Educational Leadership Constituent
Council (ELCC) standard number two asserts that leaders should have the
knowledge and ability to promote the success of all students by promoting
positive school culture, providing an effective instructional program, applying
best practices to student learning, and designing comprehensive professional
growth plans for teachers (Whitehead, Boschee, and Decker, 2013). One approach to address the ELCC standard
number two is classroom walkthrough. By doing a classroom walkthrough, a
principal should be able to give authentic feedback which is based on evidence.
Both positive and negative feedback, as long as they are not judgmental, are
very important to improve instructional quality in the classroom. A classroom
walkthrough is also important to support the vision of learning of the
principals. Therefore, as a future principal, I will try to make use of the
instructional rounds by visiting a classroom in Pinecrest Elementary School in
East Lansing, on Thursday, February 14, 2013. In this paper, I discuss what a
classroom walkthrough is, my classroom walkthrough in a classroom in Pinecrest,
and some feedback for Mr. Winkel.
What
is Classroom Walkthrough?
Downey
et.al (2004) asserted that the output of classroom walkthrough is feedback for
teachers. In line with Downey, et.al (2004), Weitzel (2000) in Meloche (2013)
suggested that the feedback of classroom walkthrough is based on SBIQ
(Situation, Behavior, Impact, and then pose Question). Situation means the
observer describes what the context was; behavior means that observer captures
the action, decision, words or strategy that the teacher made in the classroom;
impact means that the observer elaborates the impact of the teacher’s behavior
on the classroom environment and on the students’ learning, etc.; and then
finally the observer posses question by wondering about the student’s learning
now or in the future. I conclude that classroom walkthrough is an action done
by a principal or a teacher in order to give feedback (SBIQ) to the teacher
without being judgmental; instead, helping him/herself analyze for future
improvement. City, et.al (2010) contended that there are several observation
approaches: walkthrough, instructional rounds, learning walk, classroom
visitation, peer observation, and more.
The rounds process is an explicit practice that is designed to bring
discussions of instruction directly into the process of school improvement
(City et.al, 2010).
My
Classroom Walkthrough to Mr. Winkel Class
On Valentine’s Day, I did my
classroom walkthrough at Pinecrest Elementary School in East Lansing. I observed
Mr. Winkel’s classroom. Mr. Winkell teaches second grade, and he has 22
students. He teaches all subjects including Math, Reading, and Writing. He has
been teaching for eight years.
When I did my classroom walkthrough,
I also observed the classroom environment. Mr. Winkel’s classroom is beautiful.
The wall is painted colorfully. There are also some drawings, racks, folders,
bookshelves, and more on the wall. There are some handcrafts hanging under the
ceiling. The classroom is equipped with modern technology, with which the
students and teachers can write or draw on the big screen monitor in front of
the class. The chairs and the table are set in groups with big empty spaces
near the whiteboard. The students sometimes sit on the chairs in groups of
three of four, and sometimes the students also sit on the floor near the
teacher’s desk.
The 22 students in the second grade
were wearing pajama at that time. Based on my observation, the class is not
only occupied by white students but there are also some from Asia. I did not
find any special education students in Mr. Winkel class. The students are
assisted by one teacher assistant.
I observed Mr. Winkel three times
with different subjects. I observed math, reading, and writing. In every cycle,
I observed the class for 5-10 minutes.
a. Math Class
When
I did my classroom walkthrough the math class had already begun. Both Mr.
Winkel and the students wore Pajamas. I noticed the teacher wrote 3 x 5 = ……?
Then the students all together answered “15…”. In teaching math, Mr. Winkel
used the computer board that can be used for writing, drawing, dragging
picture, etc. Students sat in groups of
three and four, but after two minutes Mr. Winkel asked the students to move in
front of the class and sit on the floor. Mr. Winkel appointed one student named
Laize to stand up near the board and act like Mr. Winkel’s assistant. Laize
helped Mr. Winkel to drag pictures, to press pictures, and to write students’
answers and the teacher’s question. Before I left the class, I heard, “You have
perfect job yesterday…” Mr. Winkel gave the positive feedback to the students.
b. Reading Class
In
the reading class, students sat on the floor while Mr. Winkel sat on the red
chair. There were two students sitting in the back of the room, they seemed not
to be feeling well. “Everyone has good example of discover” Mr. Winkel said, as a positive feedback to the students. Mr.
Winkel continued to question students: “What do you think of transform?” Then Jay answered, “It can
go from one thing for another.” But then, Mr. Winkel only said, “Okay.” Then
Mr. Winkel delivered another question: “last word: underneath.” After Mr. Winkel got the answer from Ali, he said:
“Good, but it’s kind of cheating because you use under.”
c. Writing Class
In
the writing class, Mr. Winkel applied a free activities approach. The students were
free to choice some activities in regard to writing. I wrote that there were
two students sitting on the table in the corner reading books; four students
laid down on the floor writing and filling out some forms; two students worked
together reading the storybook; one student sat outside the classroom doing his
job; one student worked alone reading the storybook, and the rest of the
students laid down in the front of the class doing reading and writing. Mr.
Winkel was busy walking around to check on the students’ work and to see
whether or not they needed his help. Even though that was a free activity, the class
was quiet and was controlled.
Summary
Over-all Experience
From my classroom visit to Mr.
Winkel classroom, I have feedback that is set using the SBIQ format:
1. Last Thursday when I stopped by your
classroom, you were teaching math for second grade students wearing pajamas.
The way you wore pajamas made me feel happy since you looked like a kid. The
kids also looked enthusiastic with your surprise appearance. This approach I believe can make you closer to
the kids, especially in this Valentines
Day. I wonder if you can surprise students in other ways with not only the
uniform you use, because I believe students will be more enthusiastic in your
class. And I wonder how wearing pajamas connected to teaching math? As well as, how do you think it enhanced the learning for
your students?
2. On Thursday, February 14th,
when you taught reading to your second graders, I noticed that all students
were actively engaged in your interactive class. However, I heard the feedback
you gave your students: firstly, you only said, “Okay.” Even though the student
has answered your question well. Secondly, you said, “it’s kind of cheating…,”
when obviously you did not see him cheating. These two kinds of feedback,
regardless of your positive feedback, have made me a little bit disappointed. I
if you said them deliberately, and I also wonder how different the learning is
when you give feedback that develops students’ confidence. Also, When you used
the words, “kind of cheating…” I felt confused because I did not see
cheating. I wonder what message you
intended to give to the students.
3. Last Thursday when I observed your class,
you were teaching writing, I saw that the students were free to choose the
activities they wanted regarding writing. This activity impressed me so much,
because I saw students informally working together. It made me wonder if you
can do this kind of activity with other subjects you teach. I also wonder if
you intentionally make integrate choice for students into other curriculum
areas. Why do you think choice is
valuable for students?
From
the observation of three classes, I learned several things. The first thing I
learned from the classroom visit is that as a principal, I need to look for authentic
data to give feedback to teachers. Therefore, the feedback that I give to the
teachers should not be based on assumptions. Secondly, when I did the classroom
walkthrough, it seemed that I created the climate that the teacher is not
working alone. Teachers will feel that they have someone who can correct (or support
them while they improve) them if they make mistake, or someone who can praise
them if they do something good. The third thing that I learned from the
classroom visit is that, as an instructional leader, a principal should be able
to stand in the front line of instructional processes in the school. Classroom
walkthrough is one of the activities that a principal can do as part of the
principal’s role as an instructional leader. Another thing that I learned from
my observation was that I can ask teachers to discuss their teaching process, and
the analysis feedback, instead of being judgmental, can motivate teachers always
to do a better job. The last thing that I learned from classroom my walkthrough
is that I will apply this method of observing teachers upon completion of my
study. Because classroom walkthrough correlates with my vision of learning,
EPICS (Equitable, Positive, Intellectually based, Collaborative,
and Safe), in which I will promote classroom walkthrough in my school. I do believe that by promoting classroom
walkthrough in my school, I can have a positive impact in creating a better
school climate.
I
can also learn something from Mr. Winkel. After I discussed with him about my
SBIQ in person, there are several things I can learned: (1) It is not easy to
deliver the message to the teachers we observed, since we need to be really
careful to the way we deliver the feedback. (2) In giving the feedback, we are
not supposed to change teachers behavior; but more to help them analyze their
instruction quality. (3) It is better not always to give negative feedbacks to
the teachers, because it can make teachers feel to be judged (gottcha victims).
(4) Even though how busy we are, try to discuss the feedback in person instead
of by using written form (email). (5) Giving feedbacks using SBIQ is more
effective, because it will be better received without giving any judgmental
evaluation.
All in all, to create an effective
school, a principal needs to stand in the front line of the instructional
process. Thus, as an instructional leader, a principal should be creative and
inspiring to his/her teachers in order to encourage the teacher’s creativity.
One method that can be done by a principal is classroom walkthrough. Classroom
walkthrough has been proven effective by some researchers for giving feedback
to be analyzed by teachers. The positive thing about classroom walkthrough is
that teachers never feel judged; therefore, they will feel positive about being
observed by their principals or their colleagues. Also, the classroom
walkthrough that I did in Pinecrest Elementary School, East Lansing has given
me a deep insight into the observation process, both theoretically and
practically.
Reference:
City, E.A., Elmore, R.F., Fiarman, S.E.,
& Teitel, L. (2009). Instructionl a
rounds in education: A network approach to improving teaching and learning.
Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press.
Downey, C.J., Steffy, B.E., Enflish, F.W., Frase, L.E.,
& Poston, W.K. (2004). The
three-minute classroom walk-through: Changing school supervisory practices one
teacher at a time. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Meloche, B. (2013) Difficult
conversations-situation-behavior-impact-question. MSU: Unpublished
(teaching materials).
Whitehead,
B., Bjoschee, F., Decker, R., (2013). The
principal: Leadership for a global society; Los Angeles CA., Sage.
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