Supervision From, and Toward, an Inquiry Stance

• In Event: 46.080 - Supervision in Preservice Teacher Education: Supporting Teacher Professional Learning and Development

Abstract

This paper describes a first-time University supervisor’s efforts to supervise from an inquiry stance (Cochran-Smith & Lytle, 2009), and to support student teachers in taking an inquiry stance themselves toward the policy/practice relationships in their placement schools. Three concepts emerge in these professional interactions, related to the inquiry stance: tensions between advocacy and collaboration; keeping the local and global in mind; and, reconsidering what counts as success. Supervision from an inquiry stance goes far toward legitimating student teachers’ perspectives, and allows for mutual learning across the professional lifespan. The purpose is to draw attention to the importance—and the challenges—of inquiry as a way of thinking about and learning from practice, with the goal of reducing educational inequality.

Author

• Anne Marie Liebel, Clemson University