Learning walks have become popular over the years. Many protocols exist to help administrative teams gather observations of learning around the school. Fieldwork Education's Looking for Learning is one of those (affectionately known to some as "Lurking for Learning"). The idea is for administrators to conduct classroom walk throughs, make observations, gather data, then provide timely, relevant feedback to teachers.
I've recently taken a more literal interpretation of learning walks. I go on a walk and I wonder about the things I see, hear, smell, feel and taste. While I do that I imagine what a 5 year old, 12 year old or 17 year old might wonder about. Then I imagine how I, as a learning mentor, might help that child pursue those wonderings. What resources might I provide for additional information? What experiences might I create to help them build their understanding? What kinds of projects and outcomes might I help the students to accomplish as they apply their knowledge? Which dispositions and skills might I need to be explicit with them?
The inspiration for the walks is a set of touristy cards we purchased years ago titled City Walks Chicago. There are 50 cards, each describing a short (1 to 2 miles) walk in a different part of the city. I've really been enjoying the autumn whether and getting to know our home city. As
Here's one such example based on a walk I took in Lincoln Park of Chicago. (You can see all of my walks here. https://citywalkschicago.blogspot.com/2019/09/20-lincoln-park-south.html
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