, para 2) The success of the school depends on the supervision being implemented. The supervisor needs to build positive, trustworthy relationships with the staff and open lines of communication that are positive and supportive. The supervisor can also assign peer coaches, which is another form of effective direct assistance. Peer coaching is when “two or more professional colleagues work together for a specific, predetermined purpose in order that teaching performance can be improved as well as validated. The purpose may be to reflect on current practices or to expand, to refine, and build new skills.”(Becker, para 9). The issues with these two processes could be that the teachers are expected to perform in the classroom as if they were experts and implement the curriculum and any changes to policies without any help or formal training. The peer coaches have very little incentives and not enough time allotted to share successful practices that would effectively help a new teacher be more effective. (Becker) Group Development The second task of supervision is group development. “A group is a collection of people who interact with one another; accept rights and obligations as members and who share a common identity.” (Neill, 2007). Every educational institution has some kind of group or team that is faced with the task of solving a problem. Each of these teams has common roles, developmental phases and challenges. It is the supervisors responsibly “to be conscious of the elements of a successful group, select clear procedures for group decision making, be able to deal with dysfunctional behavior, use conflict to generate helpful information, and determine appropriate leadership roles.”(Glickman, Gordon, Ross-Gordon, 2001, p. 308). The supervisor should understand how the group is functioning and be able deal with dysfunctional members of the group with professionalism and redirect their behavior for the good of the group. Without supportive, efficient groups it would be difficult for an educational institution to implement changes, reach goals and work towards increasing student achievement. One of the most famous models presented on group development is from Dr. Bruce Tuckman; The Tuckman's model - forming, storming, norming and performing. Each rhyming word in Tuckman’s model represents a different stage the group is experiencing. The first stage is forming; this is when the group comes together and gets to know one other. The second stage is storming; this is a struggle for leadership and testing of the group processes. The third stage eventually leads to agreement between the members and this is how the group operates. This is called the norming stage. Stage four is the performing stage and this is when the group becomes efficient in meeting its objectives. Tuckman added a 5th stage, adjourning, about ten years later, which is the process of letting go of the group structure and moving on. For groups to be effective they should experience all of these stages. (Neill, 2004) Groups have person roles that can aid the group leader and help members feel positive about contributing to the problem that needs to be solved. There can be issues that arise in the group from what Glickman called dysfunctional people. These “roles and behaviors disrupt the progress toward a group goal and weaken the group cohesiveness.” (Glickman, Gordon, Ross-Gordon, 2001, p. 312) Group development can be done effectively if the leader uses the correct leadership style and makes sure the purpose and procedures are clear. The leader needs to be able to deal with conflict and use it in helpful manor to solve problems. Professional Development The third task of supervision and one of major importance is professional development. As an educator, we must be dedicated to life long learning. Times change, technology changes, the characteristics and learning styles of our students change, and demographics change, and as teachers we must keep up with these changes or risk our children underachieving. Professional development can not be a one time hit or miss session with no relevance to what changes need to be met. It must be useful and work towards the achievement of the school’s goals. Effective Professional Development is needed because of Global Competition in Education. The U.S. can no longer claim unparalleled educational results. Students around the world now outperform American students on assessments that measure 21st century skills…International Innovation. Innovators around the world rival Americans in breakthroughs that fuel economic competitiveness…Greater Demands in the Workplace. Rising qualifications levels and the automation of routine work is transforming all workplaces into highly skilled environments...All young people today need to be critical thinkers and good problem solvers no matter what life path they choose. (Partnership, 2007, p.1) To implement a successful program the supervisor must insure that the program provides a strong foundation in subject content and methods of teaching; they must integrate district goals to improve education; respond to teacher-identified needs and develop collaborative problem solving; provides sufficient time and other resources; enable teachers to work with colleagues in their school building; provides follow-up support for further learning; be evaluated on the basis of its impact on teacher effectiveness and student learning. (Learning Point Associates, 2006). Some issues that can arise include accountability, budgetary restraints, duplication of programming, and differentiation of services. All of these issues can be overcome with careful planning and collaboration between all stakeholders. Curriculum Development The fourth task is curriculum development. According to Dr. Roberts from Northern Arizona University curriculum is “…defined as the sum of the learning activities and experiences that a student has under the auspices or direction of the school.” (2007, para 23) Developing the best curriculum for instructional improvement it needs to support the vision and goals of the school and increase the rigor in the classroom so that student achievement will rise. The administrator needs to make sure the curriculum is developed in a way that it is beneficial and make sure teachers are involved and they “work together to select curriculum purpose, content, organization, and format that (1) are most appropriate for the students, (2) address student diversity; and (3) increase teachers’ choice and commitment to curriculum implementation.” (Glickman, Gordon, Ross-Gordon, 2001, p. 379) If the teachers are not involved in the development there is no ownership and collaboration between all parties involved. This could be a major issue and will cause the teachers to feel devalued and unimportant. Moral could be lowered and student learning and achievement could decrease. Every stakeholder needs to be involved in the development of the curriculums purpose, content, organization, format and diversity. All of these processes must be incorporated to allow for a smooth transition from one form of curriculum to another. Conclusion The four tasks for instructional improvement for supervision are all very important for a school to run productively. Each has it’s our necessities that need to be followed by the administrator to incorporate them into the everyday processes of educating our children today. There are issues that can block the successful implementation of these tasks but with good leadership qualities such as collaboration, communication, respect and trust all of these issues can be overcome. The school is an entity that needs the support and input from all the stakeholders to incorporate any and all changes that will prepare our teachers to care for our children today and teach them the necessary material that will allow them to be productive successful citizens of tomorrow. References Becker, J., Teachersnetwork.org. Peer Coaching for Improvement of Teaching and Learning. Retrieved on February 19, 2010 from http://www.teachnet.org/TNPI/research/growth/becker.htm#issues Brennen, A., Nov. 22, 2009. Articles and Resources on Educational Administration and Supervision. “Clinical Supervision” Retrieved on February 21, 2010 from http://www.soencouragement.org/clinical-supervisoin-case-study.htm Glickman, C.D., Gordon, S.P., & Ross-Gordon, J.M. (2010). SuperVision and Instructional leadership: A Developmental Approach, Eighth Edition. Pearson Education, Inc. Allyn & Bacon. Learning Point Associates (LPA), February, 2006. The Center for Comprehensive School Reform and Improvement. “Redefining Professional Development: Schools Can Become True Learning Communities for Teachers” Retrieved on February 22, 2010 from http://www.centerforcsri.org/index.php'option=com_content&task=view&id=280&Itemid=5 Neill, J., August 15, 2004. Group Dynamics. What are the Stages of Group Development' Retrieved on February 20, 2010 from http://wilderdom.com/group/StagesGroupDevelopment.html Neill, J., April 23, 2007. Group Dynanmics. Group Dynamics, Processes and Developments. Retrieved on February 20, 2010 from http://wilderdom.com/Group.html Partnership for the 21st Century Skills. October 14, 2007. Partnership for the 21st Century Skills e-paper. “21st Century Skills Professional Development”. Retrieved on February 20, 2010 from http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/documents/21st_century_skills_professional_development.pdf Roberts, M., January 15, 2007. Northern Arizona University. Curriculum Development: An Overview. Retrieved February 22, 2010 from http://oak.ucc.nau.edu/mr/cte592/Module_1/Curriculum_Development_An_Overview.html The Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC). 2010. Professional Development. “Professional Development Plan, Issues and Concerns.” Retrieved on February 23, 2010 from http://www.ccbcmd.edu/pd/plan/issues.html