Effective Supervision Practices

1. Effective Supervision Practices MMS Safe & Civil Schools Team February, 2008

2. A Positive Adult Presence Promotes: • An invitational school climate • A spirit of cooperation • A sense of adult availability • Student/Staff connections • Student rule-following

3. An Effective Supervisor will… • Be there on time • In the right place(s) physically • In the right place mentally • Be supportive of other supervisors • Be willing to initiate contact with any student • Be knowledgeable about policies and procedures

4. What does Effective Supervision “Look Like”? • Positive, random verbal interactions with students • Continually moving throughout the area – use of proximity • Continually visually “sweeping” the setting • Watching/Listening for unusual crowds, sounds, noise levels, activities

5. Watch this supervisor – what is she doing that makes her effective?

6. Common Expectations • How are students expected to enter the setting? • How are students expected to behave in the setting? • How are students expected to exit the setting?

7. How does an Effective Supervisor actively communicate with students? • Create an assumption of cooperation and compliance with expectations • Use body language and tone of voice • Intervene early with low-level misbehavior • Make early and positive contact with students misbehaving

8. How NOT to do it!!

9. Consistently… • Consistently means that- • Every observed misbehavior receives a response • Responses to similar misbehaviors are the same • Not responding sends a message that the expectation is not important • Inconsistency breeds a climate of “unfairness”

10. Calmly… • Respond in an unemotional manner • Emotional responses • Are inappropriate models for students • May escalate the situation • May reinforce behaviors for students who are seeking attention • Remind yourself- • Don’t take it personally • “I am the adult” • Consider the interaction a teaching opportunity

11. Respectfully… • Use respectful words, tone of voice and body language • Keep the responses as private as possible/reasonable • Respectful responses- • Model appropriate behavior for students • Contribute to a positive school climate • Allow students to “save face” with peers

12. How does this look? • Get the student’s attention - quietly say “I need to speak with you” • Remove students from a peer group setting • Position yourself in a non-confrontational stance • This allows you to speak AND continue to observe other students • Prevents an escalation or emotional response from the student

13. The same situation….

14. An Effective Supervisor will have a “Menu” of productive responses“Gentle Responses” • The quick “one liner” • The “instructional reprimand” • Humorous reprimand • Relationship reprimand

15. An Effective Supervisor will have a “Menu” of productive responses“Brief Delay” • Ask the student to “Stay where you are and think about (the expectation).” • Useful when a student is “en route”.

16. An Effective Supervisor will have a “Menu” of productive responses“Positive Practice” • Have a student demonstrate the expected behavior – “Please go back and walk – Thank you.” • Useful when the offense has a physical component.

17. An Effective Supervisor will have a “Menu” of productive responses“Restitution” • Having a student “repair” damage that has been done. • The student also apologizes to someone he/she has harmed in some way.

18. An Effective Supervisor will have a “Menu” of productive responses“Change in Location” • Having a student move to a different location or to a restricted space. • Useful when the current location may be a contributing factor in the misbehavior.

19. An Effective Supervisor will have a “Menu” of productive responses“Referral to a more intensive consequence” • For egregious or repeated offenses – especially when safety of others is put at risk.

20. An Effective Supervisor conveys an assumption of student compliance • Using body language and tone of voice to demonstrate an expectation that the student will follow direction. • Getting the student’s attention first • Not giving direction from a distance • Avoiding an “audience” or “squaring off” with a student

21. Consider these 2 examples…

22. An Effective Supervisor conveys an assumption of student compliance • State the direction positively • Not framing the direction as a question • Being as brief as possible • Giving the student reasonable time to respond

23. What does an Effective Supervisor do when a student fails to respond? • He or she will try- • Appealing to cooperation • Using humor • Using the “broken record” technique • Offering the student a choice • He or she will avoid- • Arguing • Escalation with the student • Letting the student “get away with it” • Threatening or physically trying to make the student comply

24. If a student continues to fail to respond???? • Record what has happened • Inform the student that there will be a follow up regarding the matter • Forward the incident to the appropriate adult (teacher, administrator)