Supporting teacher growth and development is an essential part of my daily work.  Effective schools are characterized by a specific set of teacher and leader behaviors including a focus on instruction, collaboration, and professional growth.  Building a collective sense of responsibility for student learning,  I hope to create an environment that fosters collaboration, trust, and open communication in order to build the capacity of all teachers.  

    Last week our staff participated in our first  “learning walk” which is often referred to as instructional rounds.  Adapted from the medical community, the purpose of this activity is to improve the instructional practices of our teachers in an identified area, using a focused walk for data collection and analysis.  A team of teachers, coaches and administrators observed language arts instruction throughout the day to identify what is happening in our classrooms.  Next steps will involve a systematic and collective approach to improving our practice to ensure that high quality instruction is provided to our students.  Using learning walks as a means of professional growth allows us to move beyond the development of individual teachers as we cultivate the collective talents, skills and expertise of all staff.

    According to City, Elmore, Fiarman and Teitel (2009) “The idea behind instructional rounds is that everyone involved is working on their practice, everyone is obligated to be knowledgeable about the common task of instructional improvement, and everyone’s practice should be subject to scrutiny, critique, and improvement.”  Implementing learning walks requires the trust, commitment, and leadership of all staff.  I am proud of our Wilmot teachers for holding themselves accountable for the collective growth of all staff and students.  I look forward to the continued use of this powerful approach to improve our instructional practices in a collaborative and professional learning community.

    I would like to personally thank our instructional coaches, Tracy Hoyt and Natasha Schaefer, for leading us in this journey of growth and development.

 

 

City, E., Elmore, R., Fiarman, S., & Teitel, L. (2009). Instructional rounds in education: A network approach to improving teaching and learning. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Publishing Group.