The purposes of this study are seeking and implementing the ways that kindergarten teachers operate the peer supervision in efficient manners, and figuring out that the peer supervision influences on the teachers. Through this, this study will propose...
The purposes of this study are seeking and implementing the ways that kindergarten teachers operate the peer supervision in efficient manners, and figuring out that the peer supervision influences on the teachers. Through this, this study will propose the desirable directions of the peer supervision for kindergarten teachers and provide the guides for improving the children portfolio which is the content of the peer supervision.
The questions for this study which were set according to the purposes are:
1. What are the operating ways of kindergarten teachers’ peer supervision for improving children portfolio evaluation?
2. What are change of teacher who took part in the kindergarten teachers’ peer supervision for improving children portfolio evaluation?
The participants of this study were 3 teachers who worked at public kindergartens in Seoul, and the period of this study was from February 22 to April 30 in 2010. This study progressed by realizing the problems of kindergarten teachers’ peer supervision and seeking the ways to solve the problems, the 1st implementation, evaluating the 1st implementation and seeking the 2nd ways, the 2nd implementation, evaluating the 2nd implementation and seeking the 3rd ways, the 3rd implementation and evaluating the 1st, 2nd and 3rd implementations in order. This study analyzed by the studying question by symbolizing and classifying the copies of conference of the kindergarten teachers’ peer supervision, the dairies of participation and observation, and the copies of in-depth interviews with the teachers. In addition, this collected and analyzed the journals of teachers, the revised children portfolio materials, the weekly and thedaily educational plans applied the evaluating plans, and each kind of material of the participants.
The following results are from this study.
Firstly, it was the problems that the teachers who participated in this study mentioned that the peer supervision operated the one-shot type without focusing on the fields, and just concentrated on the open class in an other-directed way as a result, it was not really helpful for teachers. The ways to solve these problems were diversifying the methods and the forms of the peer supervision, and operating them for the teachers to feel success. Furthermore, the focusesof the peer supervision were for improving the children portfolio evaluation resulted from the necessities and requests of the participants, analyzing the problems of the children portfolio and seeking and implementing the ways to solve the problems.
In the 1st implementation, this studydiversified the ways of the peer supervision, and carried out making agreements of themes, reading and discussing the professional books, and writing journals. What’s more, this uploaded the journals by utilizing online cafes as well as offline ones in terms of forms of the peer supervision and divided each material and information. The organizations of the peer supervision were grouped by teachers who were in the similar development stages and had interests, and implemented and operated the improvements of the children portfolio by step. This study set the focus of the peer supervision for improving the children portfolio evaluation, built the systematic plans of the children portfolio evaluation, found and implemented the ways to integrate teaching and evaluation, and collected materials by diversifying the contents of the children portfolio.
As a result of the 1st implementation, the participated teachers wanted to know about the practical parts about the contents of the peer supervision, and recognized the difficulties of offline meetings. In addition, the ways to improve the portfolio which were contents of the peer supervision were required to be changed.
The ways of the peer supervision in the 2nd implementation were reading theses which enabled to know about the practical parts, and implementing the peer supervision by utilizing the online chatting rooms by considering the convenience of the participated teachers. At this stage, the ways to improve the portfolio which were the contents of the peer supervision were changed.
As a result of the 2nd implementation, the recent tendencies about the contents of the peer supervision were essential to know. This study realized the necessity to utilize the children portfolio evaluation as the ways to improve the portfolio which were the contents of the peer supervision.
The ways of the peer supervision in the 3rd implementationwere reading theses which enable to know the recent tendencies. As the contents of the peer supervision, the materials of the children portfolio evaluation were used for consulting with the parents, and the consulting materialswere collected for the portfolio materials.
Secondly, by operating the kindergarten teachers’ peer supervision in effective manners, the knowledgeand techniques of the participated teachers related to the children portfolio evaluation were developed. While collecting the materials of the children portfolio evaluation, the participated teachers developed their understanding about and intimacies with children. Furthermore, they formed the trustable relationship with the parents by consulting with them based on the objective and realistic reasons by utilizing the children portfolio.
Also, the teachers who participated in the peer supervision improved their self-reflection considerations by participating in the peer supervision in the continuous and various ways, and strengthened their confidence in professionalism as kindergarten teachers. In contrast, they changed their thinking about the peer supervision positively, realized the importance of cooperation, and had the willingness for the new peer supervision for developing its professionalism. This resulted in the cooperative culture which supported the professional growth of the teachers.