Supervision of Teaching or Instruction: What’s the Difference and Why Does It Matter?

• In Event: Supervision and Instructional Leadership SIG Business Meeting: Supervision of Teaching or Instruction? Does It Matter?

Abstract

The terms “teaching” and “instruction” are often used almost interchangeably. Although related, the two are really quite different, a fact that has serious implications for supervisory support of classroom practice. Distinctions between teaching and instruction become clear if we consider differences in meaning associated with these two terms as they are commonly used in everyday speech and writing. The research method is borrowed from Thomas F. Green (1971), who employed conceptual analysis to distinguish among a range of activities associated with teaching. This paper will consider various uses of the terms “teaching” and “instruction,” which suggest important distinctions in the meanings attached to them with implications for the practice of teachers and supervisors.

Author

• Edward Frank Pajak, Johns Hopkins University