30185369

7/28/2019 30185369

1/6

The Supervisor and the Teacher: An Effective Model of CommunicationAuthor(s): Roger E. JonesSource: The Clearing House, Vol. 53, No. 9 (May, 1980), pp. 433-437Published by: Taylor & Francis, Ltd.Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/30185369 .

Accessed: 20/07/2013 19:00

Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at .http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp

.JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of

content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms

of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected].

.

Taylor & Francis, Ltd. is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to The Clearing

House.

http://www.jstor.org
http://www.jstor.org/action/showPublisher?publisherCode=taylorfrancishttp://www.jstor.org/stable/30185369?origin=JSTOR-pdfhttp://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsphttp://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsphttp://www.jstor.org/stable/30185369?origin=JSTOR-pdfhttp://www.jstor.org/action/showPublisher?publisherCode=taylorfrancis

7/28/2019 30185369

2/6

T h e Supervisora n d t h e TeacherA n E f f e c t i v e M o d e l o f Communication

ROGER E. JONES

"Supervision is, first and foremost, commun-ication." (12)If one agrees with this concept, it is easy torecognize the need for an understanding ofa communication model that will aid a supervi-sor as he interacts with teachers. Unfortunately,there are few models that focus on an entire com-munication process as it related directly to super-vision. Most models focus on one aspect of thecommunicative process, such as proxemics, ver-bal behavior, or nonverbal behavior. To be effec-tive, however, a supervisor must be aware of allthe elements of communication that operate in aninteraction.

The supervisor is further confounded becausemany of the communication models are theories.Many of the concepts contained in the theoreticalmodel may be supported by research, but the re-search is not normally included as a part of themodel. To compound the problem, most of theresearch on communication has not dealt direct-ly with the supervisor-teacher interaction. Muchof the research has been in the area of counselor-client interaction or teacher-student interaction.Thus, the supervisor may not be aware of relatedresearch findings that may be beneficial.It is the belief of the writer that supervisionshould be related to the improvement of instruc-tion, and the writer concurs with Blumberg thatmost of the problems of supervision occur in thearea of interpersonal transactions. (1) Blumbergstates that the interaction must be satisfactory

Roger Jones is a full-time doctoral student in Ad-ministration and Supervision at the University ofVirginia. He is Research Assistant to the VirginiaSchool Boards Association and Assistant to the Ex-ecutive Consultant of the National Federation ofUrban-Suburban School Districts.

if any positive results are to occur. (1) With thisin mind, one must conclude that an effectivechannel of communication must be opened be-tween the supervisor and teacher if instructionis to be improved.In an attempt to improve the communicationprocess and draw attention to some ideas thatneed further study, a communication model thatdeals specifically with the supervisor-teacher in-teraction process is presented. The concept de-veloped by Boshear and Albrecht that a modelshould provide ways of communication and think-ing about people in relation to their motivations,thoughts, feelings, and behavior is followed. (3)The literature in various fields has been sur-veyed, and related findings have been applied di-rectly to the supervisor-teacher interaction pro-cess. Obviously, this is not an ideal situation, butit may stimulate others to do additional researchrelated to the supervisor-teacher communicativeprocess.When a communication block develops betweenthe supervisor and teacher, the first step must beto determine the origin of the block. The Effec-tive Supervisor Model assumes that there are threepossible blocks in the communicative process: Thebehavior of the supervisor, the behavior of theteacher, or the behavior of both the supervisorand teacher. At this point, the author supportsthe theory of Blumberg that the behavior of thesupervisor sets the tone for the interaction. (1)Therefore, the supervisor should assume that thecommuication block comes from something thathe is doing. He must analyze his own behaviorin relation to what research findings indicateshould happen in effective communication. Ifhe notes that his behavior is not in line withcertain results, he must make a conscious effortto change his behavior. When this is done, thesupervisor will know if his behavior created theblock. If he did and appropriate changes are made

This content downloaded from 193.227.29.18 on Sat, 20 Jul 2013 19:00:10 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsphttp://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsphttp://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp

7/28/2019 30185369

3/6

434 THECLEARINGHOUSE MAYin his behavior, effective communication becomespossible.If a block still exists, the supervisor must as-sume that the block was actually a two-way, su-pervisor-teacher block or a one-way teacher block.It will not matter which actually existed at thispoint since the supervisor will have already exam-ined his own behavior. The model is now operat-ing from a one-way teacher block. The supervisormust now make every effort to help the teacherremove the block, or make the teacher aware ofwhere the block is originating so that the teachercan remove the block. When this is accomplished,effective communication can be achieved.

An important concept that must be developedby the supervisor is two-way communication.Two-way communication exists when the flowis between the supervisor and teacher rather thanfrom the supervisor to the teacher. (2) Two-wayflow allows the teacher to react and to suggestif there is a semantic breakdown.

The style of a supervisor is important to hisrelationship with a teacher. Blumberg found thathigh indirect behavior, denoted by asking, listen-ing, and reflecting, had to be utilized if an effec-tive relationship were to be established. (1) Highindirect behavior could be paired with high di-rect behavior, noted by telling and criticizing, orlow direct behavior, and the results would be al-most the same. (1) The point to be made is thathigh indirect behavior is crucial for effective com-munication. Supervisors must be able to listenand respond to the teacher. The teacher has toknow that the topic is of interest to the super-visor. (3) Without using indirect behavior, this isextremely difficult to achieve.Most communicative relationships fall on a con-tinuum between closed and open. (3) One blockthat often arises is that the supervisor believes hemust create an open relationship immediately.Often he encounters resistance from the teacher.A supervisor can eliminate this block by makingthe move from a closed to a more open relation-ship gradual. Open communication must be culti-vated. There must be an initial period in the rela-tionship when the supervisor lays the groundworkfor open communication. A certain period of inter-action must occur before interpersonal disclosuresabout the other person take place. (5) Furthermore,Bunker found that positive interpersonal reactionsare reinforcing and promote cohesiveness, while neg-ative interpersonal reactions are potentially disruptive. (5) Therefore, the supervisor should be positivein his initial interaction with the teacher.

Teaching is a team effort requiring the constantinteraction between the teacher and a helpful super-

visor. By creating a helpful environment, teachersare willing to try new ideas and techniques withoutfear of ostracism. Furthermore, when the supervi-sor creates this helpful environment, teachers mayget a positive perception of the supervisor. This issupported by Sussman and Davis when they foundthat helpers (confederates) who were cooperativewere judged as more competent and more intelli-gent than helpers who were uncooperative. (13)The supervisor must be careful to form accurateperceptions of the teachers with whom he is work-ing. He must be aware of how others can influencehis beliefs about a teacher. Studies have indicatedthat one can see or obtain the results they havebeen led to anticipate, and that a person can beinfluenced by verbal comments. (11) The supervisormust not let this happen. He must develop hisown perceptions of the teacher, based on his owninteraction with the teacher.Nonverbal communication is a very importantaspect of the total communication process. Why isit so important? A supervisor or a teacher may sayone thing, yet mean another. The nonverbal com-munication of a person, denoted by gestures, fa-cial expressions, posture and tone of voice, how-ever, is almost always direct indication of the truefeelings that a person has.' (10) These patterns ofnonverbal behavior are interpreted and can havea positive or negative effect on the interaction.

The key to nonverbal communication is congru-ence. Inconsistency between verbal and nonverbalbehavior may diminish the influence a person hasand cause suspicion on the part of the other per-son. (6) Once this has occurred, the relationshipis in jeopardy. Any effort to communicate witha teacher must be accompanied by consistent ver-bal and nonverbal behavior.

A knowledge of proxemic nonverbal behavioris important to effective communication. Prox-emic behavior must be viewed by the supervisoras an important part of the communication pro-cess. Whether conscious or not, the degree of in-volvement in an interpersonal relationship can beregulated by proxemics. (6) Each person surroundshimself with a personal space, and intrusion intothat space may cause discomfort. (4) This discom-fort can lead to the person moving away, becom-ing aggressive, or developing a negative attitudeabout the other person. (9) Without an awarenessof why negative attitudes have developed.Applying the findings of a study by Greene tothe supervisor-teacher interaction, a supervisorshould be aware that if he is in close proximity toa teacher, the teacher expects the supervisor to bewarm, positive and reinforcing. (6) If he is not, itmay affect the interaction. Greene sums up this


7/28/2019 30185369

4/6

1980, Vol. 53 THE SUPERVISORAND THE TEACHER 435

SUPERVISOR Communication Block TEACHER

SUPERVISORTeacher Block

TEACHERIf the Blockremains, assumeit is a TeacherBlock

When a Block occurs, assumeit is a Supervisor Block

SUPERVISORSupervisor Block

TEACHER

Possible Blocks exist when the teacher:* is not interested in the topic* confuses facts, values, and opinions* will not react to an open supervisor* perceives too much directed behaviorby supervisor* does not want help* uses confrontive responses* is influenced negatively by someone aboutsupervisor* does not define his terms* perceives supervisor as a threat* perceives supervisor as incompetent* is afraid to ask for help because failureis considered incompetence* is unwilling to talk about perceptions* is incongruent in verbal and nonverbalbehavior* intrudes into supervisor's personal space* displays incongruence between personalspace and verbal behavior* perceives setting as negative* is afraid to react because of supervisor'sstatus* does not feel comfortable in seatingposition

Possible Blocks exist when the supervisor:* is not interested in the topic* confuses facts, values, and opinions* tells the teacher what to do* uses too much directed behavior and not

enough indirect behavior* evaluates teacher before relationshipis established* does not give help when asked* uses confrontive responses* is influenced negatively by someone aboutthe teacher* does not define what he means* perceives teacher as a threat* perceives teacher as incompetent* believes it is a sign of incompetence whenteacher asks for help* is unwilling to talk about perceptions* is incongruent in verbal and nonverbal behavior* displays incongruence between personal spaceand verbal behavior* intrudes into the personal space of theteacher* does not create positive, relaxed physicalsetting* places emphasis on his status* seats teacher in position that is comfortableto supervisor* does not tell teacher purpose of meeting

Block Removed Block RemovedSUPERVISOR Effective Communication TEACHER

Figure 1. Effective Supervisor Model of Communication


7/28/2019 30185369

5/6

436 THE CLEARINGHOUSE MAYidea by stating that clients were less distrustfuland less concerned about the information theydisclosed if there was consistency between socialdistance and verbal feedback. (6) Because of sim-ilar situations that may arise, it is important forthe supervisor to be aware of his proxemic be-havior.

Social distance between the supervisor and teach-er can vary during the interaction. In the initialstages of an interaction, distance may be greater.If the relationship is cultivated, personal distancemay decrease. Haase found that individuals satfarther from higher and lower status individualsthan from their peers. (7) One can further con-clude that if a supervisor stresses his status, theteacher will maintain a greater distance from thesupervisor in an interaction. This lessens thechance for effective communication.Greater distance also is maintained when threat-ening or stressful information is expected. (6) Ifthreatening information is perceived, the teacheror supervisor may be perceived as a threat by theother. Thus, a communication block can quicklyarise.The supervisor should be aware that the purposeof an interaction may affect personal space. (9)The supervisor should make sure that the teacherunderstands the purpose of any formal conferenceif he does not want a block to occur. The teacher

must never be able to question the motives of thesupervisor if effective communication is to beattained.

The physical setting is important to effectivecommunication. Louis found that when the settingis perceived as positive, there is a smaller zoneof social space evident. (9) In a related study, itwas shown that there was a significant differencebetween the physical setting of promotable andnon-promotable principals, as the offices of pro-motable principals contained more personal itemssuch as photos, paintings, and citations. (8) Thus,the supervisor should attempt to create an officeenvironment that is informal and relaxed.The physical setting is also influenced by theplacement of furniture. The placement of the deskand chairs has been studied on several occasions.

Broekmann concluded that the arrangement ofchairs and the desk in an interaction may have sig-nificant impact on the perception a person has ofthe interaction and, as a result, may influence hisbehavior. (4) Broekmann also found that the pre-ferred seating arrangement was across the cornerof a desk. (4) Another study found that a most pre-ferred seating position was across the corner of adesk, but that administrators had the highest pre-ference for face-to-face interaction across a desk,

(7) Hoy further substantiates this idea in his studyof promotable and nonpromotable principals. Hefound that the promotable principals seated othersalongside their desk at a distance of three to fourfeet, while the non-promotables seated others infront of the desk at a distance of five to twelvefeet. (8)Administrators and supervisors often arrangechairs in a manner that is comfortable for themwithout considering the perceptions of the teacher.The logical conclusion is that the supervisor shouldarrange his office in such a way that the teacherhas a choice of seating positions. The supervisormust be able to adapt to which ever is chosen.To provide a practical framework from whichto operate, the research findings and ideas con-tained in the article have been applied to the Ef-fective Supervisor Model of Communication. Thediagram is included in Figure 1 on page 435.Effective communication is work! It is a diffi-cult task, and it requires the supervisor to culti-vate relationships. Foremost, it requires the super-visor to have an understanding of himself. Withoutself-awareness, communication blocks cannot beovercome. The supervisor must be concerned withall aspects of the communication process as wellas related research. The Effective Supervisor Modelof Communication provides a practical frameworkfor such an undertaking. Each component of thecommunication process is important because, asSergiovanni says, supervision is communication.(12)

REFERENCES1. Blumberg,Arthur.Supervisors nd Teachers:A PrivateCold War.Berkeley, California: McCrutchan PublishingCorporation, 1974.2. Bolton, Charles K. and Boyer, Ronald K. One-Way andTwo-WayCommunication n the Classroom.U. S. Educa-tional Resources Information Center, ERIC Document ED132 632, September, 1971.3. Boshear, Walton C., and Albrecht, Karl G. UnderstandingPeople: Models and Concepts. La Jolla, California: Univer-

sity Associates, Inc., 1977.4. Broekmann, Neil C., and Moller, Andre T. "Preferred Seat-ing Position and Distance in Various Situations." Journalof CounselingPsychology November, 1973, 504-508.5. Bunker, Barbara B. and Jens, Kathryn S. IntrapersonalandInterpersonalSelf Disclosures n the DevelopmentofRelationships. U. S. Educational Resources Informa-tion Center, ERIC Document ED 133 637, September 1975.6. Greene, Les R. "Effects of Verbal Evaluative Feedbackand Interpersonal Distance on Behavioral Compliance."Journalof CounselingPsychology January 1977, 10-14.7. Haase, Richard F., and DiMattia, Dominic J. "ProxemicBehavior: Counselor, Administrator, and Client Preferencefor Seating Arrangement in Dyadic Interaction." Journalof Counseling Psychology (July, 1970), 319-325.8. Hoy, Wayne K., and Miskel, Cecil G. Educational Admin-istration:Theory, Researchand Practice.New York:Random House, 1978.


7/28/2019 30185369

6/6

1980, Vol. 53 KNOWYOUR APPLES 4379. Louis, MargaretAnn. "Personal Space: Considerationsfor the Older Adult" Educational Horizons (Summer,1978), 192-195.10. Newell, Clarence A. Human Behavior in EducationalAdministration. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 2978.11. Reavis, Charles A. "A Study of the Effects of Prefatory

Remarks on Teacher Evaluation," Journal of EducationalResearch (January/February, 1979), 173-177.

12. Sergiovanni, Thomas J., and Starratt, Robert F. EmergingPatterns of Supervision:. Human Perspectives. New York:McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1971113. Sussman, Mario, and Davis, James H. "Balance theory andthe Negative Interpersonal Relationship: Attraction andAgreement in Dyads and Triads," Journal of Personality(December, 1975), 560-580.

"You've G o t T oKnow Y o u r Apples"

JUDITH DETTREThe Fantabulous Fruit Farm want to train

their new employees to sort apples into threegrades: 1) Fantabulous Select, 2) SupermarketSpecial, and 3) Cider Grade. The sorting room wasequipped with large conveyor belts, across whichassorted apples passed by the sorters at a steadyrate of 60 apples per minute. The sorters' job wasto remove both the select grade and cider gradeapples from the belt, allowing the supermarketspecials to proceed onward undisturbed. Underthe belt by each sorter were boxes for the selectsand a shute in the floor for the cider apples.Since the Fantabulous Fruit Farm wanted totrain their sorters in the most effective mannerknown to modern technology, they hired a teamof efficiency experts from TFS Associates (Tech-nology Futures are Superior) to provide the train-ing; only the TFS team immediately insisted thatthis be termed a Professional Sorters PreparationProgram (PSPP). Fantabulous was impressed. Theyknew they had made the right decision and movedinto the 20th Century at last.The TFS team set their objective: "The sorterwill independently separate assorted apples intothree grades at the rate of 60 apples per minutewith 95 percent accuracy." They analyzed the

Dr. Dettre is Associate Professor and Co-Directorof Exceptional Children's Services at the Univer-sity of Nevada in Las Vegas.

sorting task very carefully, consuming approxi-mately 3 hours and 57 apples. A list of "AppleCharacteristics Pertinent to Sorting" was compiled,identifying size, color, shape and assorted blemishesas the major areas. During the next two days, TFSplanned their Professional Sorters Preparation Pro-gram (PSPP). Paramount in their program was thestress on characteristics, complete with lectures,pictures and work sheets. Visual aids, including agiant color chart and mock ups of "Worms andother Assorted Pests," were carefully prepared.The PSPP began on the fourth day and ten eagercandidates availed themselves of the marvelousmaterials and stimulating instructors. Worksheetcheckouts at the end of the eight-hour day indi-cated that 9 of the 10 students were able to iden-tify all four characteristics and their subareas. TheTFS team regretfully informed Fantabulous thatthe tenth sorter candidate would not make thegrade and should be counseled out of the program.Since #10 was the teen-aged daughter of a Fanta-bulous owner, she was instantly promoted to thepackaging department.On the fifth day, TFS provided two hours ofapplication practice for the nine remaining sorterstudents. A large basket of assorted apples wereheld up for viewing. The candidates marked theappropriate "1," "2," or "3" box on their sheets,indicating that apple #1 was "cider grade," #2"select," and so on. Seven of the nine candidatesscored 95 percent or better on this applicationtest, indicating they had successfully completed


Documents

30185369