A Critical Review of EFL Teacher Supervision Models

Abstract

Teacher supervision plays a significant role in teacher education in general and in professional development in particular. Whilst supervision occurs at several levels and in different contexts, it plays a particularly important role in pre-service teacher training. Nonetheless, it still retains an important place in in-service teacher education. This article critically reviews the main supervisory models and approaches with particular respect to language teacher education. For many English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers, the notion of supervision can be a source of concern; therefore, this paper attempts to shed light on the various approaches and theories that have shaped the field of teacher supervision in general education and in EFL in particular. Finally, the article offers additional insights to practitioners into a different perspective on supervision from a post-method outlook with the idea of epistemology of practice as a central notion.