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Educational Management

Notes 19.3 Principles of Planning the Supervisory Programme

The main purpose of supervision is to improve instruction. This requires critical thinking and so the
supervisory programme has to be based on intelligent thought process. Dewey says, “The sole
direct path to enduring improvement in the methods of instruction and learning consists in centering
on conditions which exact, promote and test thinking.” The programme of supervision should
therefore be governed by well-thought and well-defined principles which are :
1. The supervisory programme should be formulated co-operatively : The democratic philosophy
of education demands that administrators, supervisors, teachers, pupils and the members of
the community, all should participate in formulating the programme. Such co-operative planning
has been found very effective “Most of those who have experimented over the past three or
four years would probably agree that the most successful method of realizing worthwhile
objectives in modern teaching is through group planning in all areas.” The programme shows
the direction in which all persons concerned with instruction should make efforts. The goals of
education and instruction have been set cooperatively and the energies of all the workers must
be co-ordinated towards their attainment. Hence, cooperation is essential. The supervisor should
act as a democratic leader in the process of planning. He “expects that his followers will have
the same personal ideas that he has and be no with different from himself, except that he
recognizes that in certain of the ideals some of his followers may be superior to him.”
If something goes wrong in the execution of the plans the members of the group should explore
the reasons for the difficulty and work out a solution for themselves. In planning the programme
participation of all workers should be secured. Supervision”enlists the cooperative efforts of
the entire staff in the study of the educational problems of the school. Much attention is directed
to the function and operation of group processes ; and contribution of all members as members
of the group is provided for and encouraged.”
2. The supervisory programme should be derived from the situation : The programme should
be based on the facts of the situation, the physical and material setting and the needs of the
persons involved. Different schools have different traditions, courses of study, text-books,
equipment and environment and teachers with different backgrounds of training and experience.
Children, too, differ. So situations are different. No one method of instruction or its improvement
can prove valuable. “The principal works with teachers in groups and as individuals to help
them and himself to discover how the total teaching-learning situation might be improved.” The
facts of the situation should be carefully observed and critically examined and analysed and on
this basis correct and concrete steps for action should be planned. Standard tests and other
techniques should be used to obtain a clear and complete picture of the situation. For study of
pupils’ needs modern techniques of observation and appraisal of understandings, attitudes
and values and appreciations should be employed. Situation is best studied by observing the
activity, noting the continuous on going change and analysing its complexity. For all this
supervision has to provide an effective leadership. “Today’s teachers are less in need of training
in service, more in need of able leadership to foster growth as teachers and to coordinate their
efforts to operate a good school. The purpose of modern supervision, therefore, is to supply the
leadership which will help the staff to improve the instructional situation.”

Co-operation is needed not only at the initial stage of planning but also during operation
of the plan and for its modification.

3. The supervisory programme should be planned with an experimental outlook : In an earlier
chapter we saw that today’s thinking was permeated with the scientific approach. The new

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