Bianca BeckerEDTC 5348Dr. GuerraClinical Observation ReflectionThe clinical cycles helped me fully understand the functions and importance of instructional supervision. According to Glickman et al. (2010), developmental supervision matches initial supervisory approach with the teachers or groups developmental levels, expertise, and commitment. As I initiated the clinical cycles I wasnt sure that Id be able to fully assume the supervisory role and navigate with flexibility from one approach to the next. This learning experience provided hands-on opportunities to practice the steps in the clinical cycle with actual teachers and it taught me to be prepared for anything. I was unaware of the developmental level the teachers I selected were at, but I initiated the process with a collaborative approach and had to be prepared to shift approaches if necessary. I also learned that as a supervisor I must be a facilitator for teachers in order to help them develop effective practices and grow as professionals. During the clinical observation process I noticed that I had some areas of growth and strengths. Glickman et al. (2010) suggest that supervisors introduce teachers to new information about students, learning, innovative teaching strategies, and novel ways to frame and solve problems. The discussion in the initial pre and post conferences that I conducted lacked the depth and complexity of probing questions for clarification and reflective purposes. After discussing with my partner how I could improve my performance and garner more information from the teacher, the second cycle proved to be a vast improvement. If I had not made the adjustments my partner recommended, I would have failed to successfully gather and interpret with accuracy the information the teacher wanted me to record, and help them learn from the experience. In order to improve on my areas of weakness, I plan to engage in further research of best practices for supervision. I will also ask to shadow my principal as they observe and meet with teachers. Then I will conduct another round of observation cycles, in which my principal will observe me. Afterwards I will combine teacher and administrator feedback on my performance and compare the results with my initial performance. The strengths that I demonstrated were organization and approachability. Throughout both cycles I made sure I had an agenda for both pre and post conferences. This helped facilitate the discussion and keep it focused. By having this resource prepared, I ensured that I targeted all areas of the cycle. Also, I think that I had an open and approachable demeanor that allowed teachers to open up to me and not feel judged. This was probably one of my most valuable assets. Instead of feeling like they were going to be assessed, teachers welcomed my presence in their classrooms and saw this as a learning experience for personal growth.The major concern that I have in regards to implementing the clinical supervision cycle as a school leader is adapting to each scenario and being able to successfully implement different supervisory approaches with different teachers and groups In order to resolve this issue, I will combine observations of teachers in action with supervisor-teacher discussion. The data I collect from both will help me determine teacher characteristics and select the appropriate supervisory approach. I think it is better to have multiple data points to gather information from, versus relying only on one pre-conference. Conducting multiple observations and having discussions with teachers will increase the effectiveness and of the clinical cycle.

ReferencesGlickman, C.D., Gordon, S.P., & Ross-Gordon, J.M. (2010). SuperVision and Instructional Leadership: A Developmental Approach (8th ed.). Boston: Ally & Bacon.

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