FROM THE INSIDE OUT: THE POTENTIAL OF HYBRID FIELD SUPERVISION
JODELL R. HEROUX, PH.D.
CENTRAL MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY
RATIONALE FOR STUDY
 Large caseloads of practicum students and broadening geographic locations complicate supervision (Dymond et
al., 2008)
 Increasing number of pre-service and graduate programs offered through distance education (Caywood & Duckett,
2003)
 Shortage of qualified faculty to provide supervision to pre-service teachers (Scheeler, McKinnon, & Sout, 2012)
 E-supervision allows quality supervision in field placements where on-site school supervisors may be unfamiliar
with best practices; inappropriately licensed; or unavailable (Dymond et al., 2008)
Honest, meaningful and forthright feedback is critical in preparing quality teachers (Conderman, Morin, &
Stephens, 2005)
May increase opportunities to provide feedback and coaching (Koehler, 1988)
May be less intrusive for special education environments
The use of technology to supervise fieldwork has received limited attention (Dymond et al., 2008)
STUDY (n = 18)
Increased
opportunity
for feedback
Observations
of Targeted
Skills
Needs Support vs. Meets Expectations
Performance Category
Matches/Total Possible
Agreement
Discrepancies
Disagreement
Instructional Presentation
211/252
.837
41/252
.162
64/90
.711
26/94
.276
126/216
.583
90/216
.416
66/90
.733
24/90
.267
Student/Teacher
Interaction
Classroom/Behavior
Management
Professional Behaviors
Hybrid Model
•
•
Scores of 3 and 4 were categorized as “meets expectations”
Scores 0-2 were categorized as “needs support”
RESEARCH
Israel, et al. (2012):
• Coaching identified as critical to the success of pre-service and novice teachers (lacking in current practice)
• Difficult to provide in isolated rural areas and larger urban areas
• Virtual coaching provided opportunities for simpler, faster, and less expensive coaching to novice and pre-service
teachers
• Provided flexibility in scheduling
Gibson, Pennington, Stenhoff & Hopper (2010):
• Desktop conferencing used for behavioral consulting and coaching
• Skype used for 2-way audio-video communication
• Allowed the consultant to see a clearer picture of what actually happens in the classroom
• Teacher received more support, feedback and recommendations
• Consultants were available to observe more frequently and collect more data vs. face-to-face
• Increased consultant availability due to limited travel time
• Observations via Skype may have reduced observer effects on student behavior
Falconer & Lignugaris (2002):
•Used video conferencing to conduct observations and assist pre-service teacher with course assignments and
meeting with the cooperating teacher
•Allowed course instructors to physically demonstrate strategies to support learning
•Allowed for increased and more immediate communication
•Provided a medium for preservice teachers to reach out to university course instructors
•Virtual observation allowed field supervisor to focus and provide more accurate feedback
•Cooperating teachers felt that it allowed more opportunities for them to reach out to university personnel
•Practicum and preservice teachers found virtual observations less distracting than on-site
Dymond, Renzaglia, Halle, Chadsey, & Bentz (2008):
• Video-conferencing was determined to be a promising practice for pre-service teacher practicum supervision
Professional
Development
for Field
Supervisors
Core Components of Instructional Presentation
Targeted
Coaching
Adults are more likely to learn “in” experience vs. “from” experience – immediacy of virtual coaching fosters
potential for more well-rounded learning experience (Israel, et al., 2012)
Increased opportunities to conduct observations of “specific” instructional or behavioral strategies = increased
opportunities for feedback
Allow course instructors (not only field supervisors) to observe implementation of various instructional strategies
May also provide a format for supervising field instructors = inter-rater reliability in observations
Synchronous and asynchronous methods of supervision offer both face-to-face and online supervisors a technological
smorgasbord of delivery methods to conduce and supplement other supervision approaches (Carlisle, Carlisle, Hill,
Kirk-Jenkins, & Polychronopoulos, 2013)
Used modeling and think-alouds to promote student learning
6
Approp. demonstrated skill/concept with step-by-step instruction
6
Provided frequent, specific, targeted feedback to students to improve performance
11
Provided frequent and varied opportunities for students to respond
3
* Candidate was scored as “meets expectations” or “making progress”
SPECIAL EDUCATION
Field experiences are viewed as the most important and influential component of a teacher preparation
program (Buck et al., 1992; Guyton & McIntyre, 1990; Wilson, Floden & Ferrini-Mundy, 2001)
Field experiences: link teacher candidates to the actual teaching setting; exemplify the concept of
learning through experience; produce a high degree of positive emotional involvement; stimulate personal
and professional growth; offer the opportunity for one-on-one teaching encounters; allow prospective
teachers to be inducted into the teaching milieu (Henry, 1989)
Field supervisors often have numerous teacher candidates to observe and limited opportunities to
conduct (Conderman, Morin & Stephens, 2005)
Field supervisors are often chosen based on their availability rather than their supervisory skills (Warger
& Aldinger, 1984)
Core Components of Classroom/Behavior Management
# of disagreements
Provided positive feedback and redirection consistently and efficiently
9
Delivered consequences effectively and respectfully
10
Taught, reviewed, and reinforced 3-5 positively stated expectations or rules
8
Provided frequent positive feedback on appropriate behaviors
12
Ignored or provided quick, direct, explicit feedback on inappropriate behaviors
8
Used multiple strategies/systems to acknowledge appropriate behavior
12
* Majority of scores were “meets expectations” or “making progress”
STUDY (n = 18)
Discussion and Future Directions
Inter-Rater Reliability (Exact Matches)
HYBRID MODEL
# of disagreements
Performance Category
Total Matches/Total
Possible
191/280
Agreement
Student/Teacher Interaction
80/100
.80
Classroom/Behavior Management
122/240
.508
Professional Behaviors
57/100
.57
Instructional Presentation
.682
 Instructional Presentation had highest level of agreement at 68% (exact) and 85% (categorical)
 Student/Teacher Interaction and Professional Behaviors had next highest level of agreement at 71% and 73%
respectively.
 Classroom and Behavior Management had lowest level of agreement at 58%. Disagreements were most
frequently (70%) scored as “unobserved”(virtual) and “making progress, meets, or exceeds expectations” (onsite).
 Dual observation using virtual and on-site could provide support for field supervisors to become more skilled at
providing substantive feedback to teacher candidates.
 Dual observation could also provide opportunity for teacher candidates to receive additional feedback – perhaps
specific to instructional methods shared in methods courses.
 Potential for virtual observations to be used as a tool for evaluating field supervisor performance.
 Hybrid model may provide increased opportunities to support teacher candidates’ use of specific instructional
strategies while maintaining the benefits of the on-site model.