EDUCATIONAL SUPERVISION

Synopsis:

v  Introduction

v  Meaning of Educational Supervision

v  Definition of Educational Supervision

v  Scope of Educational Supervision

v  Characteristics of Educational Supervision

v  Types of Supervision

v  Need of Educational Supervision

v  Principles of Educational Supervision

v  Functions of Educational Supervision

v  Defects in the present day Supervision

v  Conclusion

Introduction:

Education administration and supervision are now regarded as a total process inclusive of all responsibilities and functions necessary for running the schools. Supervision is concerned with school problems improvement as well as that of the whole teaching-learning situation. In modern educational thought supervision is a phase of administration with particular emphasis on the products of teaching and learning activities.

Meaning of Educational Supervision:

The features of the modern educational supervision presented here are accepted widely in the U.S.A, Europe, England and other countries of the world. These are:

1. Service activity: The main purpose of educational supervision is to help teachers do better job. In olden days, educational supervision was looked at as an inspection to check whether the teachers were doing their job satisfactorily or not. But now its basic function is to improve the teaching-learning situation with the focus on achieving the goals of education.

2. Process: Modern supervision is based on social, psychological and educational process. Teaching-learning process can’t be improved until the teachers quality improves. For developing teachers interaction between the supervisor and the teachers necessary. The supervisor is required to stimulate, nurture and appraise the professional growth of teachers. Thus the modern supervision is essentially a social process. This conviction has to be developed in the educational supervisors in India.

3. Functions: Modern supervision can be described and explained in terms of functions also as it was done in terms of processes involved in it. A few functions of modern supervision are coordinating instructional services over schools of several towns, districts and the state, upgrading evaluation, study of problems, getting new schemes and decisions successfully implemented etc..

4. Educational Leadership: Modern educational supervision is seen as a kind of leadership in education. In the past, it was seen only as an authority or a status position. Today the status or the authority of the supervisor is considered meaningless as in a democratic society people are more conscious of their rights and freedom and they can not be subdued with power and authority.

Definition of Educational Supervision:

“Supervision is an expert technical service primarily concerned with studying and improving the conditions that surround learning and pupil growth”

– A.S.Barr.

“Supervision has gradually moved from the improvement of instruction to the improvement of learning”

-Harold Spears.

“Supervision is now conceived as process which has for its purpose the general improvement of the total teaching-learning situation”

-William A.Yeager.

Scope of Educational Supervision:

1. 1.   Educational process: The scope of modern supervision extends to the entire educative process or the whole teaching-learning situation. The various elements of this situation in order of their importance may be categorized as the learners, the teachers, the curriculum and the socio-physical environment.

2. 2.   Provision and Management of Teaching-Learning: Educational administration provides and manages these various elements of the teaching-learning situation and the business of educational supervision is to assess continuously their adequacy and to bring about necessary improvement of course, within reasonable and realistic limits.

3. 3.   Educational activities: the scope of educational supervision extends to all the areas of educational activity with the larger purpose of improving the product of education through the upgrading to the quality of instruction and other school practices.

Characteristics of Educational Supervision:

v It is creative and dynamic expert technical service.

v It provides leadership with extra knowledge and superior skills.

v It promotes cooperative educational effort in a friendly atmosphere.

v It gives coordination, direction and guidance to teachers’ activities.

v It improves instruction and teaching-learning process.

v It helps achievement of appropriate educational aims and objectives.

Types of supervision:

Supervision is classified in to five types. They are follows:

1)   Corrective type

2)   Preventive type

3)   Creative type

4)   Autocratic type

5)   Democratic type.

1) Corrective type:

In this type of supervision, the supervisor tries to find faults with teachers, headmaster and school work. The supervisor only looks at the negative type of things and criticizes. He keeps record of teacher’s mistakes or faults and reports the same to educational authorities. This type of supervision cannot improve educational system of the school.

Merits:

1. When the teachers pupils and the headmaster know that the supervisor will point our faults, they become very particular about their work and try to remove their weak points.

2. Fear of a strict supervisor compels them to come prepared to the school and work efficiently.

3. The teachers are always cautious.

Demerits:

1. Corrective supervisor discourages the teachers.

2. This type of supervision is not healthy.

3. The negative attitude of the supervisor develops negative attitudes in teachers towards students.

2) Preventive type:

Preventive supervision anticipates the possible difficulties or problems in the school programme and forewarns the headmaster and teachers against possible pitfalls. The supervisor gives suggestions to avoid the difficulties problems. This type of supervision is very useful to the headmaster and teachers.

Merits:

1. It saves the teachers and the headmaster from tension.

2. It develops good personality traits in children.

3. It contributes much to the effectiveness of the teaching-learning process.

Demerit:

1. It is over-burdens the teachers. They have always to think of the    future problems along with their teaching work.

3) Creative type:

Creative supervision is one of the best type. It comes to school with the idea that he is to help the school teachers and the headmaster in solving their problems. He sympathizes with them, listens to their problems, discusses solutions of problems and inspires them to work more.

Merits:

1. Creative supervision develops creative qualities in teachers.

2. This develops in teachers and pupils, original thinking.

3. This frees teachers from unnecessary bonds. Consequently they work independently and effectively.

4) Autocratic type:

In this type, there are definite tasks laid down for the teachers. They have to work according to his directions with no choice of their own. This type of supervision does not give importance to the teachers. All guidance or directions are given by the supervisor. This type of supervision does not help in the progress of the school.

5) Democratic type:

This type of supervision is along democratic lines. It attends to ability and position of an individual. Instead of imposing orders, the concerned individuals are consulted. The teachers are given freedom or work, develop and progress. This type of supervision makes use of proper human and material resources.

Need of Educational Supervision:

v  for providing expert technical assistance

v  for the growth of teachers

v  for helping teachers prepare for teaching

v  for keeping teachers up-to-date

v  for providing democratic professional leadership

Principles of Educational Supervision:

1. Functionally related to Administration: Even though supervision is assigned quite specific tasks within the area of administration it is considered an integral part of it. Supervision must be primarily a non-managerial service within the total responsibilities of administration. It is clear that two are closely and functionally related. Good administration and good supervision both have the some function.

2. Based on Philosophy: This means that the policies, plans, purposes, values and meaning of supervision should be determined by the philosophy or the way of life of the society whose education is to be undertaken.

3. Scientific: All activities, plans, procedures and techniques should be based on the scientific attitude and method. Supervision should emphasis experimentation, observation and inference, objectivity and reliability. It should utilize the finding of research, standardized tests and statistical analysis.

4. Creative: supervision should promote free expression among all persons participating in the group discussion for problem-solving. Creativity means offering new suggestions, devising new procedures inventing and producing new things; and all these are necessary for development and progress.

5. Progressive: this means that supervision should aim at the promotion of pupils’ and teachers’ growth and through them the improvement of society. Supervision should coordinate, and integrate all available resources, materials and efforts. It should develop those conditions of satisfaction and security which release the spirit of creativity and joy of achievement.

Functions of Educational Supervision:

The functions of Educational supervision may be enumerated as following:

1)   Providing leadership

2)   Formulating policies

3)   Studying the teaching-learning situation

4)   Improving the teaching-learning situation

5)   Improving the personnel

6)   Improving human relations

7)   Improving the group interaction

8)   Improving the product of education

9)   Improving the morale of teacher

Defects in the present day Supervision:

1. Authorianism

2. Burden of routine work

3. A show piece affair

4. Centralization of policies

5. unsuitable supervisors

6. Shortage of staff

7. Too mechanical

8. Dictatorial type of inspection

9. Lack of subject experts

10. Defective system of recruitment

11. Interference by private managements

12. Incomplete inspection

13. Distrust between supervisors and the school staff

14. Lack of system in inspection

15. Lack of follow-up

Conclusion:

Supervision plays a vital role to improve the teaching-learning process. Thus supervision is a creative and dynamic process giving friendly guidance and direction to teachers and pupils for improving themselves and the teaching-learning situation of the accomplishment of the desired goals of education.