Improving Teacher Instructional Practice - New Technology Delivers

When we first became aware of the iWalkthough technology being utilized by several Maine school districts, we were intrigued by the possibilities of the device. There were two initial aspects that caught our eye.

First, we were impressed with the practical application of the PDA mobile technology. The device clearly represents another step into the world of wireless portability. With the phrase, “work smarter, not harder” thrown about liberally these days, the iWalkthrough appeared to be precisely a step in that direction.

Second, the device matched one of the preferred processes of many administrators for gathering feedback on instructional practices, the pop-in visit. Yet it was also clear that the focus of the device was not to be evaluative; instead, it was to provide the necessary feedback and the data that would help hard-working teachers improve their instructional practices.

As we began to look into the device, two additional aspects caught our eye. First, there was the extensive vetting process that the Great Schools Partnership utilized to determine the various pull down menus, a process that involved teachers and extensive test-driving.

Then there was the extremely positive feedback we received from everyone in the field currently using the device. It was because of that exceptional positive feedback that we decided to do our extensive look at the device.

Today we complete our series at the place we really began. Today we share with readers the feedback from the field, feedback that demonstrates the iWalkthrough delivers on its intended outcomes.

Easy to Learn, Easy to Use

All schools contacted indicated the training was more than adequate and that the device was a cinch to learn. Patrick Hartnett of Leavitt Area High School in Turner, Maine, notes, “The PALM is easy to use and the website is easily navigated.”

Fellow district principal Pam Doyen at Leeds Elementary School states unequivocally, “I find the iWalk-through incredible easy. The training was more than sufficient. I trained my staff by introducing the iWalkthrough technology and process at a staff meeting. I then hired a sub for a day and took teachers with me one at a time to practice. It was simple.”

Adds Hartnett, when it came time to use the technology “we had about a one hour overview then spent our time calibrating in pairs, going into rooms to collect. We then spent our time comparing and discussing what does ‘engaged’ mean?”

Indeed many report the conversations that the device creates are exceptionally rich. Julie Treadwell the athletic director at Maine Central High School in Pittsfield adds, “My staff jumped into the project and I feel they thoroughly enjoyed the process of observations, especially the conversations that came from them.”

The simplicity of the process has made the tool a godsend for busy administrators and other teacher leaders. “The device has worked excellent for me as a busy administrator,” notes Tim Doak, Principal of Fort Kent High School in Fort Kent. “When your day is extremely busy, having this small device to work with makes the observation a lot easier. I keep it on me everywhere I going in the building. It allows me to streamline my work-load.”

Adds Doyen, “As an administrator, it is truly time-efficient to spend 5 minutes in a classroom, gather information and then spend a minute (or less) inputting the data.”

Immediate Impact

As staff members learn about the tool and its intent, they immediately welcome its use. Notes Doak, “The comfort zone of the staff has been great. The staff is now also doing walkthroughs on one another – that is the key ingredient in the whole process. Our teachers have embraced the process and will use the data during theory grade level meeting times. “

Doyen adds, “Teachers have been comfortable with no concerns voiced. In fact, they have been looking forward to doing iwalkthroughs with each other.”

Garry Spencer, Principal at Central High School in Corinth, notes, “Staff have changed their practices because of the device and the feedback. Correlations immediately emerge. We can then determine, what are we doing? Are we in fact accomplishing what we want to be accomplishing?

“The device has done everything we had hoped for and more,” states Spencer who has trained two administrators and five teaching staff to use the device.

“We have done a lot of work with Bloom’s Taxonomy in the classroom by grade, by building, and with every other school in the State using the walkthrough program,” adds Doak. “We’ve done comparisons and percentages.”

“The device, the supporting software, and the website are excellent tools to collect data for instructional patterns,” indicates Hartnett. “The data is clear and shows whole school as well as sub group trends like social studies or ninth grade specific data. Of course, the credibility and reliability of the data comes with the more that is collected, the more accurate it becomes.

Very Few Shortcomings Noted

Obviously, one issue for the device is a reliable wireless connection, something that can be an issue in rural Maine and in older school buildings. However, it would seem that the wireless potential far outweighs the potential connection concerns. But clearly to be effective the technology backbone must be strong.

One administrator added that he would like to see an email be delivered automatically to teachers who have opted for identification to make them aware of the feedback that had been entered after a class observation. That would appear to also streamline the process a bit further.

Lastly, where the intent of the device is to provide whole school information and to prevent individual teachers from being targeted, the size of the school can be particularly important. A small school with only one or two teachers at a specific grade level may result in data that is so transparent that individual teacher data may be discernible.

Cutting Edge Technology Delivers

The iWalkthrough clearly represents one of the instructional feedback tools of the future. It provides powerful feedback and is based upon teaching practices that are proven to lead to greater student achievement levels. The extensive vetting process and continued refinement that has taken place alongside the implementation process is exemplary.

Add to the fact that this technology allows educators to work smarter, not harder and the iWalkthrough represents one of the best uses of technology in the educational setting to date.

Photos by TaK, Old Shoe Woman, Sue Waters,
gegresh, and Van Berto.