Supervision and Professional Development

During the past several decades instructional supervision and professional development have been identified as means to enhance the performance of teachers in professional roles. One of the most critical problems facing the teaching profession is how to improve the development of novice teachers. This book describes beginning teachers' perceptions of actual and ideal approaches to instructional supervision and their perceived connection to professional development in the Canadian and Ukrainian school contexts. This book reviews supervisory choices based on the collaboration with supervisors or peers and self-reflection and focuses on the importance of professional development geared toward the needs of individual novice teachers. It highlights the need for supervisory assistance and professional support to gain a greater priority in Canadian and Ukrainian schools. Through its cross-cultural context this book provides policy makers with information that can assist them in shaping new and selecting from broad spectrum of educational policy alternatives for supervision and professional development practices in schools.