How can Vertical Team Walkthroughs Create Continuous Connections to Exemplary Practices for Teachers

Cindy Riedl
Oct 11, 2010

With the time constraints and demands of the typical school day, little opportunity exists in most schools for teachers to reflect on instruction or to examine how their peers are implementing the exemplary practices learned during training and to discover the unique and creative ways their peers are implementing them. Vertical team walkthroughs are the solution because they can provide teachers with the opportunity to continuously create connections to exemplary practices.

Overall, the goal of vertical teaming is to increase student achievement through the discussion of how different teachers are implementing exemplary practices as they interpret and teach the content and skills identified in the state standards at each grade level. Vertical teams in different school settings are often designed differently although the goal remains the same.

To experience a highly effective example of vertical teaming, you might visit Kathleen Elementary School in Polk County, Florida. A teacher from each of the K - 5 classrooms meets with Principal Lana Tatom and Assistant Principal Sara Kocab to go over the observation form. Specific focus points from the observation sheet are assigned to each teacher observer. These focus points include (1) Classroom Expectations, i.e Student Learning Maps are posted, visible and readable, students can identify the Lesson Essential Question for the lesson being taught, vocabulary with pictures are displayed on the Student Learning Maps with the corresponding concept, Word Walls contain appropriate grade level words and visuals to enhance retention and meaning, (2) Focus on Instruction, i.e. Identifying group format, identifying exemplary instructional practices and identifying research-based instructional practices such as Collaborative Pairs, note-taking and distributed summarizing, utilizing higher order thinking questions, (3) Focus on the Learner, such as identifying engagement through student actions, determining level of student work concerning levels of learning, evidence of teacher response to student learning needs, (4) Reading Expectations and (5) Math Expectations.

The team spends 10 minutes in the classroom observing instruction, student responses and involvement, student note-books, classroom arrangements of Word Walls, evidence of learning centers, and also question students concerning the Lesson Essential Question and possibly the organizer they are using to record information.

After the ten minutes are up, the team meets in the hall to quickly debrief by identifying what was documented on the observation sheets and to provide three great things that were observed as well as one suggestion for the teacher. This process continues until all six classrooms are experienced. Finally, the team returns to the conference room to review their collection of observation sheets to identify and share trends they are seeing in all the rooms experienced, strengths they have identified that these teachers had in common and then those things that need to improve upon. While the team is sharing this information, Principal Lana Tatom is recording their responses to create a document to be shared with all teachers in the school, which allows everyone a chance to benefit from the information collected during the walkthrough.

The next team will consist of a new group of K-5 teachers. This process will continue throughout the year and will document the progress these teachers are making with the consistent and pervasive implementation of exemplary practices. These teachers and the administration have become a professional community of learners. They assess their progress and make adjustments to become more adept at assuring all students are making progress. It is an incredibly simple and practical plan for professional growth. We want students to become independent learners and take responsibility for continuous improvement. These teams model just that. They are taking responsibility for their professional development by fine tuning their skills and practices in a collaborate atmosphere.

A timeline of change that would support this practice of vertical team walkthroughs might consist of the following:

Change 1: A change in teacher to teacher conversations and changes in teacher relationships.
Change 2: An observable change in individual teacher practices during instruction
Change 3: An observable change in what students are doing in the learning process.
Change 4: A measurable increase in student achievement (academic, behavioral, attitudinal).

How does your school create continuous connections to exemplary practices for teachers?