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Unit 17: Educational Supervision: Meaning, Nature and Types

Similarly; supervision has to concern itself with the improvement of equipment, facilities and Notes
services and also of the socio-physical environment. These have to be made conducive to the
growth and progress of pupils, which constitute the real scope of supervision.
(5) Improving the Personnel : Long ago, Elliott defined supervision thus : Supervisory control is
concerned with what should be taught; to whom, by whom, how and to what purposes. “ If we
substitute the word ‘control’ by the word ‘cooperation’, this definition still holds good, provided
that decision regarding the what, when, how and why are made not by ‘higher authorities’, as
is done today, but by the instructional staff and the supervisor. It is the supervisor’s responsibility
to release and coordinate the teacher’s creative abilities and efforts for the ultimate purpose of
modern supervision, namely the improvement of the teaching-learning situation, for which the
improvement of the personnel is important and indispensable. Today’s teachers, despite their
knowledge, skill and training, need “able leadership to foster their growth as teachers and to
coordinate their efforts to operate a good school.” Supervision has to supply the leadership to
help teachers grow professionally and to improve the situation.
It should, however, be understood that the improvement of teachers is possible only when they
realise the need for it. “Foremost among the important functions of a supervisor is that of
helping teachers become aware of their need for growth.” Improvement of teachers can come
only when they themselves make the effort. It has been rightly said that “the improvement of
teachers is not so much a supervisory function is which teachers participate as it is a teacher
function in which supervisors participate.”

Improvement of the staff can be effected through in-service training in which both the teachers
and supervisors participate on the basis of the following well-established principles of learning:
(1) Learning is occurring all the time;
(2) The learning that an individual does in a situation is determined by his purposes, his needs,
and his past experiences;
(3) When force is applied, the learning that occurs may be the opposite of what is desired;
(4) The learning of the teacher will be nearer what the supervisor expects when both the teacher
and the supervisor feel secure and when both have had a part in establishing purposes;
(5) The supervisor and the teacher learn simultaneously.
The right direction of the improvement of personnel lies in promotion of truly creative and
effective teaching. The supervisor and the teachers together explore and study children’s
behaviour, discover their needs, find ways and means to meet these needs and finally evaluate
how far the measures taken have proved fruitful.
(6) Improving Human Relations : The attitudes and values of a person depend upon the type of
experiences he has had with other people. If others treat him well, give him understanding,
respect and love, he develops a healthy personality with a sense of security and self-confidence.
His morale is high and so also his achievement. Good human relations among the members
bring individual satisfaction and group success. It, therefore, follows that a significant function
of supervision is to develop and maintain good human relations with and among all the
educational workers. Principles of democracy tell us that good human relations depend upon
manifestation of the belief in the worth and dignity of all individuals, regard and respect for the
other man’s feeling and point of view and equality of opportunity for working in harmony for
common goals by sharing interests and purposes.
Good human relations cannot be achieved by merely bringing people together to form a group.
“Good human relations cannot be obtained by demanding or requesting them. They are built
by living and working with fellow staff members in such a way that they can practise good
human relations too.” The supervisor has to make positive and deliberate efforts to develop
and maintain good human relations.

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