Supervising teacher guidelines
As a supervising teacher, you perform an essential role in the development of the PST. You help the PST to expand their professional knowledge, professional practice, and professional engagement by providing guidance and feedback throughout the placement and assessing the PST at the end of the placement.
A note on early childhood placements: During the placements in an early childhood setting, the PST may be supervised by a Diploma-qualified leader, but the report must be signed and the comments agreed to by a Bachelor-qualified staff member working in the same centre, after consultation with the Diploma-qualified staff member. Note that for placements in a Kindergarten setting, PSTs must be supervised and assessed by a Bachelor-qualified staff member.
Supervising teacher responsibilities
What to do before, during, and at the end of the placement.
Before the placement
- If you would like to refresh your supervising teacher skills, AITSL has a free online training program on supervising PSTs
- Arrange a pre-placement meeting once the PST has made contact
- Read through the information in this guide about how the placement should be structured and how to assess the PST
During the pre-placement visit
- Discuss what is expected of the PST during the placement and provide information about the school or setting.
- Discuss the PST’s goals for professional experience and the requirements for their assignment(s) linked to this professional experience, including expected teaching load.
- Share your schedule and the topics the PST will be teaching/observing.
- Give the PST a copy of the timetable, explain how it works, and tell the PST which hours they are expected to be at the placement setting (including arriving early and staying late).
- Clarify the school or service’s day-to-day procedures and priorities.
- Provide relevant background information on students, curriculum, pedagogical approaches used, resources, rules and procedures.
- Show the PST their workplace/desk, if possible, and take the PST on a tour of the school or service.
- Outline the PST’s options for support.
- If a pre-placement visit is not possible or not offered, try to cover these topics on the first day of the placement.
During the placement
Expand the sections below to learn more about how to support your PST during the placement.
On the first day of the placement, introduce the PST to all staff, including teaching, support and administrative staff and the leadership team.
Brief the PST on lesson topics or activities and allow time to discuss how best to contribute to this work; give advice on resources, particular topics, and strategies appropriate to the sessions being planned. Advise the PST on suitable resources and strategies, but also encourage the PST to come up with their own ideas.
Ensure the PST is undertaking the required teaching load (across both discipline specialisations, if Secondary) laid out in the placement structure for their subject.
You should also determine in advance which lessons the PST will contribute to. The PST will provide you with their lesson plan at least a day in advance so that you can discuss the design and assist with modification if required. La Trobe University provides PSTs with a lesson plan template [PDF 260KB], and the PST should use this to create written plans for lessons.
Also consider co-planning lessons with the PSTs, particularly those at the novice or consolidating level. This enables the PST to see your thinking and planning in action.
Halfway through the placement, you will complete a short Midpoint Report. At the end of the placement, you will complete the Supervising Teacher Report. You can read about these reports in the Assessment section of this handbook.
If the PST is absent for any days, ensure the missed time is made up; PSTs must complete a set number of days on each placement to meet requirements for graduation and teacher registration.
Ensure that the PST’s communication styles (including via email), dress, and behaviour are professional at all times, as outlined in the During Placement section of the Pre-Service Teacher Handbook. Provide actionable feedback to enable compliance.
Ensure the PST is participating in, or planning and implementing, appropriate learning activities. Also ensure opportunities for the PST to participate in the daily life of the placement setting in activities such as yard duty, meetings, excursions, and gatherings.
It’s important to establish an atmosphere in which feedback is given to the PST in a free, open, and friendly manner. Try to comment informally on the PST’s day-to-day performance and ask questions that encourage the PST to critically reflect on their own practice.
You should also give written feedback on the PST’s planning and implementation of learning activities, including their content, methodology, interest, structure, relevance, and pace. In your feedback, focus on the areas covered in the Supervising Teacher Report (available in the Assessment section of this guide), since these will be the focus of the final assessment.
Try to direct the PST’s attention to areas of their practice in need of improvement as soon as they occur. Provide specific examples of these areas, concrete solutions for overcoming them, and suitable situations in which to practice more appropriate approaches, while also noting the PST’s strengths. The PST should provide you with their planning a day in advance so that you can discuss the design and assist with modification if required.
At the end of the placement
You will receive a unique email link to the Supervising Teacher Report for each PST that you supervise. Complete the digital report online on the final day of the placement and show the finished report to the PST before submitting it. To preview the report format, see the Assessment section of this guide, noting that the samples shown are for informational use only, not for submission.