1. INSTRUCTIONAL WALKTHROUGHS
By Bianca Barquin

2. Goals for this session
Consider the rationale for classroom walkthroughs.
Practice the skills of classroom walkthroughs and effective feedback conversations.
Self-reflect: In order to make this practice happen, what do you need to do for yourself (growth/learning/logistics/other), and how do you need to prepare with your faculty?
Develop a plan for beginning to implement this practice in your own contexts.

3. Why Walkthroughs? A way to observe instruction informally.
A way to encourage reflective dialogue.
A way to help teachers become self-analytical and personally accountable.
Gives us overall picture of teaching and learning.
A way to collect data.
Helps us identify areas for staff development.
Helps us gain credibility.
A way to observe instruction in an informal, non-evaluative way.
A way to encourage reflective dialogue among teachers, administrators, and peers.
A way to help teachers become self-analytical and personally accountable for his or her own work.
Helps us receive an overall picture of teaching and learning practices in classrooms.
A way to collect data about teaching and learning.
Helps us identify areas for staff development with entire staff, groups of teachers, or individual teachers.
Helps us gain credibility as instructional leaders.

4. What are Classroom Walkthroughs?
“They are short, informal observations of classroom teachers and students by school administrators, coaches, mentors, peers, and others, followed by feedback, conversation, and/or action. Classroom walkthroughs provide snapshots of instructional decisions and student learning that, over time, create an album of a building’s strengths, patterns of practice, and needs.” –D. Kachur, J.Stout, & C. Edwards, 2010

5. Effective Walkthroughs: Common Elements
Brevity – should be frequent & brief (15 minutes +/-).
Focus –you might or might not have a pre-determined focus when you walkthrough classrooms.
Coaching - opportunity for reflective conversations. Feedback is critical.
Brevity – You want to make sure that you walk through classrooms frequently…so keep it brief. These are “snapshots” that over time will reveal trends in teaching and learning.
Focus – You should have a purpose when you walkthrough classrooms. There should be a common understanding about what is being observed and why. Make this information public. Collect data.
Dialogue – Walkthroughs provide an opportunity for reflective conversations. Feedback is critical.

6. Walkthroughs Allow Instructional Leaders to…
Be in touch what is happening in the classrooms
Create a collaborative environment where reflective conversations are the norm
Pay attention to instruction and curriculum as a participant in school improvement discussions
Exercise their role as instructional leaders

7. Walkthroughs and student achievement
According to Marzano, Walters, & Mcnulty (2008), several of the 21 specific leadership responsibilities significantly correlated with student achievement are particularly related to benefits from walkthroughs. In other words…. Walkthroughs help student achievement!

8. Walkthroughs and feedback
Feedback is essential for learning at the individual, group, or organizational level. It is feedback that can help people see the discrepancy between what they think they are doing and what they are actually doing.
~Robert Hargrove,
Masterful Coaching, 1995

9. Providing Effective Feedback

10. Effective Feedback and Coaching Brainstorm
Working in pairs or small groups, think for a couple of minutes about:
“What are the elements of effective feedback?”
University Teaching Center GATO Fall 2008 (36-50) 10 10

11. Elements of Effective Feedback
Clear
Behavioral not personal
Timely
Appropriate for the learner’s needs and skill-level
Refer to Page 34. Feedback, Key to Learning, Piccinin (2003) for examples of this in written examples.
Specific
3:1 (What is good, what needs improvement)
Help learners develop
Non-emotional
Table Talk: Discuss! 11 11

12. Things to Remember…
Make sure that you base your feedback on observable evidence.
Reinforce evidence of effective practices.
Be as specific as possible.
Make sure that you base your feedback on observable evidence.
Collect data and share it with the teacher. Avoid judgments or perceptions.
Reinforce evidence of effective practices.
Share evidence of success before sharing what needs to be improved upon.
Be as specific as possible.
Do not generalize. Talk about specific data you have collected about the lesson.

13. Things to Remember… Describe rather than evaluate.
Note the impact of the teacher’s behavior on students.
Attend to the teacher’s stated need or area of focus, if appropriate.
Describe rather than evaluate.
Stick to the facts whether it’s good or bad.
Note the impact of the teacher’s behavior on students.
Help the teacher see the connection of his or her actions and the students’ behavior or learning.
Attend to the teacher’s stated need or area of focus.
This helps reinforce reflective practices and builds trust

14. Methods for Providing Feedback
Written Feedback
Verbal Feedback (immediate)
Verbal Feedback (delayed)
University Teaching Center GATO Fall 2008 (36-50) 14

15. Building Blocks for Walkthrough Conversations
Thank you and invitation to conversation
Clarifying
Questions
Keepers and Polishers
Remember to paraphrase throughout!
Mediational
Questions
Closure
Adapted from University Teaching Center GATO Fall 2008 (36-50)

16. Providing Feedback: Thank You and Invitation to Conversation
What: Thank teacher for opportunity to observe, welcoming you in their classroom, etc. Add a low-stakes question to start the conversation.
Why: Ensures teacher feels honored, builds rapport, leaving teacher more open to receive and respond to feedback
University Teaching Center GATO Fall 2008 (36-50)

17. Building Blocks for Walkthrough Conversations
Thank you and invitation to conversation
Clarifying
Questions
Keepers and Polishers
Remember to paraphrase throughout!
Mediational
Questions
Closure
Adapted from University Teaching Center GATO Fall 2008 (36-50)

18. Clarifying Questions Remember yesterday?
Clarifying questions are intended to help the listener understand more clearly.
They usually relate to facts rather than opinions or ideas.
Clarifying questions should not require the PBC to do a lot of thinking in order to respond. 18

19. Building Blocks for Walkthrough Conversations
Thank you and invitation to conversation
Clarifying
Questions
Keepers and Polishers
Remember to paraphrase throughout!
Mediational
Questions
Closure
Adapted from University Teaching Center GATO Fall 2008 (36-50)

20. Paraphrasing Paraphrasing communicates that the listener has…
Heard what the speaker said, Understood what was said, and Cares
Paraphrasing involves either:
Restating in your own words, or Summarizing
Some possible paraphrasing stems include the following:
What I’m hearing then…
What I hear you saying…
As I listen to you I’m hearing…
So…
In other words,… 20

21. Building Blocks for Walkthrough Conversations
Thank you and invitation to conversation
Clarifying
Questions
Keepers and Polishers
Remember to paraphrase throughout!
Mediational
Questions
Closure
Adapted from University Teaching Center GATO Fall 2008 (36-50)

22. University Teaching Center GATO Fall 2008 (36-50)
Keepers and Polishers
3 “Keepers”Warm Feedback
The students ______ because you _______
1 “Polisher”
It’s important that students __________
University Teaching Center GATO Fall 2008 (36-50)

23. Providing Feedback: 3 Keepers
What: 3 Keepers
The students ______ because you _______
Why:
3:1 ratio is critical to promoting positive and responsive school culture
Increases the likelihood that teachers will sustain effective practices
Builds rapport
Increases likelihood teacher will hear and respond to “polisher”

24. Providing Feedback: 1 Polisher
What: 1 Polisher
It’s important that students __________
Why:
Limits focus for growth to manageable number of tasks
Provides clear teacher practice to improve instruction
Provides rationale for implementing recommendation
Links rationale to learning outcomes

25. Reflection
Partner A: why are “Thank-yous” and “Keepers” important in providing feedback?
Partner B:
add to partner A’s response and
How have you/do you plan to use “Thank-yous” and “Keepers” when providing feedback?
Partner A: add to partner B’s response

26. Building Blocks for Walkthrough Conversations
Thank you and invitation to conversation
Clarifying
Questions
Keepers and Polishers
Remember to paraphrase throughout!
Mediational
Questions
Closure
Adapted from University Teaching Center GATO Fall 2008 (36-50)

27. Probing and Mediational Questions
Both Probing and Mediational questions involve more thinking on the part of the PBC in order to answer them.
They may allow the PBC to reflect back on their practice, rationales, planning, etc.
They may give the PBC the opportunity to think towards the future, using hypotheses and imagining different possibilities. 27

28. Probing and/or Mediational Question Stems
Some possible probing and/or mediational stems include…
What’s another way you might…?
What would it look like if…?
How was…different from (like)…?
What do you think…?
What criteria do you use to…?
How did you decide (come to that conclusion)…?
What sort of an impact do you think…?
What might happen in the classroom if…? 28

29. Building Blocks for Walkthrough Conversations
Thank you and invitation to conversation
Clarifying
Questions
Keepers and Polishers
Remember to paraphrase throughout!
Mediational
Questions
Closure
Adapted from University Teaching Center GATO Fall 2008 (36-50)

30. Closure Closure can include: Next steps Next meeting
Setting a date for the next visit
Setting a time to do some co-planning
Having the PBC paraphrase the good things they heard
Meta-reflection on how the conversation went 30

31. Building Blocks for Walkthrough Conversations
Thank you and invitation to conversation
Clarifying
Questions
Keepers and Polishers
Remember to paraphrase throughout!
Mediational
Questions
Closure
Adapted from University Teaching Center GATO Fall 2008 (36-50)

32. Format for a Walkthrough Feedback Conversation
Let’s practice planning for a reflective conversation…
Think of the Math lesson you observed.
Choose a Frame of Reference: E.G. Effective 1 (Alignment), Effective 2 (Pedagogy), or Effective 3 (Components)
Provide the teacher with effective feedback
Identify your “thank you” statement and your intro question
Ask clarifying questions if necessary (remember that you’re going to paraphrase)
Identify 3 keepers on which to provide feedback (remember to be specific - descriptive not evaluative)
Identify 1 polisher and use probing/mediational questions to move the teacher forward
Closure
Make sure this done individually. 32

33. Honing Our Coaching Skills
Now you’ll work in pairs to practice an effective feedback conversation.

34. Reflection
What were some especially helpful stems in the coaching conversation?
What felt awkward or challenging?
What surprised you?

35. Taking this back home
Where is your own practice in your school with regard to what we’ve been doing this afternoon?
What would be the steps needed to bring this back into your school?
What strategies can we brainstorm to develop those steps?
How can we (TECs, the project) support you in making this happen?
(We’ll talk about these questions tomorrow in more detail, but you might want to start thinking about them now)