Learning how to learn about the supervision of student teachers

Abstract

Recent calls for reform in teacher education have included improving the clinical experience of preservice teachers (Boyer, 1983; The Holmes Group, 1986). Research on student teaching indicates that the role of the cooperating teacher is of critical importance to the clinical experience (Tabachnick, 1980; Haberaan, 1978). Problems exist, however, in communication gaps between higher education and the public schools (O'Shea, 1984); in the selection of cooperating teachers (Griffin, 1981); and in their preparation for assisting novices in the development of knowledge about teaching and learning (Griffin, 1983; Kleinsasser, 1988). Early clinical supervision models (Cogan, 1973); Goldhammer, 1969) have been presented through top-down approaches. Literature on teachers as a cultural group (Lortie, 1975) provides some insight into why such approaches have not been successful and why cooperating teachers have not come to see themselves as teacher educators.