INTRODUCTION

This chapter will define supervision and then provide a brief overview of some key literature. It will summarize current approaches and practices in language teacher supervision and then consider some problematic issues and possible future directions. The chapter will close with suggestions for further reading about this important topic.

In language education, teacher supervisors have many different roles. Some are senior and / or successful teachers with responsibilities for guiding less experienced or less capable colleagues. Others hold positions as department chairpersons, program directors, coordinators, or headmistresses, and may not have concurrent teaching responsibilities.

Unfortunately, language teacher supervisors seldom receive specific training in how to be effective supervisors. Perhaps for this reason, “the major concept of current supervisory behaviour is its undue emphasis on reactive performance – doing things as a result of a crisis orientation – rather than through careful, logical planning and preparation” (Daresh 2001: 25). The purpose of this brief chapter, then, is to consider some key issues in language teacher supervision.

SCOPE AND DEFINITIONS

In general education, supervision has been defined as “an organisational responsibility and function focused upon the assessment and refinement of current practices” (Goldsberry 1988: 1). Likewise, “supervision is a process of overseeing the ability of people to meet the goals of the organisation in which they work” (Daresh 2001: 25).

In language education, supervision has been defined as “an ongoing process of teacher education in which the supervisor observes what goes on in the teacher’s classroom with an eye toward the goal of improved instruction” (Gebhard 1990: 1). A supervisor is “anyone who has … the duty of monitoring and improving the quality of teaching done by other colleagues in an educational situation” (Wallace 1991: 107).

OVERVIEW

Academic literature about supervision throughout the late 1900s consisted largely of descriptions of supervisory approaches. For instance, Goldsberry (1988) described three models: nominal supervision, the prescriptive model, and reflective supervision. Acheson and Gall (1997) described general categories of teacher supervision, including those of inspector, counsellor, coach, consultant, and mentor.