ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the key stages and associated issues in the development of a learning relationship that will provide the student with a supportive but challenging organisational context. The supervisory relationship is at the heart of field education. Supervision within fieldwork is a structured, interactive and collaborative process that involves monitoring, facilitating, coaching and supporting students during their fieldwork experience. Effective supervision of students involves a number of core tasks. While some of these fall outside any discussion of the supervisory relationship, a failure to attend to these activities impacts on an effective learning relationship. The student–educator relationship is embedded in a very complex context. Participants manage each other’s expectations alongside those of the agency, colleagues, management, clients and personnel from the teaching institution. The supervision session should be a time for open reflection in which the field educator facilitates the student’s journey through the learning cycle as they process the experiences encountered during fieldwork.
