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    Shadowing

    By Learning Forward
    Categories: Learning designs
    August 2015
    Shadowing is the process of following a student or educator through one day, part of a day, or longer, experiencing what that person experiences for the purpose of professional learning. Educators, including building and district administrators, can shadow in their own or other schools, individually or in a group. Noneducators can also benefit from shadowing. Parents, community members, business leaders, and policymakers can learn through shadowing how school works from a student or educator perspective. Those being shadowed benefit, too. School staff members have said one advantage to having a shadow is that they have to be prepared. They have said they learn a lot through visitors’ questions and comments. “It’s almost like having a mirror held up to what I’m doing,” said one staff

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    Powerful Designs for Professional Learning, 3rd Edition

    Edited by Lois Brown Easton

    Filled with 24 learning designs — including 15 new — the latest edition of Learning Forward’s best-seller helps educators understand the kinds of learning experiences that result in changed practices and better results for students. More than 30 of the field’s leading experts in adult learning contribute to the 384-page book, which includes a link and password to dozens of exclusive online resources.
    Learning Forward, 2015

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    Steps in shadowing for the school hosting shadows

    Step1 Prepare the host school.
    • Determine reasons for hosting shadows.
    • Find a contact person to schedule and conduct visits.
    • Decide what shadows will do (and not do).
    • Decide if visitors can shadow teachers and administrators.
    • Involve students in the decisions, especially about logistics.
    • Decide how to select students who will be shadowed.
    • Determine whether students will need an orientation in order to host a shadow.
    Step2 Prepare for the visit.
    • Talk with educators who wish to shadow to clarify purposes.
    • Send materials that can be read and discussed before the visit.
    • Custom design the visit as needed.
    • Alert the school’s staff and students about the visit.
    • Select students who will host shadows.
    Step3 The shadowing experience.
    • Orient the visitors as soon as possible.
    • Give the visitors some opening questions to ask students.
    • Pair up shadows and students/staff.
    Step4 Debrief.
    • Debrief midday and at the end of the day for one-day visits.
    • Debrief at the end of the day for multiday visits.
    • Have visitors process their experiences by asking for the following:
      • Description;
      • What they were struck by; what had import;
      • How the important elements relate to visitors’ own schools;
      • What they might want to do about the important elements (next steps).
    • Modify for work with individuals instead of groups.
    • Ask how the school can help with next steps.
    Step5 Debrief with the school community.
    • Share highlights by phone or email.
    • Share reflections with students. Include visitors’ questions and comments when considering continuous improvement.

    Steps for educators who are shadowing

    Step1 Prepare.
    • Determine purposes for shadowing.
    • Study materials sent by the school; visit the website.
    • Note demographics, differences and similarities to own school.
    • Decide who will make the visit (including an administrator who sponsors the visit and ensuing initiatives).
    Step2 Shadow.
    • Consider mindset.
    • Clarify purposes for shadowing.
    • Clarify differences and similarities between own and host school.
    • Determine protocol for shadowing (participation vs. observation, ability to record the experience).
    • Get started with students.
    • Use an observation form.
    • Make the experience valuable for everyone.
    • Check in with colleagues and share preliminary experiences, questions, comments.
    Step3 Debrief.
    • Participate in the school’s formal debriefing process.
    • Continue the informal process with colleagues.
    • Think about next steps.
    Step4 Implement.
    • Consider rollout to the rest of the staff at your school.
    • Consider adaptations that will need to be made for innovations observed at the host school.
    • Begin the process of implementation.

    Source: Easton, L.B. (Ed.). (2015). Powerful designs for professional learning (3rd ed.). Oxford, OH: Learning Forward.

    Preparing to Shadow

    • What is the purpose of the shadowing? What do those who shadow hope to learn?
    • What special conditions will be needed for the shadowing to be effective?
    • What critical elements affect the environment (school or district) within which the shadowing will be done? Describe the demographics and environment
      • Student demographics.
      • Teacher and administrator demographics.
      • Facts, such as:
        • Number of students;
        • Number of staff;
        • Grade levels served;
        • Length of day and organization of day;
        • Feeder school information; and
        • District information.
      • Culture.
      • School’s mission, vision, and goals.
      • Program parameters (“We always have a schoolwide gathering at the beginning of the day,”  for example, or, “We don’t have interscholastic sports, but we do have very exciting intramurals.”).
      • Curriculum expectations (standards, instructional methods, assessment techniques, etc.).
    • How do these critical elements affect the purpose of the shadowing?
    • What do you hope to do with what you learn from shadowing?

    Source: Easton, L.B. (Ed.). (2015). Powerful designs for professional learning (3rd ed.). Oxford, OH: Learning Forward.

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    Learning Forward is the only professional association devoted exclusively to those who work in educator professional development. We help our members plan, implement, and measure high-quality professional learning so they can achieve success with their systems, schools, and students.

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