The Benefits Of Conducting Classroom Walkthroughs

By Ines Flores


Conducting classroom dry runs is an excellent procedure for getting an overall idea of instruction in the school. Although naturally brief, these dry runs produce data patterns in terms of the different opportunities to meet the different interests and skills of the students, the types of work the students produce, levels of student engagement and instructional procedures that teachers use. These data patterns can be shared with the faculty to serve as a basis for discussion about how to increase student achievement and meet the needs of students.

An environment of resentment and suspicion can be created or a professional culture of continuous learning and development can be built by providing teachers with feedback and visiting classrooms. However, this will depend on the stand school administrators take. For example, feedback of school principals and administrators can increase teacher confidence and growth if they conduct classroom walkthroughs to find evidence and recognize attributes such as meaningful student learning and positive practices.

Runthroughs are utilized by school principals as well as administrators to recognize the good effort exerted by the teacher as well as invite them to a professional discussion. This is certainly an effective way for them to get data. Questions are one type of value-added feedback. For instance, school principals as well as administrators those teachers they observed if there are more methods or ways to make certain that students will become successful in content learning as well as application.

It cannot be denied that there is room for improvement in any school. The dry run procedure is an excellent way to help administrators and teachers to improve their job especially in increasing the students' learning opportunities.

Still, this method can be undermined by paying attention to small criticisms or taking some things for granted without acquiring more information about what the teachers have in mind as well as how they measure student success. The efficiency of such runthroughs depend on the respect that administrators give out to the roles of teachers as well as to the environment they intend to create.

Unsafe situation in the study room is one matter that should be taken seriously. For instance, principals including school administrators may find a student casing learning distraction, putting others in danger, being set apart or excluded by the teacher from learning.

Situations like these should be corrected immediately. These situations should be corrected by intervening to stop the behavior that causes a problem and talking to the teacher right after the class to make sure that these practices are stopped. It is also important that a follow-up visit the following day is done to be assured that bad practices will not happen again in the long run.

School leaders have to realize that they should have a deeper understanding of what frequently takes place in classrooms. More reflection and support for good practices are necessary. There will be improvement in the school's professional culture if there is an increase in common trust and purpose. A positive approach should be utilized in order to acquire and share the data produced from the dry run.




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