A Collaborative Self-Study of Supervisors in a University-Based Literacy Clinic: Exploring Tensions in Support, Feedback, and Conflict Resolution

This article reports on a collaborative self-study conducted by five supervisors in a university-based literacy clinic. Over two semesters of mentoring elementary teacher candidates, we met weekly and reflected biweekly. The purpose of this research was to identify the tensions that supervisors were contemplating as they mentored and supervised candidates. Our findings indicate that we were grappling with ways to 1) provide candidates with equitable support; 2) guide candidates, rather than tell them what to do; and 3) confront conflict. By detailing the ways we reflected on and explored these tensions, we include suggestions for teacher education supervision and teacher education more broadly, both from our own experiences and previous research.