Abstract

Providing effective supervision of beginning teachers and interns is critical in preparing quality special education teachers. To increase the value of feedback to teachers and decrease the time commitment of supervisors, researchers have suggested using virtual observations, which is generally viewed as a valuable resource. This study examined the experience of teacher candidates supervised with a combination of face-to-face visits and video observations. Groups of university faculty (supervisors) and students (teacher candidates) from a western university participated with both methods of supervision over three years and provided feedback to researchers. Results highlighted that although many participants had a single preferred method to receive feedback, including advantages and concerns associated with each type, they with little variation, indicated a high preference for supervision utilizing both methods. Subjects’ perceptions of benefits from using the combination of observation types, were convenience and flexibility of scheduling, opportunities for self-evaluation, and the nature and timeliness of feedback. University supervisors also perceived that video instruction was efficient in terms of their time, even though some subjects indicated technological and training challenges in using video feedback.

Keywords: teaching observations, online video analysis, student teachers, supervision, special education

Citation

Smith, B., Ferrin, S., Gibb, G. & HIte, J. (2020). Supervising Teacher Candidates Using Video and Face-to-Face Observations. Journal of Technology and Teacher Education, 28(1), 63-87. Waynesville, NC USA: Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education. Retrieved August 15, 2024 from https://www.learntechlib.org/primary/p/213820/.

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