Quality Assurance Using the Classroom Walkthrough Process

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Quality Assurance Using the Classroom
Walkthrough Process
2008 NCLB School Choice Leadership Summit
Mary Jo Butler, Frank Moore, Tina Roberts,
Suzanne Adkins Wednesday, June 25, 2008
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Overview

• Introduction
• Purpose of Classroom Walkthrough
• Classroom Walkthrough Is
• Classroom Walkthrough Is Not
• Conducting the Walkthrough
• What to Look For
• Reflection
• Sample Forms

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Classroom Walkthrough

• Provides a method for providers and districts to
• Gather information about instructional strengths
  and weaknesses
• Develop action plans for targeting professional
  learning of staff for improving student
  achievement

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Purpose of Classroom Walkthrough Related to SES

• Reinforce attention to focus on teaching and
  learning priorities
• Provide opportunity to collect data to monitor
  the fidelity of SES program consistent with the
  approved application
• Gather and provide data related to instructional
  practice and student learning

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Classroom Walkthrough Is

• Management by walking around
• Tool for instructional improvement
• Process for giving and receiving non-threatening
  evidence-based feedback from colleagues
• Snapshot of instructional student learning session

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Classroom Walkthrough Is Not

• Formal observation
• Audit
• Evaluation of tutors
• Dog and pony show

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Classroom Walkthrough

• Is NOT intended for evaluation purposes.

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Benefits of the Classroom Walkthrough Process

• Supports continuous improvement
• Strengthens focus on teaching and learning
• Gathers information to develop plan for
  professional development
• Aligns provider staff, school/district staff, and
  tutors in terms of expectations
• Creates a common ground for discussing academic
  improvement
• Provides for quality reflection on teaching and
  learning

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Classroom Walkthrough Will Assist Tutors

• Reflect on learning
• Reflect on teaching practices
• Align instruction
• Improve student achievement

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Conducting the Walkthrough

• A classroom walkthrough should take no more than
  two to four minutes

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Classroom Walkthrough Checklist

• Systematic information checklist to record
  tutoring session learning activities

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What to Look For.

• Curriculum
• Instruction
• Focus on Learner
• Classroom Environment
• Differentiation

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Curriculum

• Is it clear and evident what students are
  expected to learn?
• Can students articulate what they are doing and
  learning?
• We are doing math.
• We are working on page 47.
• We are learning how to graph the slope of an
  equation.
• Does curriculum align with Sunshine State
  Standards?

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Instruction

• What are the instructional practices?
• How are students grouped?
• What research-based strategies are evident?

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Instruction

• Is instruction direct and explicit?
• Are these opportunities for guided practice?
• How is positive corrective feedback provided to
  students?

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Learner Activity

• What are students doing?
• Are students active in their participation with a
  performance task?
• What materials are they using?
• What is the cognitive level at which they are
  working?

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Learner Activity (cont)

• Student engagement At what level of engagement
  are the students working?
• Are students authentically engaged?
• Are students compliant in the activities?
• Are students off task?

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Learner Activity (cont)

• Thinking At what level of Blooms Taxonomy are
  students working?
• Are students working at the comprehension level?
• How often are our students at the level of
  analysis?

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Blooms Taxonomy
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Knowledge
Useful Verbs Sample Question Stems Potential Activities and Products
Tell List Describe Relate Locate Write Find State Name What happened after? How many? Who was it that? Can you name the? Who spoke to? Find the meaning of What is? Which is true or false? Make a list of the main events Make a timeline of events Make a facts chart Write a list of any pieces of information you can remember Make a chart showing
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Comprehension
Useful Verbs Sample Question Stems Potential Activities and Products
Explain Interpret Outline Discuss Distinguish Predict Restate Translate Compare Describe Can you write in your words..? What do you think could have happened next? What was the main idea? Who was the key character? What differences exist between? Can you provide an example of what you mean? Cut out or draw pictures to show a particular event. Illustrate what you think the main idea was. Retell the story in your own words. Prepare a flow chart to illustrate the sequence of events.
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Classroom Environment

• Are classroom procedures evident?
• What resources are available for student use?
• Does the classroom arrangement support learning
  goals?
• Student centered or TMTT?

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Now What?

• Reflection
• the ability to look back and make sense of what
  happened and what you learned.
• the ability to look forward, to anticipate what
  is coming and what you need to do to prepare.
• Sommers, 2001

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Now What?

• Reflection
• Continuous learning and improvement requires
  embedding the norm of reflective practice in your
  work.
• Reflective Practice to Improve Schools
• Yourk-Barr, Sommers, Ghere, Montie

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Reflective Feedback

• Single focus
• Non-judgmental
• Open-ended
• Tutor reflection
• No verbal response from tutor

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ABCs of Giving Feedback

• Give target reminder
• Identify targeted behaviors/skills/strategies
• Give positive reinforcement regarding work on
  targets

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Sample Reflective Prompts

• Prompts should have a contextual lead-in
  statement that serves as a reminder to the tutor
  about what was happening when the walkthrough was
  conducted.
• Two of three students began working on reading
  tasks within 60 seconds after transition time

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Sample Reflective Prompts

• Modeling a think aloud strategy for your
  students, followed by guided practice in pairs
  gave you an opportunity to monitor and gather
  data regarding comprehension.
• Vocabulary activities were differentiated to
  meet the targeted practice that your below-grade
  level students needed.

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Classroom Walkthrough for SES

• Engagement of students
• Teaching research-based instruction and
  curriculum
• Time on task
• Learning environment

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Wrap Up for the Classroom Walkthrough Process

• Technique for gathering information regarding
  teaching and learning
• Assists in developing action plans for targeting
  staff development and program improvement
• Can be customized and tweaked to fit the
  situation and need
• Will promote reflective decision making

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Bottom Line

• The more effective the tutoring instruction the
  more learning gains can be expected!!!!

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Contact Information

• Mary Jo Butler, Chief
• Bureau of Student Assistance
• Florida Department of Education
• Phone [phone]
• E-mail maryjo.butler_at_fldoe.org
• Website www.fldoe.org/flbpso