The Five Minute Walkthrough

There has been much debate as to the acceptable length of time for a classroom walkthrough. Should the walkthrough period last three minutes or one-half hour? The Classroom Walkthrough with H.E.A.T./H.E.A.R.T. protocol advocates for a five-minute walkthrough process; however, the intent is not to walk into a classroom with blinders and merely check boxes, but to focus on data collection.

Conducting a H.E.A.T./H.E.A.R.T. walkthroughs is about corroborating the teaching strategies, learning activities, and evaluation techniques that were first identified in the teacher's lesson plan, unit plan, or on the standards posted on the whiteboard. During this five-minute process, the observer should be cognizant of possible artifacts including student work samples, student and teacher comments, handouts, teacher notes, and presentation materials that paint a clear picture as to the entire lesson episode.

This approach has numerous benefits: reduces frustration levels of teachers who complain that the observer came into class 15 minutes too early or 10 minutes too late, provides the observer with a sense of purpose for the walkthrough rather than just collecting data points, and offers a forum for continuous improvement and reflective practice as part of an ongoing professional development effort.

A Renewed Approach to Walkthroughs in 2011-12

If last year is anything like the current school year, you are most likely swamped with a host of new priorities impacting your daily schedule. Attempting to see the benefits of your campus H.E.A.T./H.E.A.R.T. walkthroughs may not become immediately obvious, but over time, change will happen. And for the better!

We all want to see results quickly (me included), but sometimes, it just takes time. The website, But They Did Not Give Up, reminded me that others who have come before us have experienced similar frustration, but in the end, their efforts brought much needed fruitage. I particularly relished the story about Abraham Lincoln.

As a young man, Abraham Lincoln went to war a captain and returned a private. Afterwards, he was a failure as a businessman. As a lawyer in Springfield, he was too impractical and temperamental to be a success. He turned to politics and was defeated in his first try for the legislature, again defeated in his first attempt to be nominated for congress, defeated in his application to be commissioner of the General Land Office, defeated in the senatorial election of 1854, defeated in his efforts for the vice-presidency in 1856, and defeated in the senatorial election of 1858. At about that time, he wrote in a letter to a friend, "I am now the most miserable man living. If what I feel were equally distributed to the whole human family, there would not be one cheerful face on the earth."

The change process takes time and does not happen overnight. Just know that the work you do now in terms of making conscientious walkthroughs, giving specific and timely feedback to staff, and using the resulting data to make decisions will provide your fruitage for improving instruction and student achievement in the classroom.

New Features for the 2011-12 School Year

When reviewing your aggregate LoTi (Levels of Teaching Innovation) and CIP (Current Instructional Practices) data inside the LoTi Lounge, it is sometimes difficult to determine precisely what instructional area to pinpoint for follow-up professional development. Does a relatively low LoTi Level (e.g., LoTi 0, LoTi 1) imply that both the level of student cognition as well as the level of student engagement are at low levels?

To aid busy administrators with analyzing their aggregate data, the new LoTi Observer will allow you to aggregate the individual H.E.A.T./H.E.A.R.T. variables so as to identify classroom instructional practices that require some form of follow-up intervention (e.g., peer coaching, in-class modeling). For example, you will be able to isolate just the Higher order thinking breakdown of your H.E.A.T./H.E.A.R.T. walkthroughs for a designated period of time so as to determine trends in the level of student cognition after repeated walkthroughs on campus.

Inside the LoTi Lounge, you will be able to view the individual H.E.A.T./H.E.A.R.T. variables as a table, bar graph, or pie chart. This should help you better target the type of professional development (e.g., questioning techniques, complex thinking strategies) needed to improve instructional practices in the classroom. Refining a data-driven model for instructional improvement moves us one step closer to differentiating both the staff development as well as bringing more H.E.A.T./H.E.A.R.T. to student learning.

Analyzing Your Walkthrough Data

By Spring, many building leaders have literally conducted hundreds of H.E.A.T./H.E.A.R.T. walkthroughs of their teachers. Though giving thoughtful and reflective feedback to individual staff members is critical to the process of continuous improvement, one should also consider the benefits of analyzing the aggregate data that has been collected during the year.

In the LoTi Lounge, administrators are able to view a summary of their walkthrough data by first selecting Access Online LoTi Observer Walkthroughs from the Main Menu and then choosing Observation Administration & Reporting. This feature enables you to inspect the aggregate classroom walkthrough results for your entire campus or for individual teachers. The table displays the mode LoTi and CIP score for each teacher or school as well as the number of walkthroughs completed. Selecting the View Charts in the upper right corner lets you view a bar graph of each data set.

A common question asked at this time of year is "Has there been improvement in the LoTi (Levels of Teaching Innovation) and CIP (Current Instructional Practices) scores of my staff?" An easy way to answer this question is by comparing your Fall H.E.A.T./H.E.A.R.T. walkthroughs (September - November) with your Spring H.E.A.T./H.E.A.R.T. walkthroughs (April - June). Clicking on the Time Period (e.g., Jul 01, 2010 - Jun 30, 2011) and changing the dates (e.g., Sep 01, 2010 - Nov 01, 2010) will let you view the LoTi and H.E.A.T. walkthrough data for just that time period. Repeating this procedure for the Spring (e.g., Apr 01, 2011 - Jun 01, 2011) will let you compare the amount of growth in innovative teaching (i.e., LoTi) and current instructional practices (i.e., CIP) over time.

Analyzing Fall/Spring data can give you valuable information for assessing the benefits of your existing staff development program, and where needed, make changes. Research has demonstrated that elevating innovative teaching in the classroom positively impacts student academic progress.

Clarifying Cooperative Learning

The H.E.A.T./H.E.A.R.T. walkthrough form includes several references to cooperative and collaborative learning. What are the key attributes of cooperative and collaborative learning? Does students assembled in clusters of three or four chairs in a classroom always constitute cooperative or collaborative learning?

First of all, cooperative or collaborative learning requires some type of group goal. Both cooperative and collaborative learning involve students working together in groups toward the completion of this goal or task as well as sharing and comparing procedures and conclusions. However, the end goal can only be reached when every member of the group contributes effectively. Students working together to solve an open-ended math problem or to find a solution for reducing energy consumption in their classroom illustrates the foundation of cooperative or collaborative learning.

A major distinction between the two forms of small group learning is that cooperative learning tends to be more teacher-centered than collaborative learning; meaning, students in a cooperative learning configuration typical respond to a teacher-generated question or problem to solve. The teacher gives the students an assignment, often helping them to divide up the work that needs to be done so that each individual in the group has a certain role to play.

Collaborative learning gives students opportunity to create their own connections among information sources and develop networks. A network may be a community of learners (e.g., a classroom), a digital environment, or a social structure where ideas are shared with others, thereby “cross-pollinating” the learning environment In this context, collaborative learning empowers students to find solutions to their own self-generated problems, make inferences, and draw conclusions, even though they may be different from their teacher's perspective.

When conducting classroom walkthroughs, simply viewing students in clusters does not necessarily guarantee either cooperative or collaborative learning. Listening to students’ interactions with one another or asking either a student or the teacher a clarifying question about the lesson objective can give you the needed insight to determine the presence of small group learning.

MassCUE & METAA Technology Leadership Symposium 2011

SESSION: Engaging the Unengaged—Using Digital Age Best Practices to Elevate Achievement in the Core Content Areas

Support Links:
- Monster Exchange
- Make A Police Sketch
- Thumb War
- H.E.A.T. Framework
- LoTi Lounge
- LoTi Classroom
- LoTi Connection
- Digital Age Best Practices Flyer
- Digital Age Best Practices White Paper
- LoTi Implementation Model
- Stage 1: Building Capacity Checklist
- Stage 2: Implementing Change Checklist
- Stage 3: Sustaining Independence Checklist
- Sample LoTi Digital Age School Report
- Sample Custom Online Course Project Report

- Engaging the Unengaged: Using 21st Century Skills/Themes to Elevate Student Academic Achievement PowerPoint PDF

SESSION: 21st Century Walkthroughs: Using iPad Technology to Improve Student Achievement and Digital Age Learning

Support Links:
- LoTi Lounge
- LoTi Classroom
- LoTi Connection
- Sample Monthly Walkthrough Report
- H.E.A.T. Walkthrough Form (Regular PDF)
- H.E.A.T. Walkthrough Form (Editable PDF)
- Custom Walkthrough Form Sample - H.E.A.R.T. ACBOE
- Custom Walkthrough Form Sample - H.E.A.R.T. Salina

- 21st Century Walkthroughs: Using iPad Technology to Improve Student Achievement and Digital Age Learning PowerPoint PDF



To view posts previously at this site as well as other LoTi Connection, LoTi Training and other LoTi Resources please visit http://loticonnection.blogspot.com/

Also consider visiting Dr. Chris Moersch’s blog—the LoTi Guy Speaks—at http://lotiguyspeaks.blogspot.com

Thank you for visiting!

Turning Up the "T" in H.E.A.T./H.E.A.R.T.

During a H.E.A.T./H.E.A.R.T. classroom walkthrough, it may not always be obvious where the strategic use of a website or Web 2.0 application within a lesson can elevate the level of engagement in the classroom. Provided below are web resources including a series of Web 2.0 tools that can be used by classroom teachers to turn up the "T" in H.E.A.T./H.E.A.R.T.

The web resources are organized by content area. You may want to consider one or more of these sites as you give feedback to your staff via the walkthrough process.

Math Resources
Interactivate
NLVM
Illuminations
Math Tools

Thinkfinity

ELA Resources
Read-Write-Think

Thinkfinity

Science Resources
Virtual LabsChemistry
Simulations

Social Studies Resources
270toWin
National Budget Simulation

Fine Arts Resources
The Audition Room
SFS Kids

Web 2.0 Resources
• GoToWeb20
• Web 2.0 Tool: Survey Monkey
• Web 2.0 Tool: Zoomerang
• Web 2.0 Tool: Survs
• Web 2.0 Tool: Dabbleboard
• Web 2.0 Tool: MyWebspiration
• Web 2.0 Tool: Wordle
• Web 2.0 Tool: TagCrowd
• Web 2.0 Tool: Blogger
• Web 2.0 Tool: 21 Classes
• Web 2.0 Tool: Writeboard
• Web 2.0 Tool: Wikispaces
• Web 2.0 Tool: ePals
• Web 2.0 Tool: Gaggle
• Web 2.0 Tool: GoogleDocs
• Web 2.0 Tool: Audacity
• Web 2.0 Tool: GarageBand