An Assignment Submitted by
Part One
The educational establishment has a traditional vision of education and leadership, thus, the vision towards students and their needs is quite specific. The entire framework is quite standard, as the students are perceived only as individuals that have to learn what the teachers tell them. It is possible to claim that the learning process is one-dimensional and it requires revisiting especially in terms of communication and articulation of clear goals. The educational system has to broaden their thinking ability and allow education to be specific to each individual student. We are accommodating students from diverse backgrounds and diverse learning styles. With that being said, we must educate the students scholastically, mentally, and emotionally. It is important for the educators to increase the variety of methods of supervision and provide more autonomy to the class. Development of the emotional layout of the students is essential due to the importance of this area for the further progress of the individual.
The school is quite average, as it provides education for the students from different socio-economic households. It has a long year history, as it exists since 1973. The educators are using the demographic information when approaching students due to the issues with discipline and disruptive behavior. Yet, the individual approach to children is not very popular among the teachers, which deteriorates the quality of education. The school is listed as a title 1 school due to its demographics. It is also listed as a school that needs improvement in regards to testing scores and building management. Therefore, it is important to introduce the individual approach to the students and improve the test scores by increasing the awareness of the students about their future and the role of education in it.
The curriculum is developing in compliance with the national standards and created together by the vice principle and approved the head of the school. The subjects taught in the educational facility are standard as well, as the school does not specialize in any specific subjects. The curriculum is designed and implemented by the district. However, the district schools use the TEKS provided by the state. Teachers are responsible for designing and implementing lesson plans that display assignments that consist of required TEKS. There is no flexibility for the educators as well as the students in terms of curriculum. Lack of autonomy and the ability to build a curriculum by the educators decreases the quality of the education.
The management of the school uses the traditional supervision techniques that usually resemble authoritarian leadership, as the initiative is often overlooked and the communication is hierarchal rather than mutually benefitting. In order to improve student learning, the educators supposed to use motivation and pressure, which often resemble operant conditioning methods. In many cases on my campus, the assistant principals are asking that the teachers follow steps before sending a disruptive student to the office. Lack of supervision and inability to use more tolerable methods of dealing with the disruptive behavior produces further escalations of the conflicts with the management.
Professional development may be acquired by undergoing training interventions, researching scientific literature, practicing new methods of teaching and communicating, improving personality skills by growing as a professional and individual. I applied all of the techniques, where the practical methods proved to be more effective. Within my district, there is an academy for teachers. Specifically, there is Learning to Inspire course for teachers, which is a summer academy for teachers. Previously, teachers were required to have 36 hours of professional development per year. Currently, teachers are required to have 42 hours of professional development. Thus, while the pressure on educators increases, the benefits for the teachers remain the same, which discourage some educators to improve their qualification.
Part Two
In order to become a successful supervisor, it is important to consider the appropriate style for this job. A particular type of supervision style may be chosen according to the situation or the preference of a leader. It is possible to select coaching, directing, delegating, or supporting style or combine several of them at once. Coaching style requires a supervisor to involve directly into the work process, especially when a follower has problems in fulfilling a task. It also can be used when there is a need for improvement in the working process or in the qualities of the followers. A supervisor has to provide not only the emotional and professional support but also to set an example and develop practical instructions to improve the situation. In order this style to work, the followers have to acknowledge the weakness and were filling to improve.
The directing supervision style is usually applied in the difficult situations in order to apply specific knowledge and experience in the right way. For instance, if a class is struggling with the discipline issues and a teacher cannot resolve it, it is possible to bring a skilled specialist, like for example a psychologist, who will direct the educator’s actions. Another method to improve a similar situation is to increase the professional competence of a teacher guiding this class, which can be executed by the headmaster. A directing-type supervisor has to establish concise goals and objectives for the followers and guide them towards the attainment of the aim. In this case, a supervisor holds an active position, where he or she instruct and monitor the followers during the entire working process.
The delegating supervising style shifts the attention from the supervisor to the followers. In this case, the leader provides guidance, but only in the most difficult situations and serves as a consultant rather than a direct supervisor. This approach will be effective with the followers who have expertise in their work as well as the strong abilities to accomplish the needed tasks. This style provides more autonomy for the followers and the ability to resolve the problems on their own. Also, it maximizes creativity skills not limiting the followers in their abilities to resolve challenging situations. At the same time, when applied in the inappropriate situations with the followers who are not capable to function on their own, the delegating style may lead to the negative outcomes.
Finally, in the supporting style, the supervisor tends to motivate rather than control. The core function of the supervisor, in this case, is to improve confidence level among the followers and increase self-sufficiency as well as productivity during the working process. In this situation, the supervisor tries to persuade the followers to do the job for their advantage rather than for the sake of the company. This style usually requires the assignment of the tasks to the followers and supports them only when it is necessary. Yet, the leader has to be particularly skillful and know his or her job especially well.
During the preparation of growth plans, the supervisors have to take into account the type of leadership styles they implement and enlist the resources that can be used during the implementation phase. It is necessary to apply not only the personal vision of the growth, but take into account the interests of the school, students, educators, parents, and the entire community. In this case, the growth plans will be applied more successfully than, for example, when the leader is guided by the need to satisfy the top management. The plans have to be revisited and reevaluated with the possibility of assessing them by the third party that could increase the chances for success of a particular plan.
Questions
During my current job, I was observed, evaluated, and supervised by the vice principal directly. The observations were usually accomplished by coming to the class, where some of such visits were unexpected and some of them were prepared beforehand. The plans I was preparing were also evaluated by her through reading and providing advice. The evaluations were made on the basis of observations, inspections of the dynamics of interaction with the colleagues, and personal encounter with her and the principal. The evaluations were usually provided in the written or oral forms where the vice principal provided the further recommendations in professional growth and interpersonal skills improvement if it was necessary. The same procedure was applied to all educators in the school. She usually used directing supervising style where she monitored closely the actions of the teachers. At some point, it limited the autonomy of the educators.
When there is a need to observed someone working, I would like to see both the best and average performance in order to provide the best evaluation and have a perspective on how a person can function at his/her best. It is not always possible to show the best performance, thus, the levels at which a person operates will be important for the observer. The assessment may reveal what areas may be improved and what the main strengths and weaknesses a person has. On the basis of such an evaluation, the supervisor will be able to determine the range of capabilities of a specialist.
I have chosen the group of colleagues for the observation, where the members tend to be more different than similar. They have distinctive talents and strengths and in the team, the members tend to complete each other. For instance, one of the team members is quite open-minded and tends to provide complete freedom during the lessons for the students. Another colleague believes that the form of a play is the most appropriate method of education. During the collaboration, these educators manage to combine their skills and methods of supervision and produce the best result.
