Learning Walks, Audits, and KEA Classroom Visits

 

Both building and district administration is committed to supporting high quality instruction within the classroom. So that the administration can best support teachers, we need to be aware of the current realities of the classroom and this is best done through our presence in classrooms. There are three types of classroom visits that will be utilized this school year.

Learning Walk: this is done by any member of the administration. These are brief visits to the classroom. If / when appropriate, an administrator might ask questions of a student or a group of students; however, questions will not be asked if it interrupts the teacher’s instruction or the student's learning. The purpose of the student questioning is to have the administrator better understand the learning occurring in the classroom. There is a district learning walk tool that is utilized in all learning walks. This tool has a section for notes on what was observed as well as a section for questions that the administrator has about the lesson. The form will be provided to the teacher along with the name of the administrator conducting the learning walk. 

Audit: this is done to gather data on initiatives within the district. For example, there is a Personalized Learning Audit tool that could be used. Data is gathered to gauge the work of the district and is shared as a summary statement. The audit tool is not shared directly with the teacher unless the teacher requests it. An audit could be done by any member of the administration and it is also conducted by individuals from outside the district. If it is completed by someone from outside the district, this observer will be accompanied by a Kaneland administrator or you will be notified that an outside person will be making observations so that there is not any confusion.

KEA classroom visits: this is conducted specifically by the members of cabinet and was a request of the KEA. These visits are for a longer period of time, 20 - 30 minutes, and during the visit the administrator does not write anything down, use any tool, or collect any data. As such, nothing is left for the classroom teacher after the visit. The purpose of these visits is for the members of cabinet to have a stronger frame of reference for the environments of the classroom and the great work occurring within our buildings.

We are a district committed to professional learning. The various ways we use classroom visits help to guide this learning and help the administrative team stay aware of authentic learning.