University Supervisor Roles and Responsibilities

The role of the University supervisor is vital in the development of a high quality student teaching program. As a liaison agent representing the Education Department, the University supervisor will observe, evaluate, and confer with each student teacher and cooperating teacher. This collegial team facilitates the planning, implementation, and evaluation of experiences that will increase the professional competence of the student teacher.

Specific Responsibilities

Visitations and observations by the supervisor

· Visits and observations of student teachers occur at least six to eight times during the student teaching experience. More visits/observations may be required if the student teacher is experiencing difficulty.

· The initial visit should occur during the first two weeks of the student teaching experience.

· Four observations should be scheduled when the student teacher assumes full responsibility for the classroom prior to the mid semester evaluation.

· The final observation should occur shortly before the final evaluation.

· The University supervisor should confer with cooperating teachers in evaluating student teachers and composing the narrative section of the final evaluation.

Components of observation

Observing the student teacher's instructional performance is critical for their professional development. The University supervisor must be able to provide specific, objective feedback.

Observations include:

· Review and assessment of lesson plans;

· Observation and documentation of the actual lesson;

· Participation in a three-way conference at each formal evaluation session with the cooperating teacher and student teacher:

· Identify areas of instructional strengths and identify specific areas for refinement.

· Identify strategies to improve area(s) for refinement.

Establishing rapport with cooperating teachers

· Meet cooperating teacher and exchange contact information to facilitate communication.

· Frequently ask cooperating teacher for informal input about student teacher's progress.

· Be sensitive to the needs and concerns of the cooperating teacher.