The Language of Instructional Improvement: What Instructional Supervisors Can Learn From Solution-Focused Counseling

• In Event: 66.076 - Teacher Supervision and Instructional Leadership: Perspectives From the Field

Abstract

Teacher quality continues to be at the forefront of educational policy concerns. To effect high-quality learning opportunities for all students, instructional leaders must engage teachers in ways that support improved practice and seek to empower teachers as creative and knowledgeable risk-takers. This can be challenging in contexts characterized by scripted and narrowed curricula. A strengths-based approach, rather than one that conditions teachers to await administrator directive or approval, is warranted. In this conceptual paper, we draw from developmental supervision (Glickman, Gordon, & Ross-Gordon, 2014) and solution-focused supervision of counselors (Thomas, 2012) to propose a blended model for “solution-focused teacher supervision” that equips instructional leaders with linguistic cues to identify and amplify teacher strengths.

Authors

• Jo Beth Jimerson, Texas Christian University

• Marcella Dortch Stark, Texas Christian University

• Marla W. McGhee, Texas Christian University