Types of Educational Supervision

As a student or any novices of a field, they will encounter episodes of supervision.

Depending on the field of study or work, supervisors may utilize a variety of
supervision types. The types of educational supervision may vary from a highly
structured approach, to a more informal, supportive role.

The types of supervision in educational administration that is used often depends on

the type of work being supervised, and the amount of supervision that is needed.
Also, the level of experience of the one being supervised will also play a part in the
type of supervision of educational inspection that is used. You can list any five types
of educational supervision.

5 Types of Educational Supervision

Corrective Type – This type of supervision seeks out faults or problems and brings
these to the attention of the authorities. Because of the negative focus, this type of
supervision typically does not serve a positive function.

Preventative Type – This type of supervision looks forward and helps the supervisee
anticipate upcoming situations and plan accordingly.

Creative Type – This type of educational supervision is often peer-to-peer and is

highly encouraging. This type supports experimenting and trying things in new and
innovative ways.

Training Type – This type of educational supervision focuses on specific techniques

and ways to improve them. It often involves practice and training on specific skills.
Laissez-Faire Type – This is the least helpful form of educational supervision because
there is no focus on improvement, feedback or guidance. Practitioners are observed
but essentially left to do whatever they prefer.

Types of Educational Supervision and Inspection

In educational supervision, supervisors may take on a variety of roles:

 Accountability
 Monitoring
 Clinical
 Advisor
 Critical Friend
 Mentor

Accountability – In this type of supervision, the person doing the supervising takes a
traditional role as an inspector. There is often a requirement for exact accountability
for all requirements.

Monitoring – In this type of supervision, the supervisor watches over the person, but
it’s not a strict inspector-type of a role. Monitoring supervision checks in on the
person’s progress and is available for feedback and often helps come up with
solutions or alternatives.

Clinical – In a clinical setting, both the supervisor and the person being supervised,
are in direct contact with each other. This is usually done in a face-to-face setting
while certain tasks are being performed. A clinical setting for education supervision
may be during student teaching, medical or dental residency.

Advisor – As an advisory, the people in the supervisory role are usually not working at
the same level of the person they are supervising. There is limited face-to-face work.
In this capacity, the advisor is limited to giving advice or feedback.
Critical Friend – The role of the critical friend is a more casual role and often both the
supervisor and the person being supervised can be on similar levels. A critical friend
serves as support person offering encouragement and guidance. However, the person
in this role also provides constructive feedback.

Mentor – The mentor as a supervisory role is usually a person with a higher rank than
the person they are supervising. In this case, the person serving as a supervisor acts as
a role model for those they are supervising. The mentor uses demonstrations and
modeling to show what is expected.