Theory and Function of Supervision | Monitoring and Evaluation

QUESTION 

Describe the theory and function of supervision and also discuss its monitoring and evaluation? 

Course: School Administration and Supervision

Course code 8616

Level: B.Ed Solved Assignment 

ANSWER 

Theory and Function of Supervision

Supervision is all about reflecting on your role, the opportunity to grow professionally and remain competent in your role as well as keeping a professional relationship with your supervisor and team. Reflection is a process whereby a person reflects on what he/she brings to an interaction and how this may impact how he/she views and manages that interaction. Supervision promotes a clear understanding of the capacity building of individuals and provides leadership and strategic thinking to implement work-related tasks. Understanding the function, role, and authority of the position held involves openness, particularly open interaction and honest communication (Borders, 2001).

Therefore, supervision should:

  Improve the quality of decision-making and interventions.

  Enable effective line management and organizational accountability.

  Identify and address issues related to caseloads and workload management.

  Help to identify and achieve personal learning,  career, and development opportunities.

 

These functions are reinforced by Alfred Kadushin’s theory and model of supervision. There are many theories written about supervision practice that are not mentioned in this article. The writer encourages people to take time to visit and read many theories in social work, social psychology, and counseling that discuss supervision.

Alfred Kadushin argues supervision in social work is useful and helpful in many ways. His argument goes back to earlier theories such as John Dawson (1926) who stated the functions of supervision in the following terms:

  Administrative: the promotion and maintenance of good standards of work, co-ordination of practice with policies of the administration, the assurance of an efficient and smooth-running office;

  Educational: the educational development of each individual worker on the staff in a manner calculated to evoke her fully to realize her possibilities of usefulness; and

  Supportive: the maintenance of harmonious working relationships, the cultivation of esprit de corps (morale of the group or team spirit).

Supporting workers to learn and grow professionally is one of the key roles of a manager within an organization. Some theories argue that managers must have a concern for both the performance and learning of workers (Smith, 2012). The essential managerial aspects of a manager’s work are their responsibility for monitoring and improving the work of others, and their managerial effectiveness is determined by their capacity to improve the work of others. If managers are not able to make this contribution, then what value are they adding? The ultimate justification for managers’ existence is the improvement of the work of their subordinates. If managers fail in this way they fail as managers (Smith, 2012). 

Monitoring and Evaluation

Monitoring and evaluation denote finding out or deciding the amount or value of a particular phenomenon. Obioma (1990) defines evaluation as the qualitative judgment, which results from an assessment, based on quantitative or qualitative data from the tools of testing and measurement. Evaluation and monitoring of anything or program would involve sample testing the products of the scheme to ascertain the level of literacy acquired as well as a survey of the percentage level of literacy in the nation. There is however the need for periodic evaluation of each of the processes and decisions put in to ensure acceptability and effectiveness so that the end product would be desirable.

Evaluation on its own part would examine the quality and quantity of executors on the ground in terms of the amount of governmental and non-governmental bodies involved in the implementation of the scheme; and the number of teachers, pupils, classrooms, furniture, and other infrastructure. Evaluation would also provide baseline data on areas of effectiveness which need to be maintained and areas of weakness that should be improved upon periodic results of the evaluation would present the trend and the blueprint for adjustments and remediation for the scheme as may be necessary.

There should be an establishment of a supervisory chain whereby subject teachers have collegial supervision as well as being supervised by sectional heads. These sectional heads are supervised by head teachers who are in turn supervised by the appropriate arm of the Local Government Ministry. In this process, the Local Government will be supervised by the State and the State by the Federal Government. In addition to this hierarchical arrangement, Intra-mural supervision provides for supervision where teachers of the same subjects supervise themselves in a collegial and cooperative manner.

 For instance, the supervision of the teaching exercise would have two or more teachers of supposedly equal competence and qualification sitting in to evaluate and give corrections at the end while a colleague of theirs teaches. This is only an example of an aspect that goes into the teaching-learning situation. Hence, Intra-mural supervision would enable class teachers, sectional heads, head teachers, and even appointed ministerial supervisors to have peer supervision.

This Intra-mural supervision as a new innovation in the supervision of education promises to remove the boss-subordinate relationship which entrenches fear and dependence on the system. It also makes for the lapses that may arise from inexperienced appointed supervisors on the Board. In supervision, some amount of experience is required on the job that one is supervising. In the fresh graduate’s case, from where will he get this experience? Apart from the removal of un thorough discharge of duties by appointed inexperienced supervisors, Intra-mural supervision is a source of updating the professional competence of the practitioner. There is therefore a need to organize a workshop where the basics of Intra-mural supervision would be disseminated.

Workshop on its own is another strategy for effective supervision. This entails a colleague of equal competence and qualification, supervising and reporting on another colleague who had been posted to another station. This approach exposes innovations in the field to the supervising colleague as well as allows him to introduce the innovations in his school to his supervisee. Just like in supervision, peer assessment is important but for objectivity and for documentation purposes, there is a need for evaluation to follow the hierarchical arrangement. This hierarchical arrangement in evaluation would not exclude self and peer evaluation in the performance of one’s duties except that documents would be issued, collected, collated, and interpreted by a superior officer.

Evaluation should come in the form of a survey (if need be in a questionnaire form) and should cover areas such as:

•  The number of teachers and support staff available in the field is classified into groups.
•  Number of schools classified into operating bodies e.g. Government, NGO, voluntary agency, 
•  Enrolment of pupils.
•  Number of training institutions and enrolment in these institutions.
•  Infrastructure is available for the scheme (classrooms, furniture, and other materials).
•  Graduates from training institutions year by year and weighting them against the enrolment (appropriate student: teacher ratio).
•  Job satisfaction of functionaries and the level of their performance.
•  Difficulties encountered in the field and possible solutions pilot tested.
•  Quality of products, practitioners, and supports
•  Management of resources e.g., time.
•  Community assessment/benefits.
•  Curriculum

All these are evaluations that are carried on as the scheme progresses. In the overall view, there is a need to assess the level of literacy in the country every 5 years and compare the results with the starting point statistic such that a trend could be observed. This periodic comparison, especially when taken with the number of graduates of the scheme would advise the nation to look elsewhere for the needed solution.

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