From Teaching to Learning: Examining the Potential of the Supervision Process to Enhance Reflection

Author(s):

Judith Bernadette HarfordGerry Mac Ruairc

Conference:

ECER 2008

Network:

10. Teacher Education Research

Format:

Paper

Session Information

10 SES 04D, Research on Pedagogical Approaches in Teacher Education

Paper Session

Time:

2008-09-10

16:00-17:30

Room:

A1 332

Chair:

Gerry Mac Ruairc

Contribution

The significance of the student teacher experience on the development of beginning teachers has been widely documented. Central to this experience is the supervision process, the quality of which has been found to be inconsistent. The supervision process is one of the critical planks in scaffolding the formative development of the student teacher and, where effective, it should be developmental and enhance teacher professional learning. Nonetheless, because of the asymmetrical power dimension inherent in the supervisor-student relationship, the evaluative nature of the relationship can act as a block to reflective dialogue. Similarly, because of the ambiguous status of the co-operating (mentor) teacher in the Republic of Ireland, the potential for collaboration between the supervisor and co-operating teacher is limited. This paper has two inter-connected objectives. Firstly, it will examine the impact of the asymmetrical power relationship in the supervisor-student teacher dyad on the reflective process. Secondly, it will examine the impact of the processes and procedures of the supervision structure on the potential to scaffold reflection. Locating the discussion within the framework of the theoretical literature on reflective practice, this paper comments on the implications of the supervision process for the promotion of reflective dialogue and offers guidelines on how the supervision process may best promote reflection.

Method

This study, conducted over three phases, involved three different sample groups. Phase one consisted of the administration of a questionnaire to 190 student teachers undertaking a Post-Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) in a university in the Republic of Ireland. The second phase consisted of focus group and individual interviews with a sample of 19 student teachers (10 percent of the student cohort). Phase three consisted of a series of focus group discussions with ten supervisors involved in supervising student teachers of the PGDE.

Expected Outcomes

It is envisaged that the outcomes of this study will provide a better understanding of the nature of the supervisor-student teacher relationship and the conditions which are optimal to facilitate reflection through the supervision process. Key findings include the importance of student teacher participation in the supervisory agenda; the inherent problem around expecting a reflective supervisor to also act as an evaluator; and the importance of providing a framework within which the student-teacher supervisor relationship can be constructed as a collaborative process which fosters reflective dialogue. Recommendations for policy and structural revision of the current model in operation in the university are proposed.

References

Harford, J and MacRuairc, G. (2008) ‘Engaging Student Teachers in Meaningful Reflective Practice,’ Teaching and Teacher Education (Elsevier) (in press). Koehler, V.R. (1988) Barriers to effective supervision of student teaching: A field study, Journal of Teacher Education, 39 (1988) (2), 28-34. MacRuairc, G. (2008) ‘Dip Dip Sky Blue: Children’s Experiences of Standardised Testing: A Sociocultural Analysis’ Irish Educational Studies (Taylor and Francis) (in press). MacRuairc, G., Harford, J. and MacCartan, D., ‘Situating the Competency Framework within the Discourse on Reflective Practice: Views of Student Teachers in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland’, Irish Educational Studies (Taylor and Francis) (in press). Harford, J. (2008) ‘Teacher Education in Ireland: Issues and Challenges’ in T. O’Donoghue and C. Whitehead (eds.), Teacher Education in the English-Speaking World: Past, Present and Future. Information Age Publishing: USA, 2008. Holland, P.E. (1989) Implicit assumptions about the supervisory conference: A review and analysis of literature, Journal of Curriculum and Supervision, 4, 4, 362-379. Montecinos. C., Cnudde, V., Ow, M., Solis, M.C., Suzuki, E and Riveros, M., (2002) Relearning the meaning and practice of student teaching supervision through collaborative self-study, Teaching and Teacher Education, 18, 7, 781-793. Slick, S. (1998) The university supervisor: the disenfranchised outsider, Teaching and Teacher Education, 13, 8, 821-824. Tang, S.Y.F and Chow, A.W.K. (2007) Communicating feedback in teaching practice supervision in a learning-oriented field experience assessment framework. Teaching and Teacher Education, 23, 1066-1085.

Author Information

Judith Bernadette Harford

University College Dublin

Education

Dublin

Gerry Mac Ruairc

University College Dublin

School of Education

Dublin

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