Literature Review on "Supervision of Curriculum and Instruction"

Literature Review 5 pages (1668 words) Sources: 10 Style: APA

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Supervision of Curriculum and Instruction

Over the last several years, the issue of supervision of curriculum and instruction has been increasingly brought to the forefront. Part of the reason for this, is because American schools have been underperforming the rest of the world in various categories to include: reading, mathematics, vocabulary and learning comprehension. To address these issues, the government has imposed a series of standardized tests as part of an effort to improve accountability. (Unger, 2007, pp. 556 -- 557) The problem with this approach is that while testing is an effective tool. The greatest achievements will take place, in an educational environment where there is outstanding leadership in the supervision of curriculum and instruction. This is when teachers can be able to learn new techniques in: reaching out to students and administrators can improve the quality of education that is being provided. To achieve these objectives, requires looking at how these foundations can be utilized in a modern day educational environment. This will be achieved through conducting a literature review with particular emphasis on a number of areas to include: examining the seminal texts on the subject, historical foundations, comparisons, predominant themes / issues and future trends. Together, these different elements will provide the greatest insights, as to how the effective supervision of curriculum and instruction can be applied inside an educational environment.

Literature Review

To determine the impact of the supervision curriculum and instruction we will examine a number of different scholarly sources that come from: books, journals and peer reviewed literature. Once this takes place, it when we can see how this is impacting an educational environment and the long-term impact it is having on achievement scores. This is when administrators can start applying these tools to improve the overall quality of education that is being provided inside their schools.

In the article that was written by Marks (2007), she found that the principal inside a school will have varying amounts of influence when it comes to: curriculum and instruction. Part of the reason for this, is because they are seen as the leaders of each entity and the voice of the different staff members at a specific location. However, depending upon what part of the nation you are going to, these amounts will be different from one school district to the next. The reason why is because the authority that is provided to these individuals, will depend upon the experience and the policies of the district. As a result, the author recommends that all principals can offer effective leadership when it comes to the supervision of curriculum and instruction. This is accomplished through: actively listening to the ideas of staff members and involving them as a part of the process. Once this occurs, is when they are easier to monitor and you can implement new techniques to reach out to students. (Marks, 2007, pp. 3 -- 37)

The information from this source is useful, because it is illustrating predominant themes and trends in education. Where, administrators are given varying amounts of authority depending upon the school district and their experience. The combination of these factors means that the effective supervision of curriculum and instruction must take place inside an educational environment by working with staff members. Once this occurs, is when everyone can utilize the best techniques and ideas to have a positive impact on students.

The piece of literature that was written by Ryan (2010), he talks about the current issues that are affecting the curriculum that is delivered and the kinds of approaches that used. As, there is a one size fits all strategy that is being utilized in helping to improve quality. The problem in using these kinds of tools is that they will often overlook critical elements that could have an impact on the educator's ability to understand the material and reach out to students. This is because there is a lack of focus in other areas most notably: ineffective training, poor recruitment and the inability to monitor the activities of staffers when they are working. To deal with these challenges, Ryan recommends that all administrators focus on working with staff to address these issues. This is accomplished by having them create a universal set of standards that could be used in the district to find the best teachers. The way that you can effectively monitor them, is to have series of evaluations that are conducted by the students and parents. If this kind of approach can be taken, it will ensure that there are effective procedures for: monitoring how the curriculum is applied and the kinds of techniques that are used in reaching out to students. (Ryan,, 2010, pp. 265 -- 272)

The information from this source is useful, because it showing how future trends in supervision and evaluation are changing. Where, administrators must work with staff members on a regular basis to ensure that they are effectively reaching out to student using the best techniques. The way that this can be accomplished is by working with everyone consistently to apply these standards as a part of their overall teaching philosophy.

Moreover, the article that was written by Hammond (2009), is talking about how the principal is historically considered to be a supervisory position. As, they were supposed to serve as: a go between for the administration and the staff inside a particular school. However, the current challenges facing the education system has meant that there has been a transformation in these roles. Where, the principal and other administrators need to work with educators to develop effective techniques in reaching out to students. This means that there must be regular interaction between everyone, with a particular emphasis on having an open discussion about how the process can be improved. Over the course of time, this will teach educators to use new tools and techniques in reaching out to students. This is when there will be positive improvements in the quality of education that is being provided. (Hammond, 2009, pp. 46 -- 53)

The information from this source is useful, because it is highlighting the foundations of curriculum and instruction. At the same time, it is illustrating how this is changing based upon new ideas and practices that are being utilized. This helps us to see how the supervisory relationship is continuing to evolve. In the future, this means that there will more than likely be closer links between administrators and staff members inside the school.

Furthermore, the piece of literature that was written by Ornstein (2011) is talking about specific supervisory practices that were used in the past. As administrators, would often focus on specific techniques to monitor their performance through what is known as the subject area curriculum. This is when there is an emphasis on having students excel in select areas within the field of education to include: philosophy, mathematic, English, music, writing and reading comprehension. The basic idea with utilizing this approach is to give students more exposure to those areas that they will need as a part of everyday life.

In the past, this was instilled upon students through a traditional lecture format. The administrator was playing a part, where they provided basic supervisor of the teacher in achieving these objectives. The problem with using this approach is that: it failed to identify when students were becoming bored and when educators were ineffective. Over the course of time, this resulted in lower achievement scores and a division inside the school between teachers and administrators. Once this occurred, it meant that there were no effective supervisory procedures in place to deal with these challenges. (Ornstein, 2011, pp. 433 -- 468)

As result, there has been a focus on new techniques that can improve supervision (i.e. The new core subjects approach). This is when there is an emphasis… READ MORE

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