Classroom Walkthrough

Clinical supervision, or the practice of classroom

Classroom

A classroom is a room in which teaching or learning activities can take place. Classrooms are found in educational institutions of all kinds, including public and private schools, corporations, and religious and humanitarian organizations...

 observation and feedback

Feedback

Feedback describes the situation when output from an event or phenomenon in the past will influence an occurrence or occurrences of the same Feedback describes the situation when output from (or information about the result of) an event or phenomenon in the past will influence an occurrence or...

 has been one of the most often used tool in evaluating teacher

Teacher

A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...

 performance, however the extent in which it assists teachers to improve their delivery of instruction is questionable. As a result, the classroom walkthrough, not designed for evaluation, but for the purpose of professional development

Professional development

Professional development refers to skills and knowledge attained for both personal development and career advancement. Professional development encompasses all types of facilitated learning opportunities, ranging from college degrees to formal coursework, conferences and informal learning...

, has gained increasing popularity.

Instructional leadership is critical to the improvement of teaching and learning and plays a significant role with student achievement. In order for school

School

A school is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...

s to respond and adapt, systems must exist that create the capacity to collectively process and apply knowledge about teaching and learning. Learning within a school is fostered when a group can identify a problem, and create a plan to collectively solve it.
The walkthrough model, derived from Hewlett-Packard

Hewlett-Packard

Hewlett-Packard Company or HP is an American multinational information technology corporation headquartered in Palo Alto, California, USA that provides products, technologies, softwares, solutions and services to consumers, small- and medium-sized businesses and large enterprises, including...

’s supervisory practice of Management By Wandering Around

Management By Wandering Around

The term management by wandering around , also "management by walking around" refers to a style of business management which involves managers wandering around, in an unstructured manner, through the workplace, at random, to check with employees, or equipment, about the status of ongoing work...

, has been portrayed as an effective and efficient system to collect data regarding instructional practices and provide feedback. Elliot Eisner suggests that in order to be effective, leaders need to spend one third of their time in classrooms, and when principals spend more time in classrooms, teachers report a positive perception of the principal. In order for teacher quality to improve, Sergiovanni states that leadership

Leadership

Leadership has been described as the “process of social influence in which one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task". Other in-depth definitions of leadership have also emerged.-Theories:...

 is the key. School improvement relies heavily on the working relationship between instructional leaders and teachers. The success of the organization is sustained when the leaders serve as teachers for others.

The classroom walkthrough model consists of a series of frequent classroom visits where the observer(s) are present to look for predetermined evidence of specific practices. The observations last anywhere from two to forty-five minutes, and are intended to support the faculty in the delivery of instruction and curriculum

Curriculum

See also Syllabus.In formal education, a curriculum is the set of courses, and their content, offered at a school or university. As an idea, curriculum stems from the Latin word for race course, referring to the course of deeds and experiences through which children grow to become mature adults...

. Carolyn Downey is known for her early work in the development of the classroom walkthrough model, however, there are several models available and some school districts have created their own. The aim of the classroom walkthrough is to provide direct and specific feedback to teachers based on the snapshot observed. The feedback can then be given to an individual, or the observer may provide a report of patterns noted during the walkthroughs. According to the National Staff Development Council, walkthroughs, sometimes referred to as "learning walks," provide the opportunity to:

• Reinforce attention to instructional practices
• Gather data about instructional practice and student learning
• Stimulate collegial conversation about teaching and learning
• Learn from other participants
• Deepen understandings and improve practices through continuous feedback

Definitions

Classroom Walkthrough

Walkthrough

A walkthrough may refer to one of the following topics:* Strategy guide* Software walkthrough* Tutoring* Rehearsal* Audit* Virtual tour-See also:* Classroom walkthrough* Cognitive walkthrough* List of gaming topics...

 - an organized observation that requires the principal or supervisor to frequently visit classrooms to look for specific instructional practices.

Debriefing the Faculty

Teacher

A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...

- general feedback provided to the entire faculty that focuses on what to present in the school, and not an individual teacher

Downey Walkthrough Model - Short, focused, informal observations; time for reflection: a focus on curriculum and instruction; occasional follow-up; and infromal collaborative process.

Look-fors - a precise indicator of teaching strategies that tell the observer what the strategy looks like when applied to the classroom