Tufts University supervisors work with experienced cooperating teachers and other professionals, sharing the responsibility for on-going assessment of the pre-service teacher's progress in demonstrating the Professional Standards for Teachers required for licensure by the Massachusetts Department of Education.

Supervisors visit the student teacher at least five times over the course of the year to observe and provide support and feedback. Three of these visits include time for a three-way meeting among the student teacher, the cooperating teacher, and the supervisor. The purpose of the meetings is to discuss the student’s progress in meeting the state requirements as described in the Preservice Performance Assessment.

The goal of the supervision process is to train future educators to become leaders in their field who understand the important role that teachers play in the lives of students and their families.

The Observation:

Prior to the observation, the supervisor should have a lesson plan of the class that he or she will observe. The student teacher should identify a focus question for the supervisor to observe (e.g. “To what extent am I engaging all students?” “How can I improve transitions in the material?”) This can be done on the phone, via email, or in person.

After the observation, the supervisor should ask the student what he or she thought of the class. The observation notes and lesson plan can be used as a focus of conversation about teaching, learning, and assessment. The supervisor discusses what he/she has seen using the notes and plan as evidence. The student is encouraged to reflect aspects of their teaching, such as planning and preparation, decisions made, instructional strategies, and effective ways of dealing with student behavior. This helps students to learn the importance of professional discourse, self-evaluation and sharing ideas with colleagues.