RUNNING HEADER: Classroom Walkthrough Instrument

Classroom Walkthrough Instrument

Learning Team D
Lathricia Frazier, Sheryl Briggs, Tynish Flowers
CUR/550
April 27, 2015
Jaime McClure

Classroom Walkthrough Instrument

Rubric
INDICATORS

Does Not Meet Standards

(1)

Needs Improvement
(2)

Proficient
(3)

Knowledge

Has little familiarity with

the subject matter and few
ideas on how to teach it
and how students learn
Is rigid and inflexible with
lesson plans and rarely
takes advantage of
teachable moments
Plans lessons aimed
primarily at covering
textbook chapters

Is somewhat familiar with the

subject and has a few ideas of
ways students develop and learn

Knows the subject matter

well and utilizes best
practices regarding student
learning
Is flexible about modifying
lessons to take advantage of
teachable moments

Is exceptional in the subject area,

remains current and utilizes best
practices regarding student
learning
Deftly adapts lessons and units to
exploit teachable moments and
correct misunderstandings

Mostly lectures to passive

students or has them pod
through textbooks and
worksheets

Attempts to get students actively

involved but some student are
disengaged

Designs lessons focused on

measurable outcomes
aligned with unit goals and
state standards
Has students actively think
about, discuss, and use the
ideas and skills being taught

Designs innovative and engaging

lessons with clear, measurable
goals closely aligned with
standards and unit outcomes
Gets all student highly involved in
focused work in which they are
active learners and problemsolvers

Plans lessons that involve a

mixture of good and mediocre
learning materials

Proficient
(3)
Designs lessons that use an
effective, diverse mix of
materials

Exceptional
(4)
Designs lessons involving an
appropriate mix of top-notch,
diverse learning materials

Attempts to accommodate

Differentiates and scaffolds

Skillfully meets the learning needs

Flexibility

Lessons

Engagement

INDICATORS
Materials

Differentiation

Does Not Meet Standards

(1)
Plans lessons that rely
mainly on mediocre and
low-quality textbooks,
workbooks, or worksheets
Fails to provide for

Is focused on implementing
lesson plans and sometimes
misses teachable moments
Plans lessons solely based on
unit goals

Needs Improvement
(2)

Exceptional
(4)

Classroom Walkthrough Instrument

Application

Environment

differentiate instruction for

students with special needs

student with special needs, with

mixed success

Moves on at the end of

each lesson and unit
without having students
summarize
Has a conventional
furniture arrangement,
hard-to-access materials,
few wall displays and no
concern for safety

Asks students to think about

appropriate applications for what
they are studying
Organizes furniture and
materials to support the lesson,
with few decorative displays
and/or some safety concerns

instruction to accommodate
most students learning
needs
Has students sum up what
they have learned and apply
it in a different context
Organizes classroom
furniture, materials, and
displays to support unit
lesson goals and ensure
safety

and styles of all students by

differentiating and scaffolding
Consistently has students
summarize and internalize what
they learn and apply it to real-life
situations as appropriate
Organizes room arrangement,
materials, and displays to
maximize safety and student
learning

Process for Organizing the Teacher Walkthrough

A teacher walkthrough is an effective observation strategy that is used for fostering teacher learning and developing a culture
of collaborative instruction. This process is used to open up classrooms so that educators can observe each other and learn from what
occurs in other classrooms. All teachers participate in the walkthrough. The teachers are organized into teams, and teachers from one
grade level observe teachers from another grade level. Each teacher will receive an agenda before the visit which will include; the
room the faculty will meet in for an overview of the planned activities, a visitation schedule of the rooms and times that they are to
observe, and the room and time to report for post walkthrough dialogue. Classroom teachers that are being observed should have

Classroom Walkthrough Instrument

instructional materials that reflect classroom activities relating to the standard being taught, and also lesson plans should be made
available for review. There will also be a specific focus for the visit (Roberts & Pruitt, 2009).
Data Collected
When teachers are conducting their walkthrough they are looking for evidence of activities that reflect the implementation of
the content standards and ideas of procedures and practices that could be used in their own classrooms. Teacher will also be collecting
information about what students in other grades are expected to know and what activities and projects are used to help achieve the
standards. The teachers will be reviewing student work, activities, making a note of the classroom layout, and content of bulletin
boards (Roberts & Pruitt, 2009).
How the Information will be Used
The information that is collected from the walkthrough will be used to make changes where there are deficiencies and replicate
things that went well. After the walkthrough is completed the teachers will attend grade level meetings to discuss their observations
and responses to items on the documentation form. At this time they will collaborate to prepare a summary sheet listing things that
they learned, and ideas that they would like to replicate in their own classrooms. The principal who will disburse it to the entire staff
for review combines the summary sheets.

Classroom Walkthrough Instrument

References
Roberts, S., & Pruitt, E. (2009). Schools as professional learning communities:
Collaborative activities and strategies for professional development. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Corwin Press.