The Effects of the University Supervisor on the Performance and Adiustment of Student Teachers

College Supervision of Student Teaching: A Time to Reconsider

“…Hundreds of conscientious and dedicated professionals have never seriously questioned their individual effectiveness as supervisors and staunchly maintain that their efforts do make a difference. This, despite such conclusions as those of Morris (1974) who reported that there was little difference in the performance or adjustment of student teachers supervised by university personnel as opposed to those under the exclusive direction of classroom teachers.…”

Teaching teaching skills

“…Thus the supervisor in traditional teaching practice wishing to offer a student useful guidance, has intuitively to allow for the fact that the lesson he has observed is just one of a very large universe of lessons and in addition, to attempt to match his perceptions of what went on to those of the student. Little surprise, then, that there is some evidence that supervisors have minimal impact on practising students (Morris, 1974)-The larger question as to whether teaching practice as currently conducted makes any difference at all is very little investigated. Investigations by Brown (1975) and Copeland & Doyle (1973) suggest that it might, but evidence on the subject is extremely scanty.…”

“…However, in both approaches attention is more likely to be paid to non-pedagogical aspects of the lesson than to those specifically concerned with teaching. Subject knowledge, specific character traits ('confidence', 'industry', 'responsiveness to advice', 'organization in lesson preparation') are among the most important phenomena related to teacher competence as currently conceived by a sample of British and American schedules (Norris, 1975). Among the criteria more related to actual classroom performance particular attention is given to such things as the use of teaching aids and materials and class management.…”

Summer Student Teaching: Evaluation of a Pilot Program

“…The major rationale for this recommendation was that completion of student teaching during the summer would provide students with more time during the academic year to meet the requirement for an academic major. Student teaching has been a highly valued component of teacher-preparation programs since the fifteenth century (Morris, 1974). The experience is considered to be essential for providing pre-service teachers with appropriate opportunities for applying their theoretical and methodological understandings (Shapiro & Sheehan.…”