EDAD Goal 4

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Goal 4: The graduate of the educational administration program will be a knowledgeable and efficient leader who will supervise the school services that supplement the learning environment.

            At the beginning of my supervision class, my view of supervision was very narrow. My perception was that supervision was used as a method to evaluate

teachers and decide whether to re-hire or possibly fire a teacher. I also viewed supervision as a job that was performed by principals in the building. Through the

process of this class, I realize that my view was inaccurate and not relative to what the purpose of supervision is and I also learned that supervision is sometimes

done by other individuals besides a principal. What I want to discuss in this reflection paper is the main points from the class that have impacted my education as a

future administrator.

        Supervision in connection with administrative principalship is a complicated and difficult duty. Approaching teachers about how they can be more effective

may be a difficult task for supervisors to make. In reflecting on my own beliefs, I can see how I might find that to be difficult as well. I know that my approach is

more collaborative from the test from class. I know that I will value an approach that puts people in a position to share ideas together instead of thinking on

dimensionally. I also value letting people make choices without being directive. However, I can see how a balanced approach is needed to be effective as a

supervisor and a leader depending on the people you are working with. In the end, whether it be management, leadership, or super-vision, effective principalship

will come down to how well I am able to work with people, and how my influence effects those people in their work that will produce effective results for the

community, kids, and society as a whole.

                A principal must also be in a classroom to actually see what is happening to determine if the teacher is being effective. Writing things on paper doesn’t

mean learning is taking place. I personally don’t think I will require lesson plans of my teachers, but I will probably ask my new teachers to do some basic lesson

plans on a periodic basis just to see how they are doing and how they are progressing with their planning. I don’t think there is any one method or form for a

les-son, but some thought should be made as to the transition from day to day and understanding that their must be some form of plan to know where the students

are heading in their learning.

            We also discussed what effective teaching behavior is. There are plenty of topics, such as leadership, enthusiasm, integrity, organization, and many others.

What I think an effective teacher is may differ from someone else. I expect myself as a principal to model the behavior I expect of my own teachers. Leading by

example and being up front about your expectations with the staff will give them a sense of where you are coming from and where you are going. It is hopeful that

your leadership and personal skills will rub off on others and make the building in which you work a positive environment for students, teachers, parents, and the

community. Teachers should hold high standards for themselves and their profession and treat their job as a profession.

           We talked a lot about reflective questioning in class. I think that this will be a very difficult challenge for most principals to accomplish, especially on the

spot. A principal must be very careful to word questions in a way that causes the teacher to reflect on their own practice. I like the idea that teachers really

should not look at an observation and a critique of their teaching, but more of a reflective look in the mirror at themselves. As teachers, we need to learn to look

at what is occurring in our practice on a daily basis and make adjustments as needed to insure that the students are making progress in what we are teaching.

Supervision can help guide, but not direct a teacher in moving in the correct path for quality instruction. This is especially important to young teachers who may

feel unsure about their progress teaching in their own classroom without any guidance from another teacher.

                 I think it is also very clear that this is not about bias, but it is about data. The data must support your views and also initiate a teacher to reflect on their

teaching. Saying things such as, “You did a great job” does not reflect data. The data drives the process of moving a teacher to the next level by given supporting

information with measurables instead of general statements that lack specific data. As we continue to focus on reflective questioning, I can see how these types of

questions work best when asking teachers to reflect on their profession. Instead of being a boss telling teachers what to do, principals are supervisors or

“partners” working alongside teachers as a team and not a tier. Teacher understand that their evaluation leads to just that, but how the prin-cipal communicates

the process is the key. If a teacher can trust that you are looking out for their best interests, the process is more positive and teachers will be more willing to

improve.

            The format that we studied throughout the course was the most effective evaluation method that I have experienced. If more principals can sit down with

teachers and ask them to reflect on their teaching, teachers will soon be able to understand what is effective and what is not through their own learning. They will

be able to continuously evaluate themselves when the principal is not there and the result will be better classrooms and learning environment for students. The

goal of supervision is not to beat down and degrade teachers, but rather a process that builds upon positive areas and looks at areas for improvement without the

constant fear of whether or not the person will be re-hired. Supervisors that follow the reflective questioning format will also build better relationships with staff

that will continue for years to come.

           Leadership is not an easy term to define, but something that is necessary for an effective supervisor. The qualities I like the most include integrity, influence,

and personal relationships. Integrity is something I have always valued because that term defines what you do and who you are. When people talk about you

when you are not looking, you should not give them many rea-sons for them to say something negative about you. Staff will be more willing to do things that you

may do yourself than be asked to go above and beyond anything that you would expect of yourself. High expectations for yourself and others in a building will

lead to great results.

            Influence is a key in leadership. Without it, you won’t be able to lead anyone. Your abil-ity to encourage people to do great things, the easier it will be to

influence others who may resist. Being a good influence on teachers and lifting them to great heights will empower them and help them feel good about what they

do. Personal relationships develop trust. If teachers don’t trust you, you will lose their effort. Gaining trust gives people the ability to know you care about them

and their success and when you care about them, they will care about what your vision and goals are for the school.

                When discussing forms of non-verbal communication, this is something that principals must be careful about. Sending the wrong message could be

damaging to staff trust levels. In my experience, face-to-face talks are effective for larger issues while informational items can be communicated by e-mail. I

learned the hard way that by sending messages that are emotional can have adverse effects. Politics can also be a factor. It was discussed in class that trust is

something that can take a lot of time and effort to build and can be gone in a second. Administrators and staff must have trust in each other and be able to expect

that each will do the right thing regarding whatever situation occurs.

            In conclusion, supervision is a task that is a not going to be easy for any principal. Prin-cipals must first start with good hiring and doing everything

possible to bring in the best staff that you can. Once the teachers are in the building, personal relationships need to be established and trust must be a focus. Once

the trust has been built between the teacher and principal, then the process of Observation and the use of reflective questioning techniques will begin to make a

difference and bring about the data needed to make a decision on whether or not the teacher is doing a quality job or whether or not they may need some

assistance with an area in their teaching. Asking teachers to do this reflecting is a better process than a principal using judgments against a teacher or making up

lies in a evaluation report that fluff the truth about a teacher. The next key for principals is making sure to focus time on observing teacher. Principals must make a

commitment to be in the classrooms and help student achievement at every opportunity. This is especially important in regards to classroom management and

helping principals reduce the amount of office referrals that often consume a great deal of administrator’s time. Supervision in its best definition is the process of

developing better teachers through a reflective process that encourages teachers to reflect on their teaching that will grow and develop into effective plan-ning and

instruction that will ultimately increase student achievement.

Artifact 1: Pre Observation Form

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Artifact 2: Observation3

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Artifact 3: Post Observation Questions

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Artifact 4: Classroom Dynamic Spreadsheet

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Artifact 5: Evaluation Program: Powerpoint

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Artifact 6: Classroom Walkthrough

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