Alternative Approaches to Student Teacher Supervision
Brent Heidorn & Deb Bainer Jenkins Department of Health, Physical Education,
& Sport StudiesUniversity of West Georgia
Glenn WeaverDepartment of Physical Education
University of South Carolina
Background
• The importance of student teaching• The perils of student teaching
– Lack of training for cooperating teachers and supervisors (Meade, 1991)
– Differing views of effective pedagogy among supervisors (Rikard, 1990)
– Economic constraints (Bullough, Egan, & Nokes, 2002)
• Options for student teaching– Face-to-Face– Multiple Students in One Placement– Technology Enhanced Supervision
What Do Supervisors Do?University Supervisor
Number of Student
Teachers
Total Weeks
Number of Expected
Obs
Number of Obs
Total Obs & Travel
Time
Avg. Time for F2F
Supervision (min)
Avg. Time for
Supervision per Week
(min)
Total Supervision
Miles/per Week
1-Adjunct 7 15 42 30 2972 99.33 198.13 1323/88
2-Instructor 7 8 21 26 2834 109 354.25 403/50
3-Instructor 6 8 18 20 1597 79.85 199.63 487/61
4-Asst Prof 16 24 72 67 3845 57.39 160.21 1209/50
5-Professor 5 24 18 19 1194 120.29 62.84 670/30
Supervisors:•represent all academic ranks•generally complete the required number of observations•invest between 60 and 120 minutes in a single observation visit•spend 1-6 hours per week engaged in supervision•travel 30-88 miles each week to accomplish supervision
Multiple Students in One Placement:
• K-12 student teachers (n = 27; 22 udg; 5 grad)
• Single placements (n = 9)
• Multiple placements (n = 18)
– Groups of 2 (n = 12)
– Groups of 3 (n = 6)
• Levels – Elementary School (n = 19)
– Middle School (n = 6)
– High School (n = 2)
• Supervisors (US: n = 5; CT: n = 18)
Structure in Multiple Placements:Options
• Alternated classes– Rotated each hour all semester
• Alternated grade levels– K-2 vs. 3-5; switched levels as semester progressed
• Alternated roles– Lead and support; one week of full day
• Alternated content– Health vs. PE; switched at mid-semester
• Alternated teachers– Observed vs. Health vs. PE– ½ lesson each (shared time)
Cooperating Teachers: Advantages(n = 5)
• Teamwork• Time for students• Feedback from their peers• Experienced different teaching styles (pupils
and STs)• Realistic situation
Cooperating Teachers: Disadvantages
• Unequal student teacher workload• Fewer teaching experiences• Preferential treatment• Feedback to the observer• Limited teaching by cooperating teacher• Greater workload for the cooperating teacher
Cooperating Teachers: Satisfaction
• Very satisfied (n = 1); Satisfied (n = 4)• Preferred multiple placements (n = 3);
Preferred single placements (n = 2)• Gender mix• Multiple cooperating teachers at one site
– Multiple supervisors
Student Teachers: Advantages(n = 17)
• Student teachers expressed similar advantages as cooperating teachers
• In addition:– Comfortable content– One-on-one time with the CT – Carpooling
Student Teachers: Disadvantages
• Student teachers expressed similar disadvantages as cooperating teachers
• In addition:– Personality and relationship issues– Limited space and equipment– Distraction– Less feedback from cooperating teacher
No disadvantages (n = 4)
Student Teachers: Effectiveness
• Are you a better teacher now because you worked with other student teachers?– Yes (n = 9)
• More feedback, more confident, and more comfortable with a peer; more observations
– Maybe (n = 3)– No (n = 5)
• Too little time teaching
Student Teachers: Satisfaction
• Overall, how satisfied were you working in a situation with multiple student teachers?– Very satisfied (n = 9)– Satisfied (n = 6)– Dissatisfied (n = 2)
• Not a realistic situation; not enough teaching time
Lessons Learned:Multiple Students in One Placement
• Placing multiple student teachers in one placement WORKS
• Structure should be context-specific– Cooperating teachers need orientation
• Resources are conserved • Placements should be thoughtfully made• Student teachers need skills in observing and
providing feedback– Observation forms; Clinical teaching experiences
Technology Enhanced Supervision:Our Experience
• The plan – 4 face-to-face and 2 technology enhanced observations
• The potential– Saving resources – Building analytical and reflective skills in student teachers
• The procedure – Upload video; US observes and sends feedback
• The problems– Uploading time; tech support; student frustration; system
crashed
Does Using Technology Save Time?
University Supervisor
Avg.Time per Obs
(min)
Avg. Time for F2F Obs
(min)
Avg. Time for F2F
Supervision (min)
Avg. Time for TECHObs (min)
1- Adjunct 49.07 43.78 99.33 96.67
2-Instructor 88.08 88.08 109.00 --
3-Instructor 47.55 47.55 79.85 --
4-Asst Prof 34.55 34.55 57.39 --
5-Professor 68.37 67.71 120.29 74.00
Mean 57.52 56.33 93.17 85.33
Does Using Technology Save Money?University Supervisor
Cost per Supervision
minute(dollars)
Travel costs
(@.55/mile)
Total cost of F2F
Supervision Visit
(dollars)
Total cost of TECH
SupervisionVisit
(dollars)
Total Savings per Observation
Visit(dollars)
1-Adjunct .99 728 125.30 95.70 29.60
2-Instructor 1.12 222 130.61 -- --
3-Instructor .61 268 62.10 -- --
4-Asst Prof 2.75 665 167.74 -- --
5-Professor 7.11 368 784.63 526.14 258.49
Future Research
• How effective are various methods of supervision at developing effective teachers?
• How does the resource investment in supervision compare to teaching a class?
• What are more effective ways to use technology to build effective teachers?
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