Field education of students occurs through a variety of styles and methods, including shadowing and shoulder-to-shoulder training activities, formal one-on-one time with the field instructor, group supervision, demonstration, coaching, and team meetings, etc. Supervision can occur in-person or virtually. The choice of which activity best fits the student and the assignments is left to the field instructor and the student. However, the pattern of instruction must be thoughtful and minimum contact time per week must be established. CSWE requires a minimum of one hour of supervision per week and recommends more to match student learning progression.

Students are expected to take a proactive stance in regard to the use of supervision as educational time. This can mean formulating questions and gathering/presenting any relevant written materials (such as case notes or reports or drafts) for field education conferences or meetings.

It is highly recommended that students utilize a supervision agenda to guide the student/field instructor reflection process.