The Case for Teacher Led Reflective Supervision in Schools.
Teachers in schools in England are rarely offered regular opportunities for professional supervision. Increasingly they are expected to perform the role of frontline professionals managing issues brought to the classroom by learners. Teachers need additional support to fulfil these expectations, in the form of supervision. Using a case study approach practising teachers received regular reflective group supervision based on Kolb’s Experiential Learning Cycle (1984, 2014). Sessions were provided by the researcher. In addition, online recruitment surveys and semi-structured interviews were conducted with teachers already receiving reflective supervision. Transcripts of supervision sessions, participants’ reflections recorded via web-based forms, responses to online recruitment surveys, semi-structured interviews and the researcher’s reflective log were analysed using thematic analysis. A rich understanding of the effectiveness and helpfulness of supervision and how it could be used to support and develop the practice of teachers was identified. The findings illustrate that teachers could find supervision helpful and supportive in developing their practice. Three interrelated and interdependent preconditions were identified that could support the teachers to deal with the day-to-day and the unexpected and evolving challenges in their classrooms. A modified definition of supervision is presented alongside a model, The Key Components Model, incorporating the interrelated and interdependent preconditions for supervision for teachers. Implications for policy for the provision of supervision for all teachers in schools presented.
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