Learning Walks & Peer Observation

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Why it works

Teaching is unusually isolated, and teachers learn a great deal from seeing each other's practice. Learning walks and peer observation, organized around a shared focus and kept strictly non-evaluative, let teachers gather and discuss real practice, spread effective strategies, and build a collaborative culture, provided they are about learning, not judgment.

The research: Research on learning walks, instructional rounds, and peer observation.

The run-of-show

Choose your slot. The agenda, timings, and length update to match.

The core activity: plan a learning walk

Leaders leave with a learning walk planned around one shared focus, kept non-evaluative.

Choose a single shared focus: a specific practice or student behavior.
Plan what observers will look for and note, evidence, not judgment.
Plan how the group will debrief what they saw, without evaluating individuals.
Plan how the learning gets shared and acted on.

A shared focus, not a judgmentLearning walks work when everyone looks for the same specific thing and talks about patterns, not individual teachers. Keep it about learning.

Facilitator notes

Pick one clear focus.
Gather evidence, not opinions.
Debrief patterns, not people, and keep it fully separate from evaluation.

Keep it non-evaluative, or it diesThe moment a learning walk feels like evaluation, teachers close their doors. Protect it as a shared learning activity.

Adapt it

Elementary and secondary: the same approach.
Instructional rounds: a more structured version.
All settings: one focus, non-evaluative.

Participant handout

One page for every teacher. Print it, or save it as a PDF.

K12 Academics · Professional Learning

Learning Walks: one focus, non-evaluative

Learn from each other: a shared focus, evidence not judgment, a debrief about patterns.

The single shared focus:
What observers look for and note:
How the group debriefs without evaluating:
How the learning is shared and acted on:
How we keep it non-evaluative:

Make it stick

One focus, about learning:

Use one focus at a time.
Debrief patterns, not people.
Bring a learning walk that spread a practice to the leadership team.

Common questions

Isn't this just classroom observation for evaluation?

No. Learning walks are non-evaluative and about a shared focus, not judging individuals. Keeping them separate from evaluation is what makes them work.

What do you look for on a learning walk?

A single shared focus agreed in advance, for example how students respond to questions, so observers gather specific, comparable evidence rather than general impressions.

Won't teachers feel judged?

Only if it is not kept non-evaluative. Clear norms, a shared focus, and feedback to the group rather than individuals keep it safe and useful.