Clinical Supervision Model: Its Role in the Professional Development of Teachers in Zimbabwe

Abstract

This study sought to examine the clinical supervision model and investigate its role in the professional development of teachers in Zimbabwe. The investigation employed the qualitative research method utilizing documentary analysis. It used secondary documentary sources to gather data. The study findings reveal that clinical supervision model is a vehicle for teacher professional development and teacher growth, leading to improvement in teaching performance, improvement of classroom instruction, and facilitation of student learning. Clinical supervision thus directly influences teacher behaviour in such a way as to promote the teacher’s overall professional development and growth, facilitate student learning and achieve the goals of school organization as it systematically goes through varying phases and series of cycles of planning, observation, and intensive intellectual analysis of actual teaching performance. The clinical supervisor provides leadership and support, serves as a role model, a mentor, an advisor, a resource person, a coach and as a teacher. Despite the school head being at the epicentre of teacher supervision, many heads (supervisors) do not adequately understand the concept of instructional supervision. They confuse it with inspection. This is because many heads do not have specialised training in clinical supervision. The study therefore urges Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education (MoPSE) to carefully select and give all would-be clinical supervisors special training in clinical supervision. In order to reduce the number of supervisees per supervisor, a call is made to school authorities to select suitable candidates (e.g. senior teachers, teachers–in-charge (TICs) and heads of subject departments) to also undergo specialized training in clinical supervision.