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Effective Learning Walks for Teachers

Learning walks involve teachers visiting each other's classrooms in small groups to observe teaching practices focused on a specific theme without evaluation. The purpose is to gain insights, build understanding of an issue, collect examples of student learning, and find ideas to replicate. Teachers observe for 12 minutes each, then discuss observations between visits identifying common themes and new understandings.

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41 views2 pages

Effective Learning Walks for Teachers

Learning walks involve teachers visiting each other's classrooms in small groups to observe teaching practices focused on a specific theme without evaluation. The purpose is to gain insights, build understanding of an issue, collect examples of student learning, and find ideas to replicate. Teachers observe for 12 minutes each, then discuss observations between visits identifying common themes and new understandings.

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© © All Rights Reserved
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Learning Walks

DESCRIPTION
Learning walks are short, informal visits to a number of different
classes, observing with the same focus each time. Teachers conduct non-evaluative walk-
throughs of their colleagues’ classrooms. Learning walks can be very good for
familiarizing new teachers to how the school operates. This could be one of many activities
that a site-based CoP takes part in as one of their activities.
OBJECTIVE
● Give teachers a chance to reflect on a variety of practices focused on one theme;
● Build a common understanding about a particular question/issue at the institution;
● Gain insights and ideas that teachers can replicate in their own classrooms;
● Collect examples of learning outcomes across classrooms.
PROCEDURES/STEPS
Work in teams of at least 4 teachers at a school(teams of up to 6-8 work well, too).
Timeframe: Determine a timeframe: 1 hour on one day and 1 hour on another day, best
completed within the same week.
Day 1: 3-4 teachers working together, visit the classes of the other 3-4 colleagues on the
team.
Day 2: The other 3-4 teachers working together visit the classes of their three colleagues
on the team. Spend about 12 minutes in each classroom and between observations, spend
about 8 minutes in the hallway to quickly share a few observations.
Before Learning Walk
Identify an area of focus as a group.
Identify targeted question(s) for the area of focus.
Choose an appropriate observation guide or task that supports the focus.
Review these ground rules:
● No interruptions; don’t engage with students unless invited to do so.
● No judgments; look for what is happening, not what you would do. Look for
evidence related to the area of focus.
During Learning Walk
● Use guiding questions or an observation task; take notes and gather evidence of
learning or teaching practices related to the focus area.
● Make note of anything not captured on the observation guide that you believe is tied
to the area of focus.
After Learning Walk
● Share observations with your group of 6-8 teachers.
● Identify common themes across classrooms, questions, and inspirations using
discussion prompts like these:
○ What commonalities emerged during the Learning Walk?
○ What did you expect to see that you didn’t see during the Learning Walk?
○ Identify any new insights or understandings that resulted from the Learning Walk. What
questions, wonderings, or surprises emerged?

CONSIDERATIONS
Learning walks can also become a school routine established by its leadership, assigning
everyone to do a Learning Walk one or two times each term. Learning Walks are often
done along with school principals, mentors, or coaches. They are ideal for New Teacher
Mentoring as well.
Adapted from Edutopia (2018) and ThinkCERCA (N.D.)

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