Abstract
Showcasing the "Downey Walk-Through"--a method developed over a 40-year period, tested and refined in real-world schools and classrooms, and described in the pioneering book, "The Three-Minute Classroom Walk-Through," this innovative multimedia presentation provides trainers and staff developers with a complete resource answering the questions most important to principals: (1) How do our teachers align their instructional practices with the district curriculum? (2) How are they using research-based "best practices"? (3) How are they choosing the instructional strategies that will impact student achievement? and (4) How do I motivate staff to be reflective in their practice and personally accountable for their teaching decisions? Highlighting the reflective practice component that is both unique and integral to the Downey Walk-Through model, "The Multimedia Kit for The Three-Minute Classroom Walk-Through" includes: (1) The pioneering book, "The Three-Minute Classroom Walk-Through" providing the foundational framework for understanding the model as well as the steps and processes for adopting and using it; (2) A 130-minute, content-rich VHS video that features author Carolyn Downey demonstrating in schools, with both administrators and teachers, exactly what the model looks like in practice. This comprehensive video shows teachers in their own classrooms, the principal-teacher conversations that follow, administrator reflection practices, and additional interviews with the contributing authors of the book; (3) A companion DVD with navigational menus and bullets for easy stop-and-search control of the video content; (4) A companion CD-ROM containing all the overheads; and (5) A step-by-step facilitator's guide that connects the core content of the book to the video, DVD and CD-ROM. Included in the guide are video, DVD, and CD-ROM segment prompts, workshop outlines, extended workshop activities, discussion questions, and major points of emphasis. This comprehensive all-in-one package is an indispensable resource for anyone planning, designing, or conducting training on the powerful new classroom walk-through model, including staff developers, district and school administrators, mentor principals, and turnkey staff. After a preface, introduction, chapter-by-chapter study guide for "The Three-Minute Classroom Walk-Through," and "Welcome and Seminar Series Starter," this book is divided into the following 10 chapters: (1) Understanding the Rationale Underlying the Walk-Through and Reflective Approach; (2) Conducting the Walk-Through Observation: A Five-Step Process; (3) Moving Staff to Reflective Inquiry: Focusing on the Reflective Question and Conversation; (4) Constructing a Taxonomy of Reflective Questions and Their Use in the Classroom Walk-Through; (5) Establishing Logistical Procedures for Implementing the Walk-Through Process; (6) Cultivating the Culture; (7) Using the Walk-Through Process to Promote a Collaborative, Reflective Culture; (8) Determining Whether Walk-Throughs Are the Right Stuff; (9) Understanding the Walk-Through as a Discursive Practice; and (10) Linking the Walk-Through Process to a Model of Teacher Growth. The book concludes with: Ways to Organize the Seminars; Sample Agendas; and Seminar Series Evaluation Sample.