Learning Walks on the comeback!

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. 

Technology: The Classroom Walls

It is almost given that Ted Danson’s character on CSI is always shown in a laboratory room where evidence is posted on the walls. 

The evidence could be photos of suspects, tangible evidence such as insects which can help investigators narrow down a location, and other sources of evidence that inform the investigators work.  The wall space is only filled with information pertinent to the investigation, not inessential information. As teachers we have the opportunity to use our wall space as a canvas for the work that we do with our students.  The canvas can become a work of art that is developed collaboratively between the teacher and the students which can change and improve learning.   I think about classroom wall space in three tiers.

 

I should note that we need to consider local fire codes :).  Tier 1 wall space should cover about 75% of the wall space that can be legally used.  These items should be created collaboratively with the students to inform their learning.  For example, a word wall is a Tier 1 item if the words are used interactively with the students.  Betsy Rupp Fulwiler, Writing in Science 2007, tells us that “students must learn science vocabulary after they have had a concrete experience.”  Students need to experience the words that are on the word walls instead of a teacher just posting words before an experience has happened with that word.  Another valuable tier 1 item is the anchor chart.  Anchor charts are great and free too!  They are essentially posters created with the students that display information in the form of words, representations, or in numbers, depending on the content area.    A great example of an anchor chart would be showing all the ways to multiply numbers.  As you develop a multiplication strategy with students, the teacher and students add it to the poster so students can reference it is a model.  As students become more proficient with a strategy they will not need to reference it as much but it is still accessible for the learner who is not as strong in that strategy.  Tier 1 wall space is constantly adjusted as you move through curriculum because it acknowledges current learning. 

Tier 2 wall space should cover about 10-15% of the classroom walls.  These items are essentials but are not necessarily created with the students.  They can be referred to year round.  Examples would multiplication table posters, the number line, the alphabet, or rules/ expectations.   Another example could be a poster of school wide initiatives such as ways to respond to reading questions.  For example, at CMS teachers have posters of the reading strategy, INSERT displayed for students to refer to for comprehension. 

Finally, a way for teachers to save money would be to limit their Tier 3 wall space.  These items are typically purchased at an educational store.  They are visually appealing and often represent themes of learning in a classroom.  Questions to think about regarding Tier 3 wall space items would be, do students take ownership of these wall space resources and use them to strengthen their learning?  How many times are they looking away from their desks or from their group work referring to these items to inform their learning?  

The "classroom walls" could be technology that changes your teaching if used appropriately.  I hope this entry will inspire your classroom environment. 

The Customer is Always Right.

The power of the school improvement team lies within the students who actively participate on it.  They are the customers of the school.  During our December meeting we were discussing the shift in the types of writing (Common Core State Standards) we are asking students to do and how we are teaching students to write.  One way to instruct students is to plan and teach backwards (Backwards Design).  Show the student a benchmark sample and analyze it through the lens of the standard or rubric, which should be aligned to the standard.  One student enthusiastically said, “That’s why I am passing.  I need to see what I am expected to do.”  Isn’t the customer always right?  It seems too simple but it works. In Grant Wiggins article, How Good is Good Enough (Educational Leadership 12/13), he writes about UCLA’s former basketball coach, John Wooden, who won ten national championships.  He mentions a Wooden quote which describes how he provided instruction to his players.  “I tried to teach according to the whole-part method.  I would show them the whole thing to begin with.  Then I’m going to break it down into the parts and work on the individual parts and then eventually bring them together.”  This also reflects Hattie's work about giving students a "clear vision of what they are trying to achieve (M. Ehrenworth 2013)."  Imagine if every teacher planned with the thinking of John Wooden…I think our customer ratings would be sky high.