Active Supervision

Description of the Strategy

Active supervision is a proactive management strategy for maintaining student on-task behavior, effectively reducing problem behaviors, and promoting the development of a positive school climate. Active supervision is best described as those behaviors displayed by teachers and adult supervisors that encourage more [Page 1133]appropriate student behavior and discourage rule violations. Characterized by patterns that include high rates of movement and interaction with students, active supervision is a combination of teacher behaviors that maintain student engagement in content tasks and ensure a safe environment.

Active supervision is applicable to classroom and nonclassroom settings involving large groups of students (e.g., recess, hallways, cafeteria) and transition events. Elements of active supervision include (a) movement around the setting in close proximity to students; (b) visual scanning; and (c) high rates of interaction with students, comprising prompts, feedback, praise, correction, and encouragement. If students are to be effectively prompted on expected behaviors, rules and procedures must be clearly defined and understood by teachers, supervisors, and students. Once students are instructed in expectations, rules, and routines, active supervision can promote generalized responding to other settings in the school environment.

A direct relationship exists between teacher proximity and student behavior. When proximity is combined with regular monitoring and positive feedback, students learn about the expectations and the consequences that are associated with their performance. Physical movement throughout the environment serves as a deterrent to inappropriate behavior and as an opportunity to observe student performance and provide relevant feedback (e.g., praise, correction, encouragement).

Visually scanning the area provides opportunities to observe student performance, provide feedback, and intervene early when students are off task or engaged in other inappropriate behaviors. When students are observed as off task or misbehaving, error correction can be immediately applied by providing information about the behavior, reteaching the correct response or behavior, and asking the student to practice the correct response. Visual scanning also aids in the early identification of students who may require assistance or redirection. At times, manipulation of the physical environment may be necessary to allow maximum visual scanning of student activity. For instance, entry to isolated areas of a playground may be restricted if such areas allow students to move out of visual contact.

Maintaining a high rate of positive teacher-tostudent interactions is another important component of active supervision. The nature of these interactions is directly related to the quality of the environment and student performance, whether in a classroom instructional setting, during transitions in the hallway, or on the playground. Behavior is functionally related to the environment and is more efficiently shaped by positive consequences than by negative consequences. Casual, brief, intermittent, and specific verbal praise from teachers circulating among students will maintain and strengthen appropriate student behaviors.

A final consideration in active supervision is to avoid distractions that draw attention away from student activity, such as lengthy conversations with other adults, taking phone calls, or completing paperwork. Teachers and adult supervisors model the behaviors they expect from their students. Consider a school assembly where teachers are lined up along the wall and talking among themselves. The teachers have established a situation in which they (a) have limited their ability and opportunities to actively supervise and provide positive reinforcement or corrections and (b) are modeling inappropriate behavior that is in violation of the expectations to which students will be held accountable.

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