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IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Teacher Supervision Tools for Department Heads
By Nancy Lhoest-Squicciarini and Pam Tunney 17-Jun-14
I can honestly say I am a PTC junkie. I was the geek who bought every book that was mentioned on the course and requested additional articles on a topic. I set foot in my first PTC training course six years ago and have now attended seven different workshops. Now, my role at TTC courses is about to change; instead of attending as a participant I will be standing up as a trainer. I cannot believe how incredibly lucky I am to be able to continue to learn and work with the enthusiastic and inspirational colleagues I meet and interact with during these courses. When I was appointed Assistant Principal responsible for Upper School Curriculum and Instruction at ISL, I realized just how important protocols and facilitation techniques were. In order to meet instructional goals, collaboration between colleagues is vital and the process of the dialogue and interaction between and among teams becomes much more significant than the final product. Facilitating this form of collaboration can be simplified and demystified using some common approaches and protocols. Why Teacher Supervision Tools for Department Heads and Grade Level Leaders? When you are charged with the responsibility for instructional supervision you have the opportunity to provide your colleagues with support to meet their instructional goals and the opportunity to reflect on their practice. I was fortunate enough to be able to develop my understanding of effective instructional supervision with Pat Handly and then put these concepts into practice at the International School of Luxembourg. With a shift in our leadership model from Heads of Departments to Academic Leaders, these teacher leaders were responsible for the direct supervision of teachers … their peers. Working with Pat these past few years provided the foundational skills for the Academic Leaders to embrace their role to appraise and supervise members of their subject groups. Our Academic Leaders have had the opportunity to develop their skills and become familiar with supervisory tools which facilitate positive and constructive discussions and provide feedback both to individuals on their teams and to the teams as a whole. I am so honoured to be able to work with Pat to share some of my experience in this area with TTC participants. Why Classroom Assessment Strategies? Providing authentic assessments, aligned to learning outcomes, is a challenge for teachers in all International School settings, regardless of the subject area. We are all aware of how powerful the use of assessment data can be for individual students, not only at a class level but also at a grade level, and ultimately at a school level. The second course I will be facilitating with Matthew Parr will highlight effective strategies that provide the meaningful link between curriculum, assessment, and instruction. I am privileged to be working with Matthew. Besides being a passionate educational leader and an advocate of best practice, he graciously welcomed me to the TTC. During our sessions, participants will have the opportunity to meet and work closely with an experienced group of colleagues to recognize the critical role of collaborative dialogue and team work when designing assessments and planning instruction which focuses on authentic student learning. Why a PTC/TTC Course? I can honestly say that the PTC and TTC courses I have been involved in have had a significant impact on the way I operate now every day at my school. The power of collaboration and facilitation has become the key element that now shapes my approach to learning with my colleagues. Lastly, the passionate educators I have met have become dear friends and have become part of my “global” family. To Corky in Prague, Juan in China, Andy in Dubai, and Cathy in Singapore, let’s never stop sharing and learning together. Nancy Lhoest-Squicciarini is Assistant Principal responsible for Upper School Curriculum and Instruction at the International School of LuxembourgPam Tunney is Assistant Principal responsible for Lower School Curriculum and Instruction at the International School of Luxembourg
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10/05/2023 - MBAZI
The article is within my area of interest
