Unit 1: Schooling and Functions of Supervision (Printer Friendly Format)

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FOCUS QUESTION

 


"In what ways do school structure/practices and supervisory functions intersect?"

READINGS
FORWARD

As we proceed throughout the course, you will notice a pattern to our weekly interactions. Generally, you will find a brief introduction or “Forward” of where I intend to take you, followed by highlights or “Big Ideas” about the topic at hand. These “Big Ideas,” are well, full-size thoughts, conveyed either in the readings or ones I hope we will think about and pursue in greater detail throughout the week (and likely, throughout the course!). Their mention up front might be considered as "setting the stage.” The final section of the unit designates the topical "Learning Tasks". These contain the guiding questions, prompts, or other pieces of information that will lead you in various directions toward exploring these full-size thoughts. As you will quickly see, the weekly "Learning Tasks" most often will engage you in reading, reflecting, researching, writing, posting (or otherwise publicly sharing your writing) and responding to peers' words of wisdom.

The weekly focus questions are intended to weave your personal experiences and associated understandings with broader social events that have impacted or continue to impact educational leadership and supervisory practice. I intend for us to gather around full-size thoughts in each text and for us to translate them into meaningful actions in our respective sites of schooling and in our own lives. These questions will also allow for a combination of solitary reflection and group dialogue. Ultimately, it is my hope that we collectively raise questions, critically examine ideas and assumptions, explore images, and suggest and engage in practices that emerge from our new understandings. You may want to revisit our "Building A Sense of Community - Preparing for Reflection" in the syllabus for ideas and suggestions on how we can best prepare ourselves for such a process of reflection and dialogue. (Click on "Syllabus" in the menu on the left and scroll down to the section titled "Building A Sense of Community".) As well, review the expectations for engaging in substantive dialogues and participation.

Next Steps...

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BIG IDEAS

For this unit we’ll identify and define various supervisory relationships and the characteristics affiliated with these relationships. We’ll then seek to understand how broad trends and issues in school renewal/reform relate to roles and functions of educational supervision.

This week will also be an opportunity for each of us to “settle in” technologically and to share personal and supervisory practice revelations about virtuous leadership and supervisory practice. By unpeeling the layers – the onionskins of our beliefs, assumptions and values – we can begin to (re?)conceptualize and articulate a personal stance about the link between supervision and teaching and learning. In doing so, we’ll hopefully come to recognize how the roles and functions of supervision are linked with personal fundamental beliefs, values and attitudes about knowledge and learning, and hence, teaching.

Within the theme of “Perspectives for Supervision,” the first four chapters of Sergiovanni & Starratt help us to see the interrelations among the images we have of supervision, the ways in which we conceptualize authority, the notion and role of community and morality. These considerations, among others, send strong messages about our assumptions, beliefs and values, on both personal and professional levels.

Throughout our interactions, we’ll unearth the reciprocal relations between schooling and supervisory practices, noting trends over time. Your personal experiences and reflections on those experiences will add greatly to internalizing all of this.

Next Steps...

Click next in the upper right corner when you are ready to continue to the next page.

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LEARNING TASKS

Recall, that a significant goal of our class is to engage in collaborative learning and hence, to socially construct meaning. A primary way by which we can accomplish this is by engaging in active online discussion with each other!

  1. By Saturday, within your eBase group post a “Golden Lines and Furrowed Brows” (we’ll be doing this throughout the course!) for two of the four chapters of the assigned reading. Identify and then post the sentence or excerpt from your selected chapters (identify the chapter and page you are citing from) that resonates with you, that yells, “YES!” (“Golden Line”) as well as the sentence or excerpt that caused you to wonder or take issue, “WHAT?!” (“Furrowed Brow”). Provide a brief explanation for each of your selections.  Now, through Tuesday read and respond to the postings from your other eBase group members. While you're at it, sneak a peek at what other eBase groups are saying!
  2. Theory Into Practice:  Continue your “Reflections on Supervisory Experiences” paper by writing a 2 page (no more!) narrative of a memorable supervisory experience or moment that you participated in (either as a supervisor or supervisee). This time, choose whatever memory (positive or negative encounter) you did not write about last week. Provide as much vivid detail as you can, while maintaining confidentiality of the participants. The goal is to learn from the experience, not to critique specific individuals.  Engage in personal reflection for this installment - you won’t be submitting this for now - but be sure to add this to your original narrative (this means you now have 4 pages, total), We will build upon this descriptive recollection in subsequent units, by interpreting and analyzing it from various lenses. The final installment to this assignment will be a collective ‘look back' over your writings. The complete assignment will be due at the end of Unit #5.

Reminders and Upcoming Assignments

Preview of Next Week's Topic and Focus Question