Walk-Throughs: An Effective Strategy for Increasing Student Achievement

Based on the work of

Dr. Susan Villa,

Carolyn J. Downey and

Larry E. Frase

Teacher Induction ProgramSan Luis Obispo County

Office of Education

Ultimate Goal: To Influence …

Reflective, self-directed, self-analyzing interdependent teachers who examine their own practices ~ even those who initially are at the dependent level.

Teachers who are continually willing to improve their teaching.

Teachers who are committed to working for ever higher student achievement.

Purpose

To provide advisors with strategies for using a structured walk-through approach and reflective feedback as a vehicle for maximizing student achievement.

Steps in Observation

INSTRUCTION: Engagement of Students

CURRICULUM: Determine curricular objectives and alignment to district curriculum and identify possible growth area(s)

INSTRUCTION: Note instructional practices used and identify possible growth area(s)

Steps in Observation, continued

WALK THE WALLS: for more curricular objectives and instructional practices (if time)

SAFETY & FACILITIES: Happens naturally

Observation Structure: 5 Step Process

ENGAGEMENT (Student time on task)

CURRICULUM (content standards)

TEACHING STRATEGIES

WALK THE WALLS

SAFETY

Step One: Student Engagement

Determine student engagement the moment you walk into the room.

Boston Scan: scan the room. Where are the students eyes? On the teacher, on work, on each other?

Ballpark it ~ what percentage of students are engaged?

Step Two: Curriculum Focus

Determine the curriculum objectives being taught Content ~ what students are learning Context ~ how are students learning Cognitive Level ~ i.e., Bloom’s taxonomy

Compare curriculum objectives listed or stated with observed curriculum

Step Three: Instructional Strategies

Determine generic teaching practices taking place Feedback, examples, student error, wait time,

checking for understanding, prior knowledge

Identify strategies being used with a specific district and/or school focus Process guided reading, writer’s workshop,

reciprocal teaching, question-answer relationships

Step Four: Walk the Walls

Specify other objectives and teaching practices observed Artifacts on walls, charts, student

work, centers, white/chalk board, posters, etc.

Use the walls to inform instruction

Step Five: Safety

Identify any safety and/or facility issues

Keeping Track of Ideas

Develop a very simple way of recording ideas. 3 x 5 card

Do record enough of what happened when you are in the room to use when giving feedback.

The notes are for you ~ not formal.

One Way ~ 3 x 5 Card

Name of BTDate TimeCURRICULUM

Content:

Context:

Cognitive level:

District check:

Grade/subject

INSTRUCTION 2 or 3 ideas

Ima Newby2-10-03 10:35

CURRICULUMContent:

Reasons why people left their homelands to come to the US

Common experiences & hardships immigrants had to overcome while traveling to and upon arrival in US

Context: Text book Oral student response

Cognitive level: KnowledgeDistrict check: 9th

INSTRUCTION

Prior knowledgeWait timePrediction

Primary source documentsPosters of Ellis IslandPie Charts: Immigration

patterns

9th grade

World Geography

CURRICULUMContent:

Writing a 3 paragraph personal experience essay

Pre-writing – organizing ideas

Context: Prewriting

worksheets

Cognitive level: Application

District check: 3rd

INSTRUCTION

ModelingReviewIndividual assistance

Scoring guide ~ rubricChart ~ Steps in the

Writing Process

2-10-03 9:00 3rd Grade Writing

Walk-Through Practice

Watch the video.

Follow the observation structure.

Use a 3 x 5 card to record your information.

Identify a topic for a reflective question.

Feedback and the Reflective Question

What do we know about effective feedback?

Discuss with a partner.

Share with the group.

A Mentoring Conversation: A Protocol Assess the Beginning Teacher’s Needs by:

Making connections and building trust Identifying successes and challenges

Establish a Focus for Work by: Paraphrasing (In other words … So …) Clarifying (Tell me a little more about…

It’d help me understand if you’d give me an example of …)

Stay Away From …

Why did you do ….? Have you considered doing …? You might want to … How come you … How might you do it differently? What might you do differently next time? How did you decide? Do you think it would have been different if

you ..

Will these stems fit? Revise as needed.

Tell me how you did that … What went on in your mind when …? When have you done something like this before? What would be your criteria for …? What do you think the problem is? How did you know …? What might you do next? What’s another way you might approach this?

Support the Teacher’s Movement Forward Direct teaching Collaborative problem solving Reflective questioning

Promote Accountability by: Identifying specific next steps Agreeing to follow up

Listening Clarifying Encouraging Reflecting Presenting Problem Negotiating Directing Standardizing Reinforcing Solving

Mentoring Strategies

Coaching Practice

Prepare a conversation that is reflective in nature for this teacher in the video. Use the topic you identified earlier.

Pair off in teams of two and orally rehearse the reflective conversation with one another. One person be the advisor and the other the teacher in the video. Change roles.

Reflection

What are your thoughts about the experience you have just had with the walk-through observations and the reflective conversations?