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Educational Management

Notes group discussion and group decision. This technique can be made scientific and effective by
taking the following steps :
(1) A problem arises : It may be a problem connecting policy, reorganization of the curriculum,
an aspect of teaching-learning or use of some visual aid. It may relate to the staff or students
or the community. It may come from any source, staff, students or the community. It may
result from the shortcomings revealed by the process of evaluation, or from a teacher desiring
to launch an experiment or from some findings of research.
(2) The problem is stated : It may be stated by the leader, the administrator, supervisor, the
head of a department or the guidance worker or any one else. It may be stated even by a
group. As discussion proceeds, it is clarified more and more and may have to be reshaped,
redefined and restated.
(3) The implications and solutions are considered : The discussion group will generally consist
of all persons, each one of whom is expected to contribute to the finalisation of a solution. If
the whole group is too large, discussion may be held at a committee or even a sub-committee
level. All the implications are studied and several possible solutions are suggested.
(4) A machinery is set-up : As discussion proceeds there may arise the need for further study,
consulting literature or undertaking some research. Suggestions are offered by the members
of the group or collected from other sources. The leader should coordinate them.
(5) Further discussion is held : The democratic principle emphasises that all persons of the
group are capable of making a unique contribution and have the right and responsibility to
do so. They should be encouraged to contribute. Then, any one from the group may assume
temporary leadership for the discussion. Some one makes a suggestion, another suggests a
modification. A resource person or specialist suggests a remedy. Analysis and debate follow
and the temporary leader then formulates, on the basis of the discussion held, some tentative
action and the group concurs.
(6) The decision is tried out : The tentative decision is now put into action and an individual or
a small committee collects the experiences gained or the data observed.
(7) Rediscussion takes place : In the light of the experiences or conclusions drawn from the
data the problem and its solutions are again discussed by the group and a final action is
formulated and implemented. Thus, policies, plans and procedures are suggested, discussed,
a tentative solution is tried out and rediscussed and modified. In this way, growth, progress
and improvement should go on continuously.
In conclusion, we agree with Kimball Wiles that “To improve instruction supervision must provide
leadership that develops a unified school programme and enriches the environment for all teachers
; the type of emotional atmosphere in which all are accepted and feel that they belong ; opportunities
to think and work together effectively as a faculty group ; professional procedures that give the
teachers confidence in the school system; and program change based on honest evaluation.”
Functional Way of Organizing Supervisory Programmes
An entirely different point ot view on organizing supervisory, programme has been presented by
Burton and Brueckner. Their organizational types are based on the specific objective to be achieved.
Looking from this point of view there are, depending upon the objective to be achieved, four types
of organizations of supervisory programmes : (1) Creative (2) Constructive (3) Preventive (4)
Corrective. They hold that only when supervision is organized both as a creative art and as a science
will instruction and instruction procedure be improved. The aims and objectives of educational
supervision according to them are (1) to clarify the goals of education and special roles of each level
of education to the professional staff (2) to help teachers understand and identify the needs of the
pupils (3) to provide leadership in improving and developing the staff, in promoting harmonious
and cooperative staff-relations (4) provide for effective inservice education of teachers (5) to build

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