Thomas Jefferson once said, “walking is the best possible
exercise. Habituate yourself to walk
very far.” Walking with a purpose can
get you far, hence, my reasoning for bringing learning walks back to life. It is a strategy that we are doing to highlight
best practice, build and maintain instructional consistency, and to influence
future professional development. Learning
walks have been around for a while and look very different depending on the
purpose. I did learning walks as a
teacher more than five or six years ago.
I truly enjoyed my involvement with them because they provided me an
experience that I could reflect on and learn from. They made my teaching better and it made our
school a true learning community from the adults as learners perspective. At some point they seemed to have disappeared
like a fad. Fads come and go. Learning
walks came and went especially as national and state initiatives were being
implemented (CCSS, evaluation, RtI, etc.…). Connie M. Moss and Susan M.
Brookhart says it the best. Learning
walks are meant, “to look for, recognize, and analyze what is actually
happening in classrooms to promote effective teaching, meaningful learning, and
increased student achievement.” This
statement reminds us of each walk’s purpose not matter what content area since
we are walking based on content area. Currently,
we have had three math walks and one science walk. These walks represent the reality of
classroom life. Teachers who walk are excited
to see others teach as a way to help them better themselves. All teachers receive a “finale message” to
read and reflect on. It is also
discussed during meetings. Our
reflection messages capture the essence of the instruction based on what we heard
and saw and provides information that we can apply in our day-to-day
instruction as we try to get better at what we do. These walks are also keeping us all on the
same page as we use the information gained to discuss and build consensus about
the use of common language, instructional strategies, and where we may need
support in (PD opportunities). This is
the real work that needs to happen more and I believe can help students perform
at higher levels if we stay committed and use the information correctly and
strategically.
PS: It is also the FUN work from the perspective of a
teaching and learning role.
