Using developmental supervision to improve science and technology instruction in Israel

a movement has grown in Israel to promote the professional development of teachers through independent programs using outside professional support. [...]this program of sustained supervisory support and assistance was unusual, although as a result of our work, the need for extensive supervision is more widely recognized. [...]educators in Israel are gaining greater appreciation for the clinical supervision model, which emphasizes collegiality in supervisor-teacher relationships with the aim of encouraging teacher autonomy.9 Participants in the program were offered the following supervisory assistance: (1) ongoing individual and group conferences with a supervisor; (2) staff development sessions that addressed program planning, teaching strategies, demonstration lessons, and so on; and (3) a range of instructional materials. According to Mishler, the best interviews are flexible and open-ended, allowing for natural conversation.12The goal is to understand each participant's experiences and perceptions related to a given situation in a nonthreatening way such that "meanings emerge, develop, and are shaped by and in turn shape the discourse.