OFFICE OF TEACHER EDUCATION
TEACHERS COLLEGE, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY
STUDENT TEACHING SUPERVISORS
This PowerPoint contains guidelines and suggestions intended to support the important work you do with our students. Please refer to the Supervisor Handbook for more detailed information.
Please select from the following topics:
Welcome to the Student Teaching Experience
Introduction to Teacher Preparation at Teachers College
Consistent with the College’s long tradition of serving the needs of urban and suburban schools in the United States and around the world, the vision and purpose of professional education at Teachers College is to establish and maintain programs of study, service, and research that prepare competent, caring, and qualified professional educators (teachers, counselors, psychologists, administrators, and others). This vision is based on three shared philosophical stances that underlie and infuse the work we do:
Inquiry stance
We are an inquiry-based and
practice oriented community.
We and our students & graduates
challenge assumptions and
complacency and embrace a
stance of inquiry toward the
interrelated roles of learner,
teacher, and leader in P12 schools.
Curricular stance
Negotiating among multiple
perspectives on culture, content,
and context, our graduates
strive to meet the needs of
diverse learners, both students
and other adults, in their school
communities.
Social justice stance
Our graduates choose to collaborate across differences in and beyond their school communities. They demonstrate a commitment to social justice and to serving the world while imagining its possibilities.
The three philosophical stances provide the context for developing and assessing candidates’ proficiencies based on professional, state, and institutional standards.
Teacher Preparation at Teachers College
Role of the Field Supervisor
Visits to Student Teachers
On days that student teachers are scheduled to be visited and observed by their supervisor, they should be actively teaching a lesson that they planned or co-planned and they should be fully engaged with students. While teachers are responsible for a variety of other tasks, such as giving a test—instruction and direct interaction with students is where student teachers will be most challenged and will benefit most from a supervisor’s perspective and feedback.
Observation Reports
Individual programs distribute and collect their own informal observation reports. Please contact the Student Teaching Coordinator for the program for which you supervise. However, the summative report at the end of the semester must be completed using the Student Teacher Evaluation Form created by the Assessment Task Force starting in the Fall of 2017.
Field Supervisors
All public schools in New York City require visitors to sign in at a security desk and show a photo ID. Visitors must also be vaccinated for COVID-19 and should be prepared to show proof of vaccination upon arrival. Finally, visitors should plan to bring a mask and check in at the security desk to determine whether masks are required for visitors.
Like our student teachers, supervisors are also guests in cooperating teachers’ classrooms and in schools and representatives of TC. Thus, we recommend the following actions to ensure the best relationship and open lines of communication.
School Protocols for Physical Visits
Open communication between supervisors and cooperating teachers enhances and supports their work as colleagues and partners.
Get to know the cooperating teacher. Exchange phone numbers to facilitate opportunities to touch base and discuss progress between observations.
Encourage cooperating teachers to observe alongside you and to participate in subsequent post-observation conferences with student teachers.
Share your insights and solicit theirs. While the observations you conduct are critical to student teacher development, they still represent snapshots of practice.
Developing a professional relationship with the cooperating teacher allows you to fill in the rest of the picture and triangulate observation data.
Establishing Channels of Communication with the Cooperating Teacher
While Teachers College does not necessarily subscribe to a particular model of supervision, nor do we tightly regulate the supervision process, we do feel that an observation should constitute:
The number of observations required by each program may vary, so be sure to check with the program with which you are working. However, the Teacher Education Policy Committee at Teachers College and the Office of Teacher Education and School-Based Support Services strongly and unanimously recommend a minimum of 3 observations per student teaching experience.
It is important to spread out observations over the course of the student teaching period (beginning, middle and end). Bunching observation visits for the purpose of expediency or efficiency is inappropriate and does not fulfill the spirit or goals of supervision. Similarly, observing two or more lessons in a row and counting each lesson as a separate “visit” is neither condone nor acceptable.
Elements of an Observation
Observe the student teacher on a regular basis over time and in a variety of situations/subjects.
Provide specific and descriptive feedback on the student teacher's execution of professional responsibilities (lesson planning, implementation and assessment, classroom interaction, maintenance of records).
Help the student teacher relate teaching theory to classroom practice (e.g., discuss reasons for selecting materials and methods).
Encourage good planning and organization.
Encourage independent, creative thinking in planning, use of materials, motivation, and teaching and assessment approaches.
Help the student teacher develop consistent classroom management practices conducive to learning, which promote respect for others and for cultural and linguistic diversity.
Encourage the habit of constant self-assessment, including post-lesson analyses, and the use of self-assessments for subsequent improvement.
Maintain a professional working relationship with the student teacher and cooperating teacher.
Encourage and support good rapport between the student teacher and her/his students.
Below are some guidelines for ensuring that the supervision you provide your
student teachers is beneficial to their learning:
Maintaining high quality supervision
Pre and Post Conferences
A three-way meeting conference with the student teacher, cooperating teacher, and supervisor in the beginning of each semester is recommended to discuss how and how often visits will take place in the classroom, whether cooperating teachers will attend the post-conferences, and goals. Supervisors should remind everyone of their role, i.e. liaison between school and the college, mediator, and evaluator. We encourage supervisors to exchange emails and phone numbers with cooperating teachers.
Considerations:
Conferences
Guidelines for Providing Feedback to Student Teachers
1. Focus feedback on behavior rather than the person.
2. Focus feedback on observations rather than inferences.
3. Focus feedback on description rather than judgment.
4. Focus feedback on the sharing of ideas and information rather than on giving advice.
5. Focus feedback on exploration of alternatives rather than answers or solutions.
For more information on these guidelines, please see the Supervisor Handbook
Giving Feedback to Student Teachers
Special Note: Most programs have their own observation templates
Notes from Observation
Name of Student Teacher: Date of Observation:
Name of Supervisor: Lesson Plan Submitted: Circle one: Yes or No
Danielson Framework Domains:
2) Classroom Environment (Classroom interactions are respectful; energy level for learning is high; students take pride in work; routines and transitions occur smoothly; student behavior is monitored; physical space is conducive to learning; technology is used skillfully)
3) Instruction (Expectations, directions, and procedures for learning are clear; questions are at high cognitive level with sufficient time for students to answer; pacing is appropriate, students are engaged; assessment is used in instruction with high quality feedback to students; teacher adjusts lesson accordingly)
4) Professional Responsibilities (Reflects on teaching; maintains accurate records; communicates with families; shows professionalism)
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Sample Student Teacher Observation Template
Time/ Duration (Pace) | Actions/Quotes/Questions Posed by Student Teacher (Facts and observations only) | Actions/Quotes/ Questions Posed by P-12 Students | Questions/ Comments/ Concerns by Supervisor | Danielson Domain |
| | | | |
Things to ponder for next time: |
Sample Student Teacher Observation Template
Payment and Travel FAQ’s
Please use the information below as a guide for payments and reimbursements for visits to student teachers. Questions and concerns can be directed to Office of Teacher Education Staff at (212) 678-4057 or at ote@tc.edu.
Q: What do I need to do after being hired?
A: The person who would like to hire you should alert Aimee Katembo at katembo@tc.edu. An online requisition will then be sent to you with further instructions. For more detail information, please refer to the Supervisor Packet.
Q: When and how do I get paid for observations of student teachers?
A: Supervisors are paid $120 per visit with a maximum of $600 per student teacher per semester. (The minimum number of required visits is set by each department.) Dates of visits must be recorded on the “List of Visits” form provided in the Supervisor Forms Packet.
Payment questions can be directed to Human Resources at (212) 678-3175 or at hr@tc.edu .
Payment and Travel FAQ’s
Q: Will I be reimbursed for travel expenses?
A: Yes, supervisors are paid a maximum of $50 per student teacher per semester, by logging into Chrome River through the TC portal. If expenses beyond the $50 limit are anticipated, please contact the program coordinator and OTE before incurring the expense. A separate check is mailed or direct deposited for travel expenses; it is not part of the check sent for payment of observations. Please see the Chrome River Guide for more information.
Q: When and why must receipts for travel be submitted?
A: Receipts MUST be submitted within 90 days in which the travel expense was incurred. Notes: 1) EZ Pass Statements must have the “transaction date” circled (not the posting date), 2) OTE does not reimburse for taxis or parking expenses.
Q: What if I don’t have receipts?
A: All requests for reimbursements must be substantiated with proof of the amount paid which is required for auditing purposes. For New York City subway and bus fare, please upload the “Travel Expense Statement” with the dates of the visits in lieu of a receipt.
Q: How do I seek reimbursement for travel?
A: You will submit a travel reimbursement request through TC’s Chrome River platform. Guidance can be found on the Supervisors tab of our website at www.tc.edu/ote/supervisors.
Payment and Travel FAQ’s Continued
For more information regarding student teaching placements, cooperating teachers, and supervisors, please consult the Office of Teacher Education Supervisor Handbook on the Supervisors tab of our website at www.tc.edu/ote.
Supervisor Handbook
Supervisor Handbook
Other handbooks available through the Office of Teacher Education:
Contact Us
Regular Hours: Monday-Friday: 9am-6pm
Summer Hours: Monday-Thursday: 9am-6pm, Fridays: 9am-1pm
Phone: (212) 678-4057
Email: ote@tc.edu
Web: www.tc.edu/ote
Office of Teacher Education