In a literacy walk, we visit one another’s classrooms, taking clear and accurate notes about what teachers are doing and how students are working. Before a walk, team members set up a schedule to visit classrooms and establish a focus for what they are going to notice and note. After the walk, they gather to debrief their notes, thoughts, and ideas.
Literacy walks provide opportunities for teachers, instructional coaches, and administrators to work together to support the growth of individual teachers, grade-level teachers, and the whole faculty. They also provide opportunities for teachers and administrators to gain insight into effective literacy practices and for teams to decide for themselves what they need next in professional development.
Literacy walks are not evaluations. They are not designed to judge or determine the effectiveness of a teacher or their practices. They are designed to collect information that teachers and administrators can discuss and learn from to grow together. They are also designed to collect data in a classroom about what teachers and students are doing that encourages learning.
Literacy walks enable us to examine our practices and work to ensure we’re making our instruction and learning environments as equitable as possible. That means creating practices that help us notice and address the complicated layers of race, ethnicity, class, gender, learning style, etc., of each and all of our students. Students of color in particular have been historically underserved, which means, too often, their educational needs are not met over time. By guiding us to examine our practices in light of the outcomes for all students, literacy walks help us ensure that we guide students to read and write well, regardless of who they are and where they come from.
The data we collect might include observations of students or discussions with them about what they are learning—anything that helps us create a picture in our mind of what is happening. There are various ways to collect qualitative data during literacy walks, including note-taking and using checklists. The key to a successful literacy walk is collecting data that paints a clear picture of what is happening in classrooms as it relates to teaching and learning.
The professional learning power of a literacy walk lies in the dual nature of its impact—both for the teachers being observed and for the observing team members. Literacy walks provide an opportunity for us to help colleagues meet particular challenges they might be experiencing in their classrooms. By observing, note-taking, and reflecting on our observations, we can help them overcome those challenges. At the same time, this problem-solving helps us reflect on our own teaching, note what may or may not be happening with our students, and turn to our colleagues for solutions. No one has all the answers, all of the time. But working with colleagues brings us closer to answers as we engage in productive inquiry and take collective responsibility for aligning our instruction with student learning, which is transformative for our students.
As we discover ways to tweak or overhaul our practices, we develop an understanding of how the opportunities we provide students lead to increased learning. Literacy walks are efficacious; we are empowered to take ownership of our own professional learning and to pave the way for changes in our classrooms that would not have been possible without learning in partnership with our colleagues.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Nancy Akhavan is a nationally recognized educator, author, and consultant. She currently is an Associate Professor in the Department of Educational Leadership at California State University, Fresno. Nancy has written numerous books for teachers and presents at conferences across the United States. She also provides instructional coaching and leadership coaching to teachers and administrators across the country. She has taught a variety of grade levels and courses, including doctoral courses in educational leadership.
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