Tools for Schools, October/November 2001, Vol. 5, No. 2
Seeing through new eyes: Walkthroughs offer a new way to view schools
By Joan Richardson
In 1998, educators at Haas Middle School in Corpus Christi knew they needed to change: 47 per cent of the students were being retained in their grade each year and some children were spending three or four years in the same grade.
Walk-through plan
Walkthroughs provide an opportunity to: Reinforce attention to an instructional and learning focus in the schoolís improvement plan. Gather data about instructional practice and student learning to supplement other data about school and student performance. Stimulate collegial conversation about teaching and learning by asking questions about what evidence is and isnít observed. Learn from other participants through observations, questions, experiences and perspectives. Deepen understandings and practices through continuous feedback. Deepen understandings and practices related to continuous improvement.
Walk-through - Individual feedback form
Make enough copies of this page so each visitor has one copy for every classroom he or she will visit. All of the individual forms should be returned to the principal at the end of the walkthrough.
Walk-through - Group feedback form
As the group of observers debriefs, one individual acts as recorder and compiles a record of the groupís observations. The principal keeps the individual feedback forms and the group feedback form. Only the group feedback form will be shared with all teachers whose rooms were observed.
Resources about walk-throughs
