Learning Walk Overview

• Establish a focus: Determine a clear focus linked to professional learning and school priorities, ensuring it is observable in classrooms.

• Set up a Walking Team: Create a team of 3-4 walkers, including a Lead Walker, and involve leadership representatives or coaches.

• Select classrooms: Choose a sufficient number of classrooms to visit within the allocated time to gather enough evidence for reflection.

• Brief faculty: Ensure all faculty members are informed about the Learning Walk process, purpose, and protocols.
  
  

Pre Walk Discussion: 

• Prior to classroom visits, ensure all walkers understand the protocols, purpose, timetable, focus, names of walkers, and classrooms to be visited.
  
  

Walkers' Responsibilities:

• Adhere to protocols and the focus of the walk.

• Avoid judgmental comments and disruption of learning.

• Keep discussions evidence-based and free from evaluation
  
  

Collecting Objective and Specific Evidence:

• Notes should be specific and objective to generate focused discussions.

• Focus on factual evidence, such as quotes and observable facts, rather than subjective statements.

• Evidence quality should be consistent across team members.
  
  

Classroom visits:

• Walkers observe each classroom for 5-15 minutes, focusing on the learning and taking notes related to the focus. Brief and unobtrusive interactions with students and teachers are allowed.
  
  

Corridor Talk: 

• After each classroom visit, walkers meet briefly to share observations, focusing on evidence specific to the established focus.
  
  

Post Walk Discussion: 

• Walkers convene for a debriefing session, sharing observations and identifying patterns. Wonderings based on the evidence are formulated without drawing conclusions.
  
  

Follow Up:

• Lead Walker sends individual thank you emails to teachers visited, including positive "We noticed" evidence, and ensures feedback is shared with faculty within one week.

Remember, the Learning Walk process aims to foster a culture of collaboration, reflection, and continuous improvement. By adhering to the outlined steps and guidelines, educators can effectively gather and share insights to enhance their teaching practices and ultimately improve student learning outcomes.

Resources

• Learning Walk Protocol (Detailed)

• Learning Walk Follow-up Email Template