Learning Walks

Learning walks are an important tool that we use in District 79 to support our work in strengthening the Instructional Core. This will be our fourth year of conducting these walks in D79, and while it will be our most unusual school year in history, we want to ensure we are progressing toward our ultimate instructional vision: 21st century reading, writing and discussion in every class, every day - whether the class in in person or remote.

Below is a quick reminder of the purpose of learning walks. Learning walks are a process in which a group of people – school leaders, teachers, D79 staff, and potentially staff from other D79 schools - visit a large number of classrooms on the same day. The purpose is threefold:

1) to describe what is happening in classrooms across our school through visiting classrooms and collecting data

2) to analyze the data we collect from these visits

3) to plan and adjust professional development / teacher feedback based on this analysis

Individual teachers are not evaluated during learning walks. Nothing recorded during learning walks impacts teacher evaluation in any way.

This year our learning walks will continue to focus on teacher practice and student engagement in the areas of reading, writing and discussion. However, we have enhanced the questions so that we incorporate not only Advanced Literacies, but the Supportive Environment Framework and the CRSE (Culturally Responsive Sustaining Education Framework) as well.

Each principal, with collaboration from the school’s Instructional Leadership Team, will select 2-3 questions in each area that match the school’s goals.

There will be a learning walk each quarter of the school year and we will have 4 in total. Schools receive a detailed analysis of the results of each learning walk soon after it is complete.