FEEDBACK’S NATURE AND INTERACTIONS BETWEEN UNIVERSITY SUPERVISORS AND PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS DURING POST-OBSERVATION SESSIONS
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Authors: Catherine Flores
Keywords: Teacher supervision, Initial teacher education, Reflective practice, Post-observation meetings
Abstract: In Chile, as in many other countries, the quality of teaching has been shown to make an essential contribution to enhancing the quality of education and students’ achievements. Therefore, a number of initiatives have been directed at improving the quality of pre-service education and raising the profile and the status of the teaching profession. Entry requirements to initial teacher education are now greater and pre-service teachers are increasingly subject to assessments of their performance in relation to professional standards. However, developing high-quality professional experiences, which are foundational to effective preparation for teaching, has received little attention. This study examined the nature of the interactions between 2 university supervisors and 10 pre-service teachers enrolled in a teacher education program at a public university en the city of Santiago, Chile. Potential participants were provided with written information about the study, which included assurances that all the information gained would be treated confidentially. All participants gave written consent to participate. Ten transcripts of a series of video-recorded formal post-observations meetings, chosen for having been particularly instructive, were analysed using Heron´s (1990) Six Category Intervention Analysis and in light of the literature in the field. Findings showed that generally the post-observation interview is directed, prescriptive and pragmatic with few evidence of a more cooperative, reflective and theoretical approach. Furthermore, the feedback provided is focused on pedagogical aspects of teaching. The implications of the nature of interactions and the type of feedback delivered are discussed in terms of how supervisor training can assist in developing critical reflective practice and a pre-service teacher professional autonomy.