Role of the Supervising Practitioner

The supervising practitioner's role encompasses the following:

  • The supervising practitioner assists the teacher candidate in planning and checks lesson plans and teaching devices the candidate will use prior to final lesson preparation.
  • If the candidate has no lesson plans or is not appropriately dressed for teaching, the supervising practitioner sends the candidate home.
  • During the early stages of student teaching, the supervising practitioner should remain in the classroom with the candidate. As the candidate becomes more comfortable with teaching, it is desirable to have the supervising practitioner leave the classroom for part of the period and, later, for the entire lesson.
  • The supervising practitioner should provide constructive criticism to the teacher candidate after the lesson has been completed. It is suggested that a written critique be provided after each observation.
  • In order for the candidate to develop confidence in their abilities to realistically handle classroom problems, it is recommended that the supervising practitioner should not interrupt a lesson in order to help the candidate, unless it is absolutely necessary.
  • Full class teaching schedules should be worked out for teacher candidates as quickly as possible. The elementary teacher candidate schedule should consist of classroom music K–6, instrumental music, band and/or orchestra, and elementary chorus where available. The secondary teacher candidate schedule should consist of junior high general music, senior high theory, music appreciation (where available), and instrumental and choral activities.
  • In cooperation with the program supervisor, the supervising practitioner should evaluate the candidate by filling out the final evaluation form.
  • In the event of an inability to solve a problem, feel free to contact the program supervisor at the college, or contact Cecil Adderley using the following information:
Cecil Adderley, Ph.D., Chair
Music Education Department
Berklee College of Music
1140 Boylston Street, MS-22-MUED
Boston, MA 02215
 
Phone: 617-747-2426