How to Supervise a Student Teacher

Having a student teacher in your classroom can be both difficult and rewarding. As a teacher, it's a tough thing to give control of your classroom to another. However, with the right approach, supervising a student teacher shows both you and your students a fresh approach to teaching. Read on to learn how to supervise a student teacher.

Instructions

1. Meet with the student teacher to explain your experience, philosophy, goals and learning objectives, and to go over any classroom rules that might not be obvious. Find out about his own experience and goals as well.

2. Determine a specific date for the student teacher to take over the main teaching duties in your classroom, and also decide when her duties end. Your institution may have already established these guidelines.

3. Introduce the student teacher to your class the first day he attends. Let your students know the role he'll be playing in the classroom, and treat the student teacher as respectfully as you would any colleague.

4. Encourage the student teacher to participate throughout the semester, even before she takes over teaching duties. For example, you can have her lead short discussions in class and help grade assignments. However, let her just observe in the beginning if she needs a little time to adjust to your classroom.

5. Discuss his lesson plans with him before he implements them so you can provide feedback based on your experiences, and to ensure that the plans meet the objectives you have set for your class.

6. Give her full reign of the classroom, within reason, when she takes over the teaching duties. Let her make mistakes, just as you did when you were at the beginning of your teaching career. Only step in if she asks for your assistance, or if she makes a mistake that must be corrected to avoid any misunderstandings by the students.

7. Review the assignments he grades to ensure that he's grading fairly and providing clear feedback for students. He might have different expectations than you, but this won't cause problems as long as the students understand the expectations. Give him the responsibility of assigning grades for his portion of the class.

8. Provide regular feedback in private. A brief meeting after each class is ideal because you can provide feedback while the experience is still fresh for both of you. Ask the student teacher to evaluate how each class goes. In your feedback, focus on what she does especially well, and pose questions to help her work through challenging situations.