Supervision tasks and responsibilities in organizational settings

Supervision Tasks

"We are used to thinking of a curriculum as something that robs the teacher of her professional judgment…we believe that… when developed through careful, extended work with diverse students and teachers…[new curriculum] are a tool that allows the teacher to do her best work with students" (Russell, 2007).

Fellow Teacher (Susan)

Why is great attention paid to curriculum development in this school?

It is a widely accepted belief in public schools that only the teacher knows the needs and the abilities of her students, so that teacher in that particular classroom should be the one to decide on curriculum. But I don't necessarily agree.

What is your approach to curriculum development?

Answer: Yes, teachers can and should adjust curricula to match the skills and abilities of her students, but curricula should be developed in a partnership with other teachers on staff, with new and creative approaches in the current literature, and in consultation with administrators and with students.

Question: In this school, besides curriculum development, you are asked to work with action research, professional development. Why is each of these approaches to supervision important and how do you perform each task effectively?

Answer: Improving teaching tactics and upgrading our approach to student learning is absolutely vital. Professional development is actually an intervention, and we have professional development workshops every summer. As for action research, we use teacher action research strategies, which engage the community in the process of coming up with solutions to classroom problems. That way the community has a sense of ownership and teachers become activists seeking input and new relationships through good communication.

Question: How do you deal with the issues that might arise with each task?

Answer: With curriculum development, good leadership from teachers can resolve any contentious issue that comes up. Action research can be confusing for parents but what we're trying to do is to help teachers evaluate their approach so if the community is informed as to hoped-for outcomes, any issue can be cleared up. Professional development should be an agreeable engagement for all teachers and administrators; I can't see any problems in that area.

Interview with Administrator (Vice-Principal)

Question: Why is each task of supervision necessary; how do you perform each task effectively?

Answer: Our staff thoroughly enjoys professional development (PD), which is mandatory for our school and very necessary. We develop the PD agenda with full teacher input. It is necessary to constantly upgrade curricula; our school doesn't buy textbooks, instead our students have iPads, and so fresh new curriculum is easily presented as outdated curriculum is deleted. As to action research, we have several top notch social studies teachers who lead the research of the most successful, well-thought-of innovations. Those teachers decide what is to be done and the administration backs them up.

Question: What type of issues might arise with each task of supervision and how do you deal with each?

Answer: That's a good question but frankly we don't run into very many negative issues with our professional development program each summer. Everyone's on board. Same is true with action research in this school -- the same progressive teachers are trusted to bring research to the table and insist that the staff act on it or not act on it. And curriculum development, there is a place where controversy can, and does, come up. I bring the teachers involved into a session in my office and we insist on compromise in this school. We cut deals with each other here.

Summary of Responses (one): the teacher was forthcoming with responses to all three supervision components. She was strongest in her insistence that teacher partnership (with students and administrators) is the best answer for curriculum issues. I liked her involvement with the community in action research and she was fully on board with professional development as was the vice principal. The principal seemed more self-assured that all facets of public school education is going well but when he says there are no issues and implies everything is smooth, he's being politically correct, it would seem.

Summary of Responses (two): The teacher was more willing to be frank and fully open about school strategies while the vice principal seemed defensive and perhaps a bit aloof.

Addressing two questions (a): Based on the interviews conducted for this paper I would nevertheless do my own thing and approach the three tasks together in a well-planned and teacher-supported professional development workshop with all teachers and administrators on hand. As Rieckhoff and Larsen explain in the journal School-University Partnerships, school leaders are "…charged with the articulation of a clear vision" for implementing change and for bringing "optimal learning" strategies into the school (Rieckhoff, et al., 2012). A "complex partnership" should exist between teachers and administrators to "prepare new teachers" to "focus on student learning" (Rieckhoff, 59). Action research should be a "powerful agent of educational change," Grace Lau explains (Lau, 2013). What is needed in all three tasks is "stability" rather than "mediocrity," Lau emphasizes, adding that effective curriculum development and action research depends on the "agreement and commitment of those affected by it," and that includes parents, students, teachers and the administration (Lau, 51).