Chapter 13 - Supervising in-service language teachers

Summary

One of the most challenging and rewarding supervision contexts is working with in-service language teachers. The term in-service refers to teachers who are already employed, as opposed to those who are completing their professional preparation. A further distinction is that the first two years of in-service employment are often referred to as the induction years, whereas teachers who have been working longer are thought of as “experienced.”

This chapter explores issues related to supervising in-service language teachers, whether they are in the early years of their careers or have had substantial experience. Topics include teacher decision making, reluctance and resistance, professional fulfillment, and burnout. We will also consider in-service teachers' ideas on effective supervision.

There are three categories of in-service teachers (Beerens, 2000:56). Experienced teachers have three or more years of successful teaching experience. Beginning teachers have two years of experience or fewer. This term is potentially confusing, however, since beginning teachers also refers to preservice teachers who are not yet employed. In-service teachers who need to make improvements are called marginal teachers, whether they are new in the profession or highly experienced.

The tricky thing about working with in-service teachers is that by definition, as employees, such teachers are already supposed to be competent. The idea that they could improve their performance (or might be having difficulty) is a problem for a static view of teacher professionalism.