Discourse or conversation analysis represents a new direction for understanding the nature of social interaction during the supervisory (or peer) instructional conference. Discourse analysis may be a key to mechanisms involved in institutional management and individual improvement. Supervisors cannot assume that successful conferences necessarily…

Using transcriptions of audio- and videotaped conferences from local schools and individual settings, this article examines the claim that face-threatening acts committed during supervisor-teacher interactions, particularly the postobservation instructional conference, determine the politeness levels of both supervisor and teacher. The case study…

Presents a practical, research-based process to help principals assist teachers in developing questioning skills. Measurable elements of effective questioning include teaching style, levels and types of questions, wait time, modeling of mental processes for answering questions, and use of transfer. Includes 20 references. (MLH)

In a study of 29 aspiring administrators from the University of Colorado preparation program, only 10 percent demonstrated adequate instructional conferencing abilities. Identified problems included underanalysis, poorly focused strategizing, lack of reflective discussion, and failure to pursue the conference objective. Recommendations and…

Discourse analysis describes a level of spoken text that lies between grammar and nonlinguistic organization. Using such an approach to understand the practical problems of communication in supervisory conferences, this paper explores two dimensions of the conference: risk and politeness levels. Level of risk is determined by the degrees of…

A description of what occurs in the social context of the supervisory conference, based on the concept of conversational inference, a process by which participants assess each others' intentions and make appropriate responses, is presented in this paper. Using the illustration of a supervisor's request for teacher action that occurs in a…