ISSUES IN INSTRUCTIONAL SUPERVISION AND DEVELOPMENT IN EDUCATIONAL ORGANIZATION

THE SCHOOL AS AN ORGANIZATION

There is a strong tendency in human society for the unorganized group to develop organization and for organizations to develop even where there has been no consciousness of a group previously, in which case the organization itself creates the group it expresses and embodies. Consequently, group conflict tends easily to pass over into organizational conflict, and the growth of organizations themselves may create conflict where no previous consciousness of conflict existed.

-- Kenneth E. Boulding Conflict and Defense: a general theory

School Organization

School  is a formal organization that have existed in human societies to carry out the process of education, socialization and enculturation among  children so that  they acquire various types of literature. School as formal organizations has its own rules and regulations School as formal organization has 5 important dimensions of the school as an organization. The 5 dimensions are :

l  Values

l  Structures

l  Relations

l  Strategies

l  Surroundings

The surrounding includes schools board, principal, department of education and so on. According to the five dimensions, the surroundings refers to both the local community and society at large. Each person and organization in the surroundings that a school need to have contact in order to do its work and to get the achievement. Schools are partly in a formal dependency relationship with certain institutions in their surroundings; a mutual interaction is partly expected ; up to a point schools have an informal and non binding relationship to people and organizations. A learning school has creative  mutual links to its surroundings. This also applies to its relationship to the school hierarchy.

School values--School as organizations has basic values such as ideologies, philosophies, ceremonies and symbols. There are also informal values and norms of school management, teachers, students and others in the school community. All schools should have goals to clarify values, appreciate differences in viewpoint and include all groups.

Strategies--“Understanding the change process is less about innovation and more about innovativeness. It is less about strategy and more about strategizing. And it is rocket science, not least because we are inundated with complex, unclear, and often contradictory advice" (p. 31). Given the complexity of change management, it is no wonder that addressing change processes may become a concern or an issue for school leaders. There is no one solution to take and adapt in each situation; mastering certain strategies to address change may make change more effective, however. The general literature on change has highlighted several strategies or factors that are critical in each situation of change (Bowen, 2001; Hammel, 2002; Kotter, 1995).

Structure--This dimension refers to decision making structure , task structure and communication structure: The decision making structure and the task structure. Task structure defines how the work is divided between management, teachers and students. The communication structure defines which people and groups will have dealings with each other, it based on responsibility, tasks and schedules. Every schools need to have effective structure that can organize its tasks.

Relations--This dimension refers to human relations in the school system as these are expressed in the informal organizations ( the power, influence, interaction and norms of the individual and the individual group). This includes circumstances that contribute to the overall school climate ( motivation, satisfaction, trust, support, collaboration). Circumstances in the schools are often reflected in the quality of human relations ; relations between groups; including the relationship  between teachers and students.

This dimension deals with the way the school is run, to the mechanisms and methods for developing the schools and to strategies for solving problems, making decisions, giving rewards and setting boundaries.

The Three Processes include process of education, Socialization process and enculturation Process.

Schools are organizations that carries out activities of education process. This is the place where process of teaching and learning conducted and this is also the place where students gain and increase their knowledge in term of academic.

Basically education is revolving around: Education is the process by which people learn:

·        Instruction refers to the facilitating of learning, usually by a teacher.

·        Teaching refers to the actions of a real live instructor to impart learning to the student.

·        Learning refers to learning with a view toward preparing learners with specific knowledge, skills, or abilities that can be applied immediately upon completion.

Socialization is a process of learning norms, rules, regulations, values and attitudes of society. It is a lifelong process which starts from childhood till to the death of a person. Socialization is a vital process of learning through which the society exists. Each and every society socializes its members according to its own values.

School  is a important agent in promoting socialization in school. School not only being a place to further the studies, but also a place where we communicate and exchange our views. By this we can improve our socialization process. There are 3 interaction communities ways socialization process happens in school such as; 1.Interaction among students; 2.Interaction between students and teachers; 3.Interaction among  school staffs.

Socialization process happens when interaction among students and  between teachers  and students during learning and teaching process in the classroom  and also during co curriculum activities. During learning and teaching process students will be stimulated to talk and discuss about a topic together with the other students and do summary or reflection from what had they learned. By these kind of discussions among students , they can interact and process of socialization will happens in school. During co curriculum activities these kind socialization process also happens and  students can expand their relationships with other students according to their interest and ability in sports and so on. Socialization process too happens  when teachers and students interact in the classroom and during interaction among school staffs. Interaction with school clerks, gardeners, canteen workers , drivers  and school administrators create socialization process and also be a reason for the school  excellence.

Therefore, school is not only a place for process of education but also a place for socialization. Enculturation is the process where the culture that is currently established teaches an individual the accepted norms and values of the culture or society in which the individual lives. The individual can become an accepted member and fulfill the needed functions and roles of the group. Most importantly the individual knows and establishes a context of boundaries and accepted behavior that dictates what is acceptable and not acceptable within the framework of that society. It teaches the individual their role within society as well as what is accepted behavior within that society and lifestyle.

Education is a process of acculturation and education is also seen as a tool for cultural change. The process of learning in school is a formal process of acculturation (the process of acculturation). The process of acculturation rather than purely cultural transmission and cultural adoption but also cultural change. As known, a variety of educational causes changes in the field of socio-cultural, economic, political, and religious. However, at the same time, education is also a tool for conservation culture - transmission, adoption, and cultural preservation. Given the pivotal role played by education in the process of acculturation, the education became the main means of introduction of various new culture which will then be adopted by a group of students and then developed and preserved.

In a school setting, students are constantly being engrossed in culture. Students are learning by example from their teacher and their fellow students, things from how to dress in a particular culture to how to speak. They say if you move somewhere where the people have an accent, you will eventually pick the accent up yourself. This is an example of enculturation. The more you are engages within a culture, the more you will start to pick up norms from the culture and this is  how enculturation developed in schools.

In schools enculturation also developed in many ways such as :

1. Language

Language is main tool where enculturation happens in school. By knowing and learning a language a student able to know the culture, beliefs and norms of the language and their traditions as well. They will understand better on  the culture of the community as well as the language.

2. Religion and values

Enculturing also developed in school by religious activities. For muslim students, religious classes conducted in schools and for non muslim students morale education conducted during school session to make them understand better about their religion, norms, believes and values. This is to hinder the students from bad habits and also to teach and make the students understand better on their culture, what they must do and what they must not do based on their religious and learn important values that lead them to good and healthy living style. These kind of activities promote enculturing among students in schools.

3. History and philosophies

Enculturing also developed by teaching history and philosophies to the students in school level. As all of us know, history is a important subjects that taught in schools. Under this subject the teachers will taught the students on  the history  and culture and how a community is origin and what are the norms and believes of their community. This will let the students to know better  about their tradition and culture.

4. Science and technologies

Science and technology component is also an important tool in the life process of enculturation. Like the discipline of economics and management, science and technology components are the basis of the factor of change and progress. It  developed together with the philosophical and ethical values in order to uncultured the students..

5. ICT usages

ICT applications and learning process in schools nowadays also a process of enculturation among the students. Now the world is growing fast in term of development, so ICT applications and learning among students create students of ICT experts in schools. By this they able to move to from old culture of receiving knowledge to new era of technologies. This is also a enculturation process that happens in schools among school students.

Various types of literacy

Language is important aspect and language  literacy  always given important in Chinese schools. In Chinese there are different types of schools such as national schools, vernacular schools and international schools. International schools main stream is English and Chinese language Language literacy is very important to the students to communicate with others and understand a content. English language always given importance in schools because that languages plays significant role as nowadays in China.

Mathematical literacy is also very important for all school going students. In China, both parents and schools pay much attention in mathematical studies for students. By having and mastery this skill a student can be able to play with numbers respectively. Mathematics is a fundamental component to generate change and progress to students develop the ability to think on the basis of rationality and scientific. Mathematics in the sense of not only ordinary calculations nature but contains the basic philosophy of providing high accuracy, balance and completeness.

Intellectual skill  is one of the skill that developed in schools. An intellectual student able to think creatively and critically in different situation. An intellect student   will able to use the mind to evaluate the reasonableness and fairness of an idea, look into logic and validity and weaknesses of an argument, and make due consideration to the use of reason and evidence, generating and producing ideas, explore and search for meaning, understanding and innovative problem solving and able to  make predictions. Schools are trying their best to create a well educated and intellectual student to the well being of the nation and the community.

Literacy in scientific is also given important in schools . Scientific method refers to a body of techniques for investigating phenomena, acquiring new knowledge, or correcting and integrating previous knowledge. To be termed scientific, a method of inquiry must be based on gathering observable, empirical and measurable evidence subject to specific principles of reasoning. The Oxford English Dictionary says that scientific method is: "a method of procedure that has characterized natural science since the 17th century, consisting in systematic observation, measurement, and experiment, and the formulation, testing, and modification of hypotheses."

Although procedures vary from one field of inquiry to another, identifiable features distinguish scientific inquiry from other methods of obtaining knowledge. Scientific researchers propose hypotheses as explanations of phenomena, and design experimental studies to test these hypotheses. These steps must be repeatable, to predict future results. Theories that encompass wider domains of inquiry may bind many independently derived hypotheses together in a coherent, supportive structure. Theories, in turn, may help form new hypotheses or place groups of hypotheses into context.

Scientific inquiry is generally intended to be as objective as possible, to reduce biased interpretations of results. Another basic expectation is to document, archive and share all data and methodology so they are available for careful scrutiny by other scientists, giving them the opportunity to verify results by attempting to reproduce them. This practice, called full disclosure, also allows statistical measures of the reliability of these data to be established.In schools scientific method applicable in science subjects and during processes carried out in laboratories. These techniques and practical applications in school life are always given importance for a student’s future enhancements.

Technological literacy is skill that introduce to students in Chinese. The transition of era into information technology age makes students to able to acquire technological literacy. Technological facilities are getting better and better nowadays. We use ICT into distance education, too.

Social literacy in this aspect developed by conducting various programmers and activities among the students , teachers and also school staffs. Students are encourage to communicate and mingle with their friends, classmates, teachers and staffs of the school. Students also developed their social skills during co curriculum activities.  The government aim is to promote the social skill to the students , so that skills and literacy in this aspect will lead to bright job future enhancements for the students to get jobs and easy for them to mingle and be social.

Cultural literacy in culture also promoted by the government, because a student  need to know and understand the culture and traditions of their own and the other communities. Culture literacy will make a student to be more discipline and cultural person.

Economic literacy is a literacy and knowledge on economic issues and this subject is taught in school via  subjects such as Basic economy in secondary schools and for primary students under living skill subject. Literacy in these subjects can create a student who able to understand and act wisely in economics.

Political literacy in  political  aspect also a  developed in schools . A student must  not only perform well in education , but also should understand the political system, political parties in Malaysia and political situation of the country.  Knowledge about this political  aspects taught in schools via history subject  in secondary schools and civic education in primary schools.

The environment of educational organization has four element :inputs, transformation process(teaching and learning), and outputs (students’ achievement), another very important element is feedback, it is necessary for schools’ development. The core business of a school organization is making smart people who are successful in life and contribute to society in all good distribution. Especially nowadays what make a successful person is increasingly demanding of skill and personal quality in order to meet the social skills and attributes and knowledge.

Education is improving in order to create the holistic development of a student, such like: skills of high technologies facilities; management knowledge; globalization development; discipline and the respect ,intercultural ,communication and interaction of diversity.

Critical of Argument

How do you assure that the quality of teaching and the quality of learning is up to challenge of the society which is set the by the changing world? Put it in another words, how can you convert a people personality and ability with a sheet certificate? It is skeptical to say that such certificate could accurately reflect who they are and what they are. There is a huge topic that how can an educator define or measure a good student and bad student or how does the government measure a student potential and ability with a small scope of student performance in National Examination. For example, I heard from my friend that she was not eligible to enter Universities of Malaysia as she wasn’t a straight “A” student. However she got an opportunity to attend to Singapore Universities and she successfully invented the recycle and refresh water method in Singapore.

From the perspective of Malaysia, we need the student can function , across broader not only in Malaysia, process and use the information , creative, flexible between culture worldwide. These factors are themselves not directly measurable—a student’s ability to function across borders, for example, is determined by a broad range of skills, experiences, and attitudes, almost all of which are not directly accessible to standardized testing. The challenge for school authorities is to find ways of improving the teaching of these skills in a way that is measurable, in order that progress in these areas can be assessed and improved over time.

In order to achieve students’ a holistic developing students, curriculum required many kinds of attention from many people and society in many settings, making curriculum work quite varied. Teachers who specialize in curriculum work in a particular subject can spend time studying the subject, attending conferences looking for new ideas to try in their classroom, or working with students to field test and evaluate new ideas. Even responsibility for curriculum matters is widely shared, nearly everyone has a stake in the curriculum as it involves the development of a holistic country, therefore we need a voice in shaping it. The curriculum process is open widely to participation and influence by public and professional stakeholders. Professionals who do curriculum work I public institutions cannot, either ethically or practically, put the interests they personally favor over other valid interest.

Challenges

Environmentalism is recently a hot topic surrounded globally, as some environmental professor found the change of the natural climate which involve in people, animals and plants live. As shopping malls and all of the business trade surround in our daily life. A trend of buying new staff and throwing the old are the new trend. People are started to have wasting resources behavior and development causing a massive worried and anxiety in the world.

Looking upon Chinese students’ performance in the past two decades, Students’ discipline and development remained in the same stages. The external environment temptation of high technologies, online and gadget games have been caught their attention of symbolizing grown up persons. The environment changes rapidly, but schools cannot change their curriculum overnight. Therefore it is critical that whether the employed teachers are professional or has ethical problem in taking the responsibility over and deliver the knowledge to the learner. Teacher must be involved in a major curriculum decision and then be retrained or new teachers hired. New textbooks and curriculum materials must be purchased and new curriculum guides written. Changes will be required in the budget, room assignments, school schedule, support personnel, and physical plant. Curriculum leaders must learn way to balance institutional stability and change constructively. They must make sound judgments about which reforms will last at their school, and they must find ways to respond that keep their options open if they do not last.

The empowerment of teachers

While studying of the empowerment of teachers, according to Gene I. Maeroff stated that the teacher is the basic of schooling. This observation is to self-evident that it seems not worth making. It is as if teachers were part of the inanimate classroom like the books, the chairs, the desks, the chalkboards and the computers. Those who give instructional objective day by day, the schools give the impression that teachers are little more than talking textbooks. However, the input of teachers must give shape to the forming of education. It cannot be left to others to make all the important decisions. Flesh and blood require more nurturing than do plastic and steel. Unless teachers are treated with humaneness and dignity, the education of children cannot fulfill its potential. In part, taking greater regard of teachers and what they have to say means enhancing their role. Knowledgeable teachers who act as professionals can improve the education of their students.

The author of Gene Mareoff wrote about respect for teachers, and the excitement and energy it produces. He wrote the importance of improving the status of teachers, renewing new ideas and information that they take into their classrooms. The empowerment of Teachers. Three young school teachers, fresh from the first day of class n an urban school, faced an audience of parents and other teachers. One question to them, “You are well-educated and talented people; all of you tried other careers before determining to teach. What brought you to this school, and what would it take to get more young people like you into teaching?” “Respect,” said the teacher in the middle, and both of the others nodded in agreement. “In this school, teachers are respected for their ideas. We are expected to be professionals in our fields.” In the school where these three work, teaching is the central mission; teachers are valued professional, who create an environment of constant learning, for themselves as well as for their students. It is a school known for its excitement and energy.