Defining Clinical Supervision

General supervision of teaching occurs when all aspects of teaching are examined outside the classroom such as curriculum development, teacher involvement in extra-curricular activities, punctuality, adherence to regulations etc. Clinical supervision is involved with activities in the classroom primarily while a teacher is conducting a lesson what is being taught and how it is being taught. The term clinical conjures images of pathology, requiring medical procedures involving diagnosis and prescription usually in a clinic! Other ideas from the clinical (medical) path are used to define the clinical aspects of supervision such as faceto-face up close examination, collection of information (data), focus on professional practice what the teacher does and the reaction of the students. The intent of clinical supervision here is to increase a teachers desire for improvement and movement towards self-supervision, autonomy, analysis and critique of professional practice.

Qualifications of the supervisor include:

(a) Certification in pedagogy and academic subject (b) Several years of experience at that level and in that subject area (c) A demonstrated commitment to teaching (e.g. participation in professional development) (d) Must be empathetic towards teachers (e) Must be fair and just in professional judgement (f) Generally seen by colleagues as an exemplary educator (g) Should have training in clinical supervision

General Considerations
(1) Clinical supervision must be sustainable; sporadic visits do not help teachers to develop their expertise. (2) (2) Clinical supervision must be a mutually supportive partnership; it is an interaction of peers (3) (2) Clinical supervision must be a mutually supportive partnership; it is an interaction of peers

(4) and colleagues it is not unilateral action.

Teachers as Adults
Supervisors must always be aware that teachers are adults and must be accorded the respect and dignity commensurate with this status. Stephen Brookfield (1986) itemized six principles of facilitating adult learning: (1) Participation in learning is voluntary; intimidation or coercion has no place in motivating adult participation. (2) Effective practice is characterized by respect among participants for each others self-worth. (3) Facilitation is collaborative, with learner and facilitators sharing responsibility for setting objectives and evaluating learning. (4) Praxis is at the heart of effective facilitation, with learners and facilitators involved in a continual cycle of collaborative activity and reflection on activity. (5) Facilitation aims to foster in adults a spirit of critical reflection. Educational encounters should assist adults to question many aspects of their personal, occupational, and political lives. (6) The aim of facilitation is the nurturing of self-directed, empowered adults who will function as proactive individuals. Four years later Morris Cogan (1973) expanded on Goldhammers work and produced an eight-item cycle of supervision: (1) Establishing the teacher-supervisor relationship (2) Planning with the teacher; lessons, units, objectives, etc (3) Planning the strategy of observation (collection of data) (4) Observing the instruction (collecting data) (5) Analyzing the teaching-learning process (together) (6) Planning strategies for the conference

(7) Conference (8) Renewed planning.

The supervisor must focus on the more substantive (core) elements that affect learning. These basic elements are: (a) Subject matter (b) Methodology (c) Structure

(d) Communication (e) Classroom Management