Thursday, May 22, 2014

An Assessment Of Classroom Walkthroughs

By Marci Glover


The performance of a teacher in a classroom can be gauged through several approaches. If the teaching is done on a daily basis, then daily supervision of the learning process is very important. Some aspects of delivery of academic material and the dissemination of information in a class are evaluated. The daily clinical supervision is also critical where daily step-wise teaching has to be done. However, there are a number of shortcomings associated with clinical supervisions. In most cases, the supervisors tend to overlook special aspects of a teaching career such the development of the teacher-student relationship and the development of a career.

Classroom walkthroughs were introduced for the purpose of assessing the delivery of academic and related materials in a classroom. Professional development is also gauged through the use of such walkthroughs. They offer a very strong indicator of overall performance by both the instructor and the students. A platform of dialog is also introduced in the process. This improves the environment of evaluating other aspects of learning. The delivery is an important factor of learning but it should not be assessed in exclusion. The assimilation of information is also factored in here.

Instructional leadership underlines the importance of blending the learning process and better delivery approaches in classes. Instructions are issued in steps. The entire learning process is broken down into phases. In each of these phases, some instructions are to be issued. The implementation concepts are made more active since the learners are also involved in the interpretation of some of the instructions.

Problem identification is very imperative in the learning process. The students highlight the various challenges that they face during the learning process. This is done through the use of interviews and specially designed questionnaires. The problems highlighted are tackled through active planning. The plans drafted focus on solving the problems in question.

There are several parts to the walkthrough approach. The model consists of a number of visits made to the classes while the lessons and learning is ongoing. The observers use these visits as way of gauging some aspects of teaching and overall learning. Specific level of active participation is evaluated by assessing how a supervisor interacts with their students. Specific practices such as asking of questions point towards better delivery of information.

A walkthrough approach can be furthered by the use of a better learning walk. The concept seeks to gauge the ability of students to concentrate on various learning aspects. Instructional learning makes the process advanced. As more and more instructions are issued, the concentration span of students is increased.

The classrooms provide a very good ground for students to interact and learn with others. As the students engage in class discussions and debates, they learn the different ways through which they can air their views. As a result, they get to learn from their friends.

With changes in the technological face, the walkthrough process can be boosted by integration of learning tools. Computers and other handheld wireless devices can be made a part of the learning environment. This eases the process of information dissemination. It also introduces the learners to various aspects of technology.




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