CASE STUDY
Is Satisfying
Requirements Enough?
Clear expectations and structured feedback kept Irene’s supervision consistent and efficient—but without time to build trust and connection, her student teachers began to experience her visits as evaluations rather than opportunities for collaborative learning and growth.
At the beginning of practicum, Irene was assigned six student teachers across southern Alberta. She introduced herself by email, outlined expectations, and began scheduling the three required observations for each student.
With a full university workload and considerable travel between schools, her approach needed to be organized and efficient.
Her visits followed a consistent rhythm: observe the lesson, provide direct feedback, and spend about fifteen minutes debriefing afterward.
From Irene’s perspective, she was doing what her role required, maintaining clear expectations, offering consistent feedback, and ensuring students were meeting practicum standards.
For Desiree, however, the relationship felt distant.
“It wasn’t really a solid relationship,” she reflected. “It was just a check-in basically.”
She knew when Irene would arrive, prepared for the observation, received her feedback, and returned to teaching.
Quaid experienced something similar. Irene “came in, supervised, and then left,” he recalled. There rarely seemed to be enough time to ask questions or talk through the uncertainties he was experiencing as a new teacher.
During debriefs, Irene typically took the lead, identifying what she had observed and what needed improvement.
The conversations were focused and practical, but left little space for student teachers to explore their own thinking.
Gradually, the visits began to feel less like opportunities for mentorship and more like moments of evaluation.
Quaid found himself concentrating on performing well when Irene was present rather than experimenting with his teaching.
Desiree began holding back questions, unsure whether there would be time to explore them meaningfully.
Irene noticed the distance too. She believed she was approachable and regularly asked students how they were doing, yet many still seemed guarded.
She began to recognize that they might see her primarily as “someone who’s coming in there to evaluate,” rather than as someone who could support their growth.
Nothing about Irene’s approach was intentionally unsupportive. It was clear, consistent, and designed to meet the demands of supervising multiple students.
Yet the experience raised an important question:
?
When mentorship is shaped by limited time and the responsibility to evaluate, how can a university consultant create space for trust, reflection, and meaningful professional growth?
1
How is power positioned in Irene’s interactions with her student teachers, and how does this shape their responses?
In what ways do Irene’s feedback conversations invite or limit student teacher participation?
2
What patterns do you notice in the focus of Irene’s feedback, and how might this influence student learning?
3
4
How are strengths and areas for growth balanced in Irene’s feedback, and what impact does this have on student teachers?
5
How might Irene’s approach influence the way student teachers view the purpose of supervision?
6
How does the timing and structure of Irene’s visits affect the development of relationships with her student teachers?
Reflection Questions
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Reflection Questions
1
How is power positioned in Irene’s interactions with her student teachers, and how does this shape their responses?
2
In what ways do Irene’s feedback conversations invite or limit student teacher participation?
3
What patterns do you notice in the focus of Irene’s feedback, and how might this influence student learning?
How are strengths and areas for growth balanced in Irene’s feedback, and what impact does this have on student teachers?
4
How does the timing and structure of Irene’s visits affect the development of relationships with her student teachers?
5
How might Irene’s approach influence the way student teachers view the purpose of supervision?
6
What small changes could Irene make to shift the experience toward a more developmental form of supervision?
What small changes could Irene make to shift the experience toward a more developmental form of supervision?
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