CLINICAL SUPERVISION

Clinical Supervision
• The term “clinical supervision was coned by Morris Cogan & Robert Goldhammer in
1973.
• He defines as a process that focuses on the improvement of a teacher’s classroom
instruction through the observation and collection of records of what the teacher
and students do in the classroom during the teaching-learning process.
•  Between the 1960s and early 1990s varying models of clinical supervision were
developed and with each iteration, teachers became more and more important to
the process.
Assumptions of Clinical Supervision
1. Teachers are capable of analyzing their own teaching performance and they can provide
inputs on ways to improve their teaching
• Learning how to improve their teaching skills would be easier if teachers were
allowed to examine situations, behaviors and practices associated with effective
teaching and effective student learning.
2. Teachers are agents of change in the instructional process
• Improvement of one’s teaching skills should start at the site of instruction the
classroom.
3. Clinical supervision emphasizes teacher growth rather than defects
• It assumes that teachers possess a drive to become better in what they do. They
have not only motivation and willingness but also the resources to solve their
problems.
4. Supervisors must be present to observe
• Assistance could not be adequately provided without observing the events within
the classroom.
5. Supervisors should provide feedback to improve and guide instructional strategies of
the teacher
• They conducted to provide feedback
6. Clinical supervision of teachers improves instruction through the analysis of classroom
teaching-learning and the systematic interpretation of data.
• It requires data to be based on observations rather than unfounded claims.
• Observation allow for better interpretation and analysis.
7. Clinical supervision can bring desired in changes in teacher behavior
• It is teacher-centered process of verbal instruction that can help in improving
instruction.
8. Clinical supervision is ethical, unbiased, and sensitive
• It is base decisions on actual, observed data. Therefore, information is prevented
from being distorted.
9. The feedback process of clinical supervision encourages independence
• The teacher assume great responsibility for his/her self-improvement.
Advantages of Clinical Supervision
• The school head and teachers are encourage to cooperate towards achieving
common objectives.
• The school head can influence behavior to a greater degree.
• Teachers needing help would invite the superior rather than hide from him/her.
• Clinical supervision allows for objective feedback, which leads to improved results.
• It helps to diagnose instructional problems and provides valuable information
which can lead to solving such problems.
• It enables teachers to clearly see differences in what they think they are doing and
what they are actually doing.
• Resulting improvements on instruction are highlighted and both teacher and
supervisor are able to develop new skills and strategies, which will be replicated, as
needed.
• As teacher instruction improves, students will become more motivated, classroom
management will improve, and better learning will take place.
• Improved teacher performance leads to improved chances of promotion for the
teacher.
Disadvantages of Clinical Supervision1
1. Clinical supervision is difficult to do in reality because it involves a long and tedious
process
• Because of the sheer volume of work done by the school heads, their supervisory
function is often set aside.
2. The teacher approaches the clinical supervision relationship with skepticism or
antagonism right from the start
 Many teachers regard supervisors using the clinical supervision approach as non-
allies and even adversaries.
3. It is difficult to provide clinical supervision to all teachers because it is time-consuming
 Clinical supervision uses a hands-on, meticulous approach and involves guidance
of all teachers by the assigned supervisor.
4. Not all teachers need intensive clinical supervision
Clinical supervision is a thorough process that was originally designed for the
training of student-teachers.
5. Teachers have different growth needs and learning styles.
 Applying rigorous clinical supervision to all teachers may be impractical and
inappropriate because it fails to acknowledge the uniqueness of each faculty
member.
6. Supervisors have different personalities and supervisory styles
School heads who are more comfortable teaching their teachers as peers or friends
might find the rigidity of clinical supervision disconcerting.