Improving Instructional Quality in Jewish Day Schools and Yeshivot ...

school, but s/he should feel comfortable in providing "demo" lessonsfor teachers, when appropriate. Providing such lessons enhancessupervisory credibility among teachers and provides instructionalsupport.Parenthetically, I once noticed during a formal observation, thatthe teacher was not using wait time effectively. He posed goodquestions, but waited only about 2 seconds before calling on someone.I suggested that he watch me teach a lesson and notice how long Iwait after posing a question before calling on a pupil. Theseobservations were the basis for a follow-up conference at which wediscussed the research on "wait time" and the advantages of waitingbefore calling on a pupil. As the saying goes, "a picture is worth athousand words." Having this particular teacher watch medemonstrate effective use of "wait time" was more valuable than had Imerely told him what to do. Competent supervisors not only "suggest"how to do something, they also must "demonstrate" how it should bedone.S = Staff Development: Principals can aid instructional improvementby providing staff development that is "purposeful and articulated,""participatory and collaborative," "knowledge-based," "ongoing,""developmental, and "analytic and reflective" (Griffin, 1997).Although I addressed workshops above, staff development means aseries of collaboratively planned and implemented workshops onsingle or varied topics over time. Understanding the relationshipbetween staff development and instructional improvement is critical.Teachers need continued and sustained instructional support. A goodprincipal will plan for such meaningful staff or professionaldevelopment.Best Practices in Supervision and Professional Development:ConclusionProviding instructional leadership by focusing on best practices insupervision and professional development is an importantresponsibility of the principal. Unfortunately, much of what currentlytakes place as supervisory practice and professional developmentactivities is not very useful for teachers. Supervisors can contribute77