Classroom Walkthroughs

Classroom Walkthroughs

“If you don’t know what good practice looks like and you can’t translate it into a common language,

improvement won’t happen.”

Richard Elmore

“If you don’t know what good practice looks like and you can’t translate it into a common language,

improvement won’t happen.”

Richard Elmore

Bankstown PPA Conference 8 September 2011Gail Dyer Belmore South Public SchoolBankstown PPA Conference 8 September 2011Gail Dyer Belmore South Public School

an informal and non-evaluative way to observe teaching

meant to encourage dialogue among teachers, administrators, peers, mentors and/or coaches

followed by reflective conversation

intended to help teachers become self analytical and personally accountable for his/her work

encourage collaborative learning

The Classroom Walkthrough Process is . . .

A Classroom Walkthrough is NOT a . . .

way of documenting teacher appraisals and formal observations

tool for informal teacher observations

device for collecting information about individual teachers

reflection on teachers that uses evaluative or judgemental language

A Classoom Walkthrough is . . .

quick, research-based-focused way to collect data as a means of focusing on best practice

a snapshot of what’s happening in the school

method for analysing patterns and trends in teaching and learning

structure for improving student learning and increasing student achievement

decision making device which is used to inform professional development planning

tool for increasing school-wide reflective practice

way to begin talking with teachers about how we can all work towards improving the instructional core

What is the Instructional Core?

Content

Teacher

Content

Student

Teachers and students working together in the presence of content.

Seven Principles of the Instructional Core

1. Increases in student learning occur only as a result of improvements in the level of content, teachers’ knowledge and skill, and student engagement

2. If you change any single element of the instructional core, you have to change the other two

3. If you can’t see it in the core it isn’t there

4. Task predicts performance

The Instructional Core (con’t)

5. The real accountability system is in the tasks that students are asked to do

6. We learn to do the work by doing the work, not by telling other people to do the work, not by having done the work at some time in the past, and not by hiring experts who can act as proxies for our knowledge about how to do the work

7. Description before analysis, analysis before prediction, prediction before evaluation

. . . City et al 2009

Strong well informed leadership

Teachers working in teams

In depth knowledge and understanding of the Quality teaching framework

Coherent curriculum

Prerequisites for CWT

Supported professional learning

Analysis of school based and NAPLAN data to inform areas requiring FOCUS

School Improvement Plan

Psychological safety,ie, feeling safe in the learning environment

Building Trust

Prerequisites cont’d

Building Trust

Trust is the foundation for this process

Be clear a CWT is NOT a focus on individuals or classrooms

A CWT is a way of increasing achievement schoolwide

It is about building support and community

Why psychological safety?

A Classroom Walkthrough is an activity in which people are encouraged to speak powerfully in non-judgemental language about a particular problem of practice ... ( Area of Focus )

the language of “nice” pervades the world of educators and polite discourse is substituted for learning.

Real learning requires open and frank conversations about learning.

Snapshot of Learning

Non evaluative, non threatening walkthroughs give observers a quick snapshot of learning.

The snapshot is used to engage teachers in conversations about how to improve teaching.

Guiding Principles

We learn to do the work by doing the work, reflecting on the work and critiquing the work

Separate the person from the practice

Learning is an individual and a collective activity

Trust enhances individual and collective learning

Learning enhances individual and collective efficacy

Goals for CWT

To have teachers take responsibility for their own work so that they will be directing their own professional learning towards developing skills and knowledge

Improved teacher practice and motivation will see students engaged in their own learning with improved quality of students’ work and learning outcomes

If we don’t provide intellectually stimulating environments for teachers, why do we think they would provide them for students? . . . Costa (2003)

1. What is our vision of effective student learning in our school?2. How can classroom walkthroughs serve as a catalyst for taking action that results in the continuous improvement of teaching and learning?3. What are some of the areas we might want to focus on during classroom walkthroughs?4. What are the elements of the cycle of inquiry?5. To what extent do you believe that focused conversations with colleagues regarding instructional practice lead to student mastery of content and skills?6. What are the features of classroom walkthroughs that make it an effective vehicle forprofessional development?

—Created by Stephen Gould, who is co-director of the National School Leaders’ Network

Background Reading on CWTs leading to professional conversations around . . .

Planning with a focus

In this phase the leadership team identifies an area of focus. Our school priority is to improve our students’ Reading

Beginning with a clear focus ensures the CWT is purposeful and meaningful

The priority needs to be narrowed to target a specific aspect of Reading

Negotiate . . .

The CWT Protocols so there are no surprises for anyone

The Focus. The Leadership team take Reading data to teachers and ask them to identify the area on which to focus the school’s professional learning using the CWT process

Exploring the focus

Before any CWT can happen teachers across all Stages need to be on the same page

Develop a common langugae

Bring perceptions of the focus into alignment

Understand what the focus “Looks/sounds/feels like in a classroom

Collaboratively develop strategies that support the implementation of the focus into classroom practice

Exploring the focus

Before any CWT can happen teachers across all Stages need to be on the same page

Develop a common langugae

Bring perceptions of the focus into alignment

Understand what the focus “Looks/sounds/feels like in a classroom

Collaboratively develop strategies that support the implementation of the focus into classroom practice

To support the process it is necessary to decide . . .

What is observable in advance

How the observation is to be undertaken

How to discuss what is seen

“Learning to see unlearning to judge”

Elmore 2009

When educators visit classrooms they have an idea of what they want to see based on their past experiences and what they know of effective classrooms

By contrast during CWTs there is a need to suspend judgement and gather evidence

The discipline of description is the core practice on which CWTs are based

Honour the process

Take the picture: avoid becoming part of it

Use a wide lens to view the what the teacher and student are doing and identify the task

Interact with students as appropriate

Stay within the agreed time frame

The DATA that is collected should only be in relation to the pre-determined focus. There is NO JUDGEMENT to be made. The CWT deals only with what is observable.

There are 4 guiding questions . . .

What is the teacher doing?

What are the students doing?

What is the task?

Does the classroom environment support the learning focus?

Analysing the Data

The emphasis is on patterns and trends in the instructional programs rather than what is happening in the individual learning environments

Look for the patterns and trends that are a concern and for those that need to be celebrated

The Reflective Process “maps the linkages between thinking, action and student learning.”

Reflective Practice to Improve Schools(2006) York-Barr et al

What do you see?

What do you think about it?

What does this mean?

What do we do now? Where to next?

Reflection Protocols

Doing the CWTs

CWTs are timetabled throughout the year

Our schedule is 6 in a year with 1 inTerms 1 and 4 and 2 in the other terms

Staff know the day and date of their CWT from the beginning of the year (draw)

A typical CWT Day timetable

Teams facilitated by either our HAT or AP Curriculum

8.00am briefing session

2 teams of 4 operate with a visiting executive member

CWTs begin at 9.30 and continue until 1.00pm

2 to 3.00 pm CWT teams meet to de-brief, to discuss patterns and trends observed around the focus

The CWT Team develops a presentation for their colleagues along with tasks to promote reflection upon the CWT findings

CWT learning spaces protocols

4 to 7 mins in each learning environment, stay within this timeframe as it honours the process with the teacher

Use the time to look at the key elements the CWT is focussing on

Taking photos and videos as a form of data is appropriate

Talk to students to find out what they think they are doing

Do not do any writing or recording while in the learning space

Recording and discussing occurs away from the learning space

Key insights

suspension of judgement is essential

identification of cause and effect relationships is embedded into the process

There is a need to challenge each other to produce the evidence - taking ourselves out of the realms of being “nice”

Avoid commenting on what is not seen in the classroom

Describe the evidence become discerning about what is worth noting

Implications for practice

Much practice is needed to develop skills of a focussed non-judgemental observer

Subtle evidence needs to be collected to support observations

A common language and shared understandings develop as participants become more practiced

Necessity to have common processes, protocols and language around the observations for consistent data collection

Further implications

Important to develop proforma for notetaking and collecting evidence which provides basis for for analysis, reflection and prediction

Time needs to be allocated for CWTs to become embedded into practice

Protocols support the development of a culture challenge “show me the evidence”

Launching a Network

Practice focussing on Practice

setting expectations and norms to support a culture of trust, problem solving and continuous improvemnt

Skills of reflection and feedback

Action Planning for improvement in practice

Whereto next?

Developing a different proforma for data collection - more quantitative

Fine tuning skills and digging deeper into teaching / learning practices

Having the challenging conversations

Developing Action Plans based on trends

Using Lesson Study to develop skills seen as missing from learning spaces currently

using CWT to inform Lesson Study