This paper suggests criteria for effective student teacher experiences and supervisory roles. A system of student teaching supervision with a heavy emphasis on imitative and reproductive learning is an unlikely means of equipping teachers with the confidence to apply process skills of inquiry and problem solving to the numerous dilemmas of teaching. The aim is to prepare beginning teachers who are able to reflect on the origins, purposes, and consequences of their actions, as well as on the material and ideological constraints and encouragements embedded in their classroom, school, and societal contexts. Such an aim is in harmony with schema theories and a constructivist view of learning. A proposed system of collaborative supervision would include: organic collaborative partnerships, student teacher professional learning that is largely determined by the nature of student teachers' personal and professional qualities and through their own actions and experiences, a university supervisor who provides support for the student teacher in developing skills of reflectivity and who assists professional development of cooperating teachers, and individualized assistance for student teachers based on their developmental level. Establishing collaborative supervision is difficult, as it requires supervising teachers to relinquish their traditional positions of power and perceived expertise and requires a greater investment of time and emotion. (Contains 32 references.) (JDD)