Giving a Listening Ear: Male Student Teachers’ Experiences and Perspectives of Practicum Supervision

Abstract

Exploring the minute number of male teachers within the classroom is certainly not a new discourse as teaching has increasingly become a feminised profession. Therefore, as male student teachers take on the challenge of becoming teachers, it is imperative that we listen to them as they recount their supervision experiences. These experiences are significantly influenced and impacted by teacher educators and cooperating teachers who are tasked with the responsibility to provide high quality and effective supervision, especially during teaching practicum. Additionally, acknowledging that to attain positive outcomes attached to student teaching experiences, Hunt et al. (2015) have reasoned that teaching practicum is essential in the process of developing quality teachers. Thus, the quality of supervision male student teachers need is heavily dependent on the capacity and expertise of those who supervise them. However, Slick (as cited in Bates & Burbank, 2008) posited that within teacher training programmes and colleges, student teacher supervision is not highly regarded. The purpose, therefore, of this study was to explore, through a phenomenological qualitative nature, the experiences, and perceptions that three final year male student teachers have of the quality and level of supervision they received from college supervisors and cooperating teachers throughout teaching practicum. The insights shared, therefore, provide a reference point to influence the practice and dispositions of college supervisors and cooperating teachers. Additionally, this study provides a premise to conduct additional studies of male student teachers’ experiences and perceptions of teaching practicum and supervision, especially within the Jamaican context.