Learning Walk

1. Learning Walk High Levels of Learning for All Students Quality Instruction in Every Classroom Skillful Leadership Throughout the School and District

2. Why have Learning Walks? • Reinforces attention to an instructional focus on teaching and learning. • Gather data about instructional practice and students’ learning to supplement other data about school and student performance. • Stimulate collegial conversation about teaching and learning through asking questions about what evidence is and isn’t observed. • Learn from other participants through their observations, questions, experiences, and perspectives. • Deepen understanding and practices by continuous feedback and monitoring of school growth. • Deepen understandings and practices related to continuous improvement. • Focuses the school’s work on school learning goals, instructional practices, and students’ learning. • Provides feedback to the school’s stakeholders and helps maintain momentum and focus on teaching and learning.

3. Who Conducts a Learning Walk? A Learning Walk is conducted by a group of people who are both external and internal eyes of a building. A team consists of 3-4 teachers who rotate on and off the team, working with the principal and external observers.

4. Determining a Focus • The school determines the focus of the Learning Walk. It could be around a hidden skill such as Vocabulary, writing explanations, or around strategies for learning. • A school that wants to conduct a Learning Walk, should have deep conversations about what teachers will do to improve student achievement. In those discussions, teachers must be clear about what is expected of them, what is expected to happen in each classroom, and principals need to ensure that teachers are provided with professional learning opportunities to help them make necessary changes.

5. Preparation Time: 30 Minutes • Assemble members of the learning walk . • The principal and learning team identifies the Learning Focus for the Walk, classrooms which will be visited, and why these classrooms have been selected. • The principal or teacher leader guides the discussion to identify the evidence needed to support the focus. One member records “look fors” on chart paper. • Team members determine who will look for each type of evidence.

6. Learning WalkTime: 50 minutes 5 X 10 • 5 classrooms for ten minutes • Team members (working in teams of two) enter the classroom at the same time. Team members do not speak to each other during the classroom visit. • Team members remain unobtrusive unless directed to speak with students directly or to examine student work. • Team members make notes about their focus or assigned “look fors.” • At the end of ten minutes, team members leave the classroom and meet together for a short debriefing.

7. Debriefing- Outside the Classroom • Time: 5 minutes • Team members move down the hallway and away from the observed classroom. • Team members quickly share their observations, remember to keep their voices down as classes are in session. • Team members proceed to the next classroom.

8. Debriefing—FinalTime: 45 minutes • Team assembles in a quiet meeting place. • Each visitor shares his/her observations providing evidence collected and an overview of what they saw. • The team identifies trends, patterns, areas of strength and areas for growth. • The principal makes notes on the discussion and collects feedback. • The team offers recommended next steps for the school. • The principal and teachers involved present the findings to the school staff for discussion and together the school determines next steps in meeting school learning goals

9. How often should I conduct a Learning Walk? • Formal Learning Walks should be held at least once a month; however, the principal within the building should conduct informal learning walks or 5 x10s every week. That is to say a principal within the building should visit 5 classrooms for ten minutes every week to keep a pulse on the school’s growth and progress.

10. Learning Walks are NOT Evaluative • Many teachers are reluctant to have any visitors in their classroom, therefore it is important for the administration to lay the foundation and establish a clear purpose of the learning walks. The learning walks are not evaluative and the focus is on monitoring school goals, not individuals. It is important to keep teachers well informed about the overall focus of the school and the goals the school is working on. The staff should understand the learning walks are part of the school improvement efforts and part of staff development. The learning walk it not intended to be “gotchas.” Because they are brief, the learning walks are designed to gain and overview of the overall school’s performance in working toward school improvement goals.