M.

A EDU Educational Supervision

Characteristics of Modern Education

1. Modern Supervision Is Democratic In Nature And Approach:

We have already known from the foregoing discussion that supervision is concerned with
providing effective leadership through Cooperative working relations which is the democratic
nature of supervision. This supervision is leadership oriented and contradicts the traditional
inspection which is bureaucratic and authoritative. It implies that in the modem supervision
the supervisor plays his role as the leader of the group. For playing his role effectively, he
should have to play his role with dynamic understanding and co-operative leadership attitude.
He is supposed to be an expert and experienced person in this regard.
2. Modern Supervision is a Continuous Process:
In this type of supervision the supervisors have to play their roles in a continuum with the
purpose to stimulate, co-ordinate and evaluate the efforts of teachers and pupils for the sake
of the improvement of the teaching learning situation. Here it is essential to highlight the fact
that while inspection is a time bound task before the supervisors as the inspecting officers.
Supervision is regarded as a continuous task for them as there is scope for refinement. This
trend was not prevalent in earlier days but has got immense practical value in the modern
educational value system.
3. Modern Supervision is Comprehensive in Nature:
Gone are the’ days when importance was only given on improvement of teaching efficiency
and professional growth of teacher as the main purpose of supervision. But now the concept
of modern supervision has increased its jurisdiction being comprehensive in nature.
It means now supervision, encompasses the activities and programmes for ensuring pupils
educational development and teacher’s professional growth and improvement of the entire
teaching learning process. In this light it can be clearly visualized that in the modern
supervision the supervisor’s role encompasses the programmes and activities beyond the
traditional classroom visitation and in this way supervision is comprehensive in nature.
4. Modern Supervision Stresses on Quality Management:
Regarding the meaning and nature of the term modern supervision the Education Commission,
(1964-66) has aptly remarked, “Supervision is the backbone of educational improvement.”
This very statement of the Education Commission means supervision is a keen study and
analysis for improvement of the total teaching learning situation. But the traditional inspection
mainly deals with class-room inspection and audit of accounts. Whereas supervision is
concerned with all aspects of education as it lays stress on total management of the educational
system.
5. Modern Supervision is Co-Operative in Spirit and Organization:
The concept modern supervision is based on the assumption that education is a creative and
co-operative enterprise in which all teachers, pupils, parents and administrators participate and
supervisors are their academic leaders who stimulate, guide and advise them in improvement
of the educational process. This can be done effectively and smooth-fully if there will be a
great deal of co-operation among them in their taste and temperament while thinking and
organizing the educational activities and programmes.
6. Modern Supervision is Creative and Scientific in Nature:
Supervision is not an easy and simple task on part of supervisors. Rather it is a creative one.
Because the purpose of modern supervision is to find out the best in teachers to manifest their
innate or hidden talents, to stimulate the initiative, to encourage their originality and self-
expression as it seeks the creative participation of all the teachers for bringing improvement
 M.A EDU Educational Supervision
in the educational system. For this he should have new ideas, resourcefulness and original
thinking.
In this sense, supervision must be creative. Besides, supervision should be scientific for
enabling the supervisor to make his supervisory report precise, systematic and objective. He
has to make the use of scientific methods in his supervisory work for bringing improvement
in teaching-learning process. Through surveys, experiments and action researches he can make
his supervisory remarks more scientific and effective.
7. Modem Supervision is Positive and Constructive in Nature and Approach:
The nature of traditional inspection is negative and fault finding with the teacher whereas the
nature of modern supervision is positive and not fault finding with the teacher. It means the
modern supervisors are much more positive with the teachers in contrary to the traditional
inspection system. They give good remarks, encouraging statements, appreciable comments
on good work done by the teachers. And when they find faults with the teachers they show the
ways and means to improve it again and again.

For this they give demonstration of the lesson by adopting a particular method, how to use a
teaching aid and how to complete the lesson in stipulated time. The supervisors have to
encourage constructive and critical thinking among teachers and discourage flattering and
biased things.
8. Supervision is Communicative in Nature:
Modern supervision is communicative in nature in the sense as the supervisor is concerned
with the communication within a group as leadership depends on letter interaction. To improve
communication the supervisor should increase his skill as a discussion leader to provide the
physical facilities that facilitate communication and to improve the group processes.
Researches which have already been conducted in this area reveal the proper communication
is related to good moral of teachers and this exchange of information helps in good planning.
9. Modem Supervision adopts a Number of Means:
In the modern educational system the supervision adopts, uses or conducts seminars,
conferences, workshops, school visits, meetings, class visits to assess the quality and progress
of any educational programme. As a result of this it becomes easier on part of the supervisor
who takes necessary steps and measures for its improvement.
10. Supervision is Participatory in Nature:
This nature of the term modern supervision signifies the importance of the participation of all
concerned directly or indirectly in the supervision of an educational programme. It includes
teachers, pupils, parents, community members, resources persons, specialists etc.