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Why Most Classroom Walkthroughs are Ineffective

Video Transcript

Hi, my name is Bob Marzano. Let me give you a little background about myself: I was a classroom teacher many years ago in New York and Seattle, but I got excited about and hooked on the research part of our profession very early in life. For 30-plus years I’ve been trying to translate research and theory into practice. I’ve worked with great colleagues and we’ve had the opportunity to work in every state, numerous times, and in different countries. Myself and my colleagues have written a number of books on teaching, 30-plus books, and you could even increase that number if you look at handbooks and curriculum materials.

We believe that as a group we know as much about good teaching as anybody in the country. The organization we have, the Marzano Research Lab, we pride ourselves in working with teachers and working with schools, trying to take research and theory and translate it into something they can do in their classrooms right away. I believe we’ve taken one of the most comprehensive views of teaching that exists right now. In each area we look at we can go in depth, but also we have a broad picture, too. So if you’re a school or a district or an individual teacher, if you want that broad perspective from people who’ve read other research and done our own research, you might take a look at what we have done and what we’re doing right now, particularly with this very exciting project.

As I’ve traveled across the country—and I still travel quite a bit and work all 50 states and every year I’m out in numerous states across the country—I’ve come to the conclusion that although the walkthrough movement is a good movement and a powerful movement, most walkthroughs that I’ve seen I think are ineffective. And actually, I think some work against developing effective teachers. The primary reason for that is that the walkthroughs I’ve seen focus on typically a very narrow range of instructional strategies, as though that were the totality of what effective teaching is. Commonly they’ll use strategies from one of the books I’ve written on Classroom Instruction that Works and they’ll just focus on that. Although it was a good book and it had good strategies, to say that is good teaching is very inaccurate. And actually, we never said that in the book, never at all. As a matter of fact, if people read the first chapter, we caution against that. Now, unfortunately, we wrote that way before the walkthrough movement even started—even before it was a term that people recognized. Unfortunately, there’s some walkthroughs out there that do focus on a narrow range of instructional strategies. Some of them associate my name with it. Just to be clear about that, I’ve not worked in the development of any other observational or walkthrough protocol other than this one, the iObservation protocol. It is something that has actually bothered me quite a bit, when people say we’re using your walkthrough protocol, and I always see what it is. I always have to say that’s not mine, but if that works for you, that’s great, but I actually don’t believe that’s good practice. The iObservation system is the only one I’ve worked on and I’ve picked iObservation on purpose because of the strengths of the platform and the strengths of the people running the company and the philosophy. Again, walkthroughs are a good thing, but I think they can be misused and quite frankly most of the use of walkthroughs that I’ve observed in schools aren’t having as positive of effect as they could, and actually in some cases I think they are having a negative effect in relation to enhancing teachers’ skill in the classroom.

Dr. Marzano Describes How to Use Student Data in Evaluations Dr. Robert Marzano explains the role student achievement data should play for effective evaluations and teacher support. Dr. Marzano Outlines the Sources for Teacher Evaluation Data Dr. Robert Marzano lists the sources for data on teachers that should be part of a effective and accurate evaluation system. Dr. Marzano Asks, “Are Students Learning What Teachers are Teaching?” Dr. Marzano questions whether current student achievement data is an accurate reflection of instructional practices or teacher effectiveness. The Role of Deliberate Practice in Developing Expertise Dr. Marzano describes deliberate practice as more than just implementing an instructional strategy; it is creating a targeted focus on improving pedagogical skills with opportunities to receive feedback and observe exemplary models. Implementing Strategies to Get Student Gains Dr. Marzano notes that a teacher's use of research-based strategies does not automatically suggest that students have learned. In order to impact learning, teachers must track their own growth against gains observed in student performance. Dr. Marzano Explains the Need to Align Walkthroughs, Teacher Evaluations & Professional Development Dr. Marzano explains the most critical error hindering districts from their efforts to enhance teaching and learning: misaligned classroom walkthrough, teacher evaluation, and professional development. Dr. Marzano Describes 3 Phases in the Development of a District System Dr. Marzano recommends phases in which districts can engage to support teachers to incrementally improve their teaching each year as it relates to student achievement. Why Most Classroom Walkthroughs are Ineffective Dr. Robert Marzano reflects on limitations of most classroom walkthrough and teacher observation systems. Dr. Marzano Expresses Concerns About the Misuse of His Research with Walkthroughs Dr. Robert Marzano expresses concerns about the inaccurate association of his name with other classroom walkthrough and teacher observation systems. Announcing the Marzano Art & Science of Teaching Observation and Feedback Protocol Dr. Robert Marzano explains why he is against classroom walkthrough systems that only focus on a narrow set of strategies and introduces his Art & Science of Teaching Observation and Feedback Protocol in iObservation. Looking Beyond High-Yield Strategies Dr. Robert Marzano recommends moving beyond a simple checklist of strategies to using high-probability strategies that reflect and honor the complexity of the teaching/learning process. Dr. Marzano Addresses the Critical Need for a Robust Model of Instruction Dr. Robert Marzano defines a robust and comprehensive model of instruction and suggests how districts can integrate his Observation and Feedback Protocol into their own existing models. Dr. Marzano Describes PLCs in iObservation Drs. Robert Marzano and Debra Pickering describe their excitement about the strength of iObservation in developing professional learning communities (PLCs). Fidelity of Program and Practice Dr. Robert Marzano defines the highest level of implementation in terms of how districts and educators can adapt programs and models to fit their contextual situation. Marzano Art & Science of Teaching Observation and Feedback Protocol in iObservation Dr. Robert Marzano shares his excitement about synthesizing nearly 40 years of his research reflected through the Art & Science of Teaching Observation and Feedback Protocol in iObservation. Leadership with a Singular Focus on Instruction Gets Results Dr. Robert Marzano highlights what research tells us about effective district and school leadership practices that get results. Dr. Marzano Explains the Power of a Common Language of Instruction Dr. Robert Marzano explains why a common language/model of instruction is the foundation for improving teaching and learning. Dr. Robert Marzano: “My Online Master’s Degree is a Dream Come True” Dr. Robert Marzano has developed a master's degree in the Art and Science of Teaching that he would have enjoyed experiencing himself as a teacher. Dr. Robert Marzano’s Online Master’s Degree Dr. Robert Marzano explains how his new online master's program can increase pedagogical skills in such a way that enhances student achievement and perhaps even personal satisfaction. Distinguishing Evidence from Research Drs. Robert Marzano and Debra Pickering discuss the distinction between research-based theories, which are situational vs. evidence-based practices, which are contextual. Dr. Douglas Reeves Announces His Leadership Performance Matrix in iObservation Dr. Douglas Reeves explains his new vision for leadership assessment and coaching as presented in the Leadership Performance Matrix, powered by iObservation. He also shares key tips to improved leadership performance.