Classroom walkthroughs are brief, informal observations meant to encourage dialogue around teaching practices and student learning. They are not evaluations, but are intended to help teachers reflect on their work. The process involves identifying an instructional focus area, conducting observations with a non-judgmental lens, analyzing patterns in teaching and learning, and having reflective conversations to improve student outcomes. Repeating this cycle of inquiry supports continuous professional growth.

5. What is the Instructional Core? Content Teacher Content Student Teachers and students working together in the presence of content.

6. Seven Principles of the Instructional Core 1. Increases in student learning occur only as a result of improvements in the level of content, teachers’ knowledge and skill, and student engagement 2. If you change any single element of the instructional core, you have to change the other two 3. If you can’t see it in the core it isn’t there 4. Task predicts performance

7. The Instructional Core (con’t) 5. The real accountability system is in the tasks that students are asked to do 6. We learn to do the work by doing the work , not by telling other people to do the work, not by having done the work at some time in the past, and not by hiring experts who can act as proxies for our knowledge about how to do the work 7. Description before analysis, analysis before prediction, prediction before evaluation . . . City et al 2009

18. 1. What is our vision of effective student learning in our school? 2. How can classroom walkthroughs serve as a catalyst for taking action that results in the continuous improvement of teaching and learning? 3. What are some of the areas we might want to focus on during classroom walkthroughs? 4. What are the elements of the cycle of inquiry? 5. To what extent do you believe that focused conversations with colleagues regarding instructional practice lead to student mastery of content and skills? 6. What are the features of classroom walkthroughs that make it an effective vehicle for professional development? — Created by Stephen Gould, who is co-director of the National School Leaders’ Network Background Reading on CWTs leading to professional conversations around . . .

28. Analysing the Data The emphasis is on patterns and trends in the instructional programs rather than what is happening in the individual learning environments Look for the patterns and trends that are a concern and for those that need to be celebrated