The Importance Of Having Classroom Walkthroughs

By Walter Barnes


This is actually a trending practice among the most organized and well performing schools in the world. This practice is normally carried out by supervisors or principals or going around the school observing various teacher teachers teaching skills and how good their instruction delivery is. Classroom walkthroughs are now being used as a tool to check performance of particular teachers.

Some of the tools found under this practice are clinical supervision, brief observation of classrooms by principals and communicating the feedback to the relevant persons or concerned persons. This tool is used to evaluate the performance of teachers during the teaching. The extent which a teacher requires assistance so as to improve their instruction delivery is actually questionable that is why, the practice is quite important.

The level of assistance that a teacher requires is actually not defined and so using this technique will basically cater for everything. As earlier mentioned the key role of walkthrough is basically not evaluating one instructional delivery but rather is to effectively sharpen the teachers professional skills. Once the skills are sharpened, these teachers find it easy to deliver instructions and start actually enjoying their work.

When the skills of a person are improved, the quality of service they deliver or offer significantly improves and students under their care perform well. Due to the completion that exist between schools, principals are now willing to embrace walkthrough with an intention or aim of improving the overall school performance.

Many teachers actually do not approve of this method of evaluation since they feel as if they are being diminished or spied upon by their principals. School heads or leader usually work in an environment that is very stressing and if it is true that exercises relives stress, then such principals should be among those people considered healthy due to the walking they do around the school. This technique of walking through was borrowed from the work of famous author known as Carolyn Downey.

There are quite a number of elements in the practice. But these elements will vary according to the exercise purpose. The generally elements include brevity, dialogue and focus. These walks are designed in such a way the principal get to visit several classes in a day so brevity will be of essence. About focus, are the efforts put by the principal to make sure that teachers and the administration is reading from the same page.

Not person should feel intimidated when being corrected or when being advised on the best ways to approach delivery of instructions. Not principal should use the process as the basis or ground to write a negative report about the teacher. The process should as well not be used as basis for firing people from their work.

The labels commonly used for walkthroughs are, data walks, learning walks, rounds, mini observations and instructional as well as reflective walking through. The benefit a school gets from such walks include, acquiring additional or extra data and information concerning learning and teaching of students and promoting collegial as well as collaborative conversations. The benefit that a teacher derives from the walks include reflecting on own curricular practices and instructional delivery, identifying their professional development requirements and lastly promoting collegial dialogue that is reflective with the school principal. For students, they get a chance to participate in school improvement programs.




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