Supervision of Instruction – EDAS 641

Course Description

Methods, theories and research applying to supervision at all levels of education: analyses made concerning the work of curriculum directors, general supervisors, special supervisors, supervising principals department heads; study of supervisory methods, current plans for staff utilization and use of instructional materials; and stress on evaluation of educational programs and the effects of supervision.

Rationale

One of the primary responsibilities of an administrator is the evaluation of instruction and the development of quality instructional personnel. This requires specific skills, dispositions, techniques, and processes, as well as a knowledge base in instructional strategies, motivational psychology, and learning styles. This course focuses on a holistic approach to collegial supervision and administrative evaluation.

Course Assignment

Textbook readings and presentations

Course Requirements Checklist

After reading the Course Syllabus and Candidate Expectations, the candidate will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Supervision of Instruction Assignment

The candidate will develop a set of 3–5 questions related to supervision of instruction that they hopes will be answered during this course. Current APA Style is not required. The candidate can add a desired professional development goal. (CLO: A, J)

Discussions (2)

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the candidate is required to provide a thread in response to the provided prompt. Each thread must be at least 500 words and demonstrate course-related knowledge. In addition to the thread, the candidate is required to reply to 2 other classmates’ threads. Each reply must be at least 100 words. (CLO: A, D, I)

Educational Supervisor Interview Assignment

The candidate will contact an education supervisor (for example, Principal, HR Director, Assistant Superintendent, etc.) who is responsible for hiring instructional personnel. The candidate must ask that person to provide at least 3–5 questions he/she always likes to use during an interview and how these questions are useful in predicting if the potential employee possesses the necessary knowledge, skills, and dispositions for effective teaching. The candidate will then write the questions and responses (no minimum word count required) and add (100-word minimum requirement) instructional supervisor insights personally gained from this interview experience. (CLO: A, D, E, F)

Action Research Case Study Project

This assignment enables the candidate to role-play the task of an instructional supervisor by putting into practice the steps of action research in a field case study format. The assignment involves collaborating with a P-12 volunteer teacher participant in a school setting to accomplish the following:

• Identify an area of professional development for the participating teacher that relates to improving coordination and coherence among the school’s curriculum, instruction, and/or assessment practices.
• Propose research-based strategies to improve teaching skills.
• Evaluate the progress of the plan.
• Adjust plan implementation as needed.
• Apply the project process to determine school academic assessment and hiring practices.

The candidate will complete this project in stages, submitting a quiz, a proposal, an annotated bibliography, two project updates, and a final project document which is to be submitted in both Canvas and CORE. This assignment does not count for practicum hours in the candidate’s degree program. (CLO: B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J)

Quiz: Action Research Case Study

The quiz serves as a preliminary accountability affirmation that the initial elements of securing a volunteer teacher, using ethical practices during the research, confirming that student assessment data will be shared between the volunteer teacher and candidate, confirming that the first meeting with the teacher has taken place for the purpose of reviewing data, and selecting a topic with a guiding research question have been met during the first module week, thus ensuring that the process of Action Research is set to begin. (CLO: B, F)

Action Research Case Study: Proposal - Part 1: Data and Annotated Bibliography Assignment

After securing a P-12 volunteer teacher who is willing to work with the candidate on this project, the volunteer teacher is to identify a short-term initiative to develop and launch. The area of professional development for the participating teacher should relate to improving the teacher’s pedagogical skill in efforts to improve coordination and coherence within the school’s curriculum, instruction, and/or assessment practices.  In determining the teacher’s need, the volunteer teacher and candidate will collaboratively complete a data analysis to develop a topic and research question.

Using the topic and research question, the candidate will complete an annotated bibliography to provide the research element into best practices that align with the action research topic and guiding question. The purpose of the annotated bibliography aspect of the proposal is to connect inquiry to what experts in the field have published. The candidate will report researched content from four journal articles in crafting annotations that include a summary and analysis of each article’s content.  The work must meet APA 7 formatting. CLO: (B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I)

Action Research Case Study: Proposal - Part 2: Strategies Assignment

From the candidate’s annotated bibliography, three strategies are proposed to the volunteer teacher, from which the teacher selects one for implementation in this case study. CLO: (B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J)

Action Research Case Study: Status Update Assignments (2)

Two periodic updates will be submitted to the course, providing a brief summary of the work completed to date. An assignment template will be used to report a summary of the progress made. Each assignment template will include the following:

• Summary of Work in Progress
• Completed Action Steps
• Future Action Steps
• Issues, Concerns, or Problems (CLO: B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J)

Action Research Case Study: Final Assignment

The candidate will complete the stages of this assignment and submit completed reports for each component in a final project document in both Canvas and CORE. (CLO: B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J)

Educator Evaluation Systems Analysis Assignment

The candidate will examine information in his/her state’s department of education websites relating to policies and procedures for educator evaluation. In a written essay, the candidate will compare and contrast the teacher evaluation system with the state’s administrator evaluation system. The URLs for each system must be included at the end of the essay. The required word count for the essay is at least 300 words. (CLO: D, F)

Textbook Chapters Reflections (4)

In written essay format, the candidate will summarize and provide solutions to assigned end-of-chapter reflective cases. Each essay is to have a minimum of 500 words written in current APA style. (CLO: A, B, C, D, E. G, H, I)

Policy Analysis Assignment

The candidate will review sample school policies in the provided School Policy Collection document linked with the assignment instructions.  The candidate will then compose a written essay of at least 400 words analyzing the chosen policies for clarity, detail, expectations, etc. Do not simply summarize each policy. Conclude the essay with a paragraph regarding the value of these policies to the foundational operation of a school. APA is not required. (CLO: A, D, E, F, I)

Teacher Evaluation Instrument Analysis Assignment

From a provided collection of teacher observation walk-through instruments, the candidate will select three teacher evaluation/observation forms. In a written essay, the candidate will compare and contrast the content and format in the forms and provide rationale for the choices. Of the 3, the candidate will choose 1 instrument as the best and will provide rationale for this choice over the other 2. Minimum word count: 500 words. APA is not required.  (CLO: D, E, F, I)

Video Classroom Observation Assignment

The candidate will view a teacher observation video and practice performing a teacher evaluation using the winning instrument of choice from the instrument analysis assignment selected in the Teacher Evaluation Instrument Analysis Assignment. (CLO: C, D, E, F, I)

Video Observation Professional Development Plan Assignment

Using information from the completed video classroom observation instrument, the candidate will develop a professional development plan for the observed video teacher. (CLO: D, E, F, G, H, I)

Class Summary and Reflection Assignment

This culminating written assignment concludes the course requirements. In completing this work, the candidate will summarize thoughts regarding the readings, videos, and activities during the course. Using a reflective format provided by the instructor, the candidate will complete and submit the templated assignment to the course. (CLO: A, D, I)