Supervision of Instruction: A Guide for School Leaders

As the new principal on a campus, the three issues to address are teacher isolation, negative school and climate dysfunctional teams. 

Teacher isolation 

The first step that I will take is implementing professional dialogue. More often than not, teacher isolation occurs due to absence of dialogue as everyone seem unconcerned about the other person. Therefore, encouraging open and honest dialogue among teachers will provide a platform for sharing information and raising sensitive matters when needed. The second step will be formation of teacher centres . Teachers will meet at the centres to participate in professional dialogue, skills development, innovations, and gather or formulate instructional resources. Glickman, Gordon, &Ross-Gordon (2014) state that “Change is needed away from the physical and psychological isolation caused by outmoded school structures and norms of individualism and toward structures and norms that provide opportunities for professional dialogue and collaborative work”. 

In the third step, collegial support groups will be implemented. These groups will comprise of teachers within the same department. They will employ group inquiry, seek solutions for common problems, jointly practice the solutions, and support each other mutually. Fourthly , teacher networks will be implemented. Networking will enable educators from different departments to share material, concerns, and accomplishments. It will also provide the platforms for joint learning via computer links. In the fifth step, focus will be on building trust and confidence among colleagues. Teachers will be obliged to show professional esteem for one other. This will be accomplished through ensuring individual contributions to newsletters and school articles. Occasional conferences and seminars will also be held to promote trust. The expected outcome is improved interaction among teachers and an improvement in the students’ learning. 

Negative school climate 

In addressing the negative school climate, the first step will involve engaging in professional dialogue . This will enhance the school climate as it offers a chance for formative teacher evaluation, which looks into the teacher and the students’ welfare. Through discussions, various points of view can be obtained and it becomes easy to arrive at a mutual understanding. Secondly, group meetings will be emphasized. Various groups will be formed based on the teacher’s area(s) of specialization, where one of them serves as the leader. The leader will be in charge of outlining the agenda during meetings and informing the group members of the meeting’s expectations. Constructive discussions will be realized and solutions to pertinent issues obtained. In the third step, distributed, supportive leadership will be implemented. Various leaders will be chosen to represent the teachers and students respectively. The leaders will ensure a comprehensive approach that considers the input of everyone during the decision making process. 

The fourth step entails Reflective inquiry. This will require an in-depth inquiry on the school learning environment, the teachers and the students. This will be followed by gathering, analysis and discussion of the internal facts regarding the institute’s culture and student learning. Reflective dialogue will be involved in determining the various ways in which the institute’s culture and the teaching approaches contribute to the negative climate. The findings will be evaluated and incorporated in programs for bridging the gaps. In the fifth step, educators will engage in reflective planning . This will involve implementation of the vital self-assessment needed for result-oriented teaching. Glickman, Gordon, &Ross-Gordon , (2014) assert that “Experts also reflect on lessons they have taught—what went well and what did not—and how they can improve their instruction the next time they teach a similar lesson”. Ultimately, repeated action cycles of reflection will be implemented at the personal, team, and institute levels. The expected outcome is that a relaxed climate will be attained that fosters collaborative learning. 

Dysfunctional teams 

Dysfunctional teams will be addressed through, with the first involving Critique. This methods is justified in that it illuminates the effects of certain assumptions on the other people. Such assumption could be changed when found to be negatively implicating others. In the implementation process, focused dialogue among colleagues will be implemented, where existing practices, views, principles, and assumptions will be analysed thoroughly. As a result, all form of bias and imbalances in power relationships will be critiqued and solutions identified to address them. The expected outcome is an improvement in interpersonal skills. Secondly, Unity of purpose will be cultivated. Having a common goal enhances unity and performance in teamwork. Precisely, members of the school community will be concerned with the welfare of their team members ( Glickman, Gordon, &Ross-Gordon , 2014). Educators will settle on a common goal for change and on values that they will follow in enhancing team work. 

In the third step, focus will be on enhancing Collegiality and collaboration. The major objective of this process is to improve team performance. Implementation will involve deprivatization of teaching to allow team engagement. All class teachers will have to share plans of teaching, share learning materials, discuss the difficulties experienced and probable solutions. Teachers will be able to compare notes and observe each other with the aim of learning different methods of teaching, and enhancing learner outcomes. 

The fourth step will involve recognition, sharing, and celebration . Educators and others will be acknowledged for contributing to the success in school. Teachers and teams will share their work for the sake of boosting team performance. Gathering of classroom data will form part of this step where educators will collaborate in providing feedback for enhancing the classroom experience. Ultimately, events will be organized for celebrating team accomplishments. In the fifth step, focus will be on professional development. A range of harmonized professional advancement arrangements will be used to promote team efforts. These will include skill development, study groups, mentoring, and other steps for promoting team work. 

Reference  

Glickman, C. D., Gordon, S. P., & Ross-Gordon, J. M. (2014). Supervision and instructional leadership: A developmental approach . Allyn & Bacon/Longman Publishing.