I have ALWAYS wanted to participate in a learning walk since I saw them becoming popular on twitter and read the Cult of Pedagogy article about seeing Each Other Teach (Gonzalez, Jennifer). New to a district, I decided to tread slowly and tested the waters last year:

Year One:

Q to LOTE dept.: “Does anyone want to come observe me teach/see what life at the middle school is like?”

A: “Yes! And do you want to come here to see us?” Offer others to join (don’t make it exclusive), make a schedule in a shared doc and ask for admin support. Other teachers say they wish they had joined when they saw the observations taking place. Department chair is VERY helpful in working with admin to make it happen.

Year Two:

Communicate with department chair and admin- they are very supportive and promote it. We jump from 4 teachers participating to 10!

To Do:

  1. Create schedule in shared doc w/ built in debrief time when possible
  2. Share some articles about learning walks and see what different people want to get out of it. See below.
  3. Remind staff lots of times: this is voluntary and judgement free. It is about the observer learning
  4. Offer some guiding questions for discussion to think about during observations
    1. What is different from my class
    2. What is the same
    3. What can I take from this class to incorporate into my teaching?
  5. Have snacks and write thank you emails or cards to participants

Big Take Aways – These are more specific to my content area:

  1. How is my Spanish/self-criticism: When I began teaching – my Spanish was on point. Fifteen years later, I’m out of practice and I’m hyper aware and critical of my Spanish when other Spanish speakers are in my room. This is good – I’m reminded I have to keep practicing and being cognizant of my commands, subjunctive etc.
  2. This is exhausting. Because of #1, after being observed by 8 teachers (including my superintendent), every class period, and chatting during my planning -I was wiped! Plan a half day or a few periods – not a full day.
  3. Best Feedback I’ve Ever Received: I have asked so many administrators for REAL feedback over the years. With tremendous respect for what they deal with daily, it was hard for them to give me something useful. Having my Spanish speaking colleagues, who are at the receiving end of my classes’ curriculum, was the BEST FEEDBACK I HAVE RECEIVED SINCE STUDENT TEACHING. Highlights included:
  • being more aware of my instructions and not relying on English to clarify. I am meeting with one colleague to discuss this more!
  • hearing more voices – with suggestions for choral call outs
  • using more than just “amigos” for example – mix in many words like parejas, compañeros, grupitos, etc.

Not everyone who participates in the learning walk wants feedback. Learning Walks are intended for the learner/observer. But I’ve been craving it. Don’t offer it unless you have been asked. I am confident in my teaching and language skills, and I still felt a little nervous having so many people coming into my room.

Key Ingredients: Trust and Supportive Administration.

Thanks to my colleagues and admin at Saratoga Springs CSD for making sure we had both! This is no easy feat, as evidenced by the thousands of books about building and changing culture.

Next Year:

I have seen so many variations on learning walks. I would like to see what participants want to get out of the observations, and develop some common discussion questions or forms.

More to read:

Learning Walks to Improve Instruction

More to come:

Learning Walks – From the Observer

Have you participated in Learning Walks? Please share your best do’s don’ts and advice!