Literacy Walks
What is a Literacy Walk?
• Focussed classroom observations
• Real-time data to make decisions for:
-Improving literacy teaching
-School improvement planning
-Professional learning planning
• School-wide reflective practice
• Increased student achievement
Literacy Walk
• The Literacy Walk is designed to assist in “coaching” for improved literacy practice in the classroom
• Focus on a snapshot of classroom literacy practice:– Classroom environment– Student perceptions– Analysis of student work– Discussion & observation of teaching practice
Why a Literacy Walk?
• Principal as “Lead Learner” in the school with key responsibility for literacy improvement
• Whole-school commitment to improving literacy practice
• Provides opportunity to learn from and with each other
Focussed Observations
• Must be built in an atmosphere of trust• Openness and confidentiality must be
encouraged• Uses agreed protocols• Evidence based rather than judgemental• Observations of student learning
– Discussion with students– Current task and displayed resources
What it is not
• Not a personal judgement or evaluation of teachers, students, classroom or leaders
• Not a focus on individuals
• Not an opportunity to disrupt learning
• Not sweeping observations or judgements
• Not comparison between classes
Process
NCSL: Getting started with Networked Learning Walkshttp://www.ncsl.org.uk/media/9F5/89/nlc_PMA_LW_BOOK1.pdf
1. Agree on the focus
As a professional learning team, agree on the focus for the visit
• identify the focus from professional learning• Identify what you would you expect to see• Identify what you might observe
– Students– Teachers– Tasks
Focus on success• How will you create a shared responsibility for
improvement?• What professional learning have teachers engaged
in?• What will be the focus of the observation?• Who will participate in the visits and why?• How and when will feedback from data collected be
provided to participants?• How will you select the classrooms to visit?• What resources will be required?• What is the role of students and how are they
involved?
2. Establish the team
Shared responsibility for literacy improvement across the team
• Shared understanding of purpose for visits
• Clarity of focus for visit – what is to be observed
• Opportunity for learning about leading literacy improvement
• Who will be observed?
• Which classrooms?
• What focus?
• What questions?
• What evidence?
• What planning?
• What processes?
3. Prepare for the literacy walk
• Agreement about focus for walk• Establishment of protocols
– Ensure there is learning for each person involved
– Ensure learning - rather than judgement – is the focus
– Support each person to prepare for the walk– Gain commitment to the process
• What is the focus of the Literacy Walk?• What pedagogy underpins this?• What professional learning has been
undertaken?• What are the changes to literacy
practice we would expect to see as a result of this?
• What will we see and hear?• What evidence and data would be
collected?
4. Classroom visit
• Provides a snapshot of classroom practice
• Lasts no more than 15 minutes
• Evidence gathered from 4 sources:– Classroom environment– Talk with students– Analysis of student work– Discussion & observation of teacher
• Explicit teaching• Classroom
organisation• Classroom
management and behaviour
• Student work samples• Displays of student
work• Student engagement
• Teacher student interactions
• High level questioning• Student questioning• Student interactions• Small group
interactions• Support and praise• Feedback
5. Corridor Talk
Immediately after classroom visit, walkers take time to share evidence related to focussed observations (non-judgemental)
• Focus on positives as well as constructive questions
• Ensure observations are evidenced and data-driven
• Note key issues for debrief meeting
• Take time to make sense of recorded observations
• Make list of evidence and data collected
• Ensure discussion is free from judgement
• What did you learn?
• What questions do you have?
• What next?
6. Debrief and feedback
Walkers review evidence and questions raised during corridor talk and use this data to inform professional learning focus
• Structure debrief to allow personal and group reflection
• Feedback reflects observed practice
• Focus on what to do next
• What information will be fed back to teachers? – When? – Where? – How? Individual or group?
• How will observations and implications be shared? – Then what?
• How will the success be celebrated?– Who? – When?
• What is the focus for next literacy walk?
“Adults do not learn from
experience,
they learn from
processing experience.”
Arin-Krupp as cited in Garmston & Wellman, 1997