The Supervision of Student Teachers: A New Diagnostic Tool

Most preservice programs include a focus on theoretical understandings of as well as practical approaches to teach ing. To be successful, however, the goals of the student teaching experience must be common to the student teacher, the host teacher, and the faculty supervisor. The focus of this study was the develop ment of a scale for the observation of student teachers that would both pro mote student teacher development and improve the interaction of all three par ties with regard to appropriate and pro ductive teaching behaviors. The new scale is described in the context of a study involving twenty-four student teachers and their associated host teach ers and faculty supervisors. The scale's range of application, validity, and relia bility are discussed as is the scale's re lationship to an existing parallel instru ment. Implications for the improvement of preservice teacher education pro grams are outlined.