Dr Bev Freedman – Learning Walk

Last month, school leaders, principals and associate principals joined together to learn from Dr Bev Freedman, an internationally recognized expert on Visible Learning, who led staff through a Learning Walk to give them a chance to observe what is happening in classrooms and talk to students and teachers.

“These sessions were about how to sharpen your observational skills to give positive feedback in classrooms and support teachers,” said Superintendent of Schools Michael Borgfjord. “It’s about empowering our staff in a way that’s meaningful and supportive, while also creating that culture of reflection and learning.”

“We’re only in classrooms for a very short time, often less than five minutes,” said Dr Bev Freedman. “Our focus isn’t on teaching, our focus is on learning. This is an evidence-based strategy that is proven to move district learning forward. It allows teachers to work together and to fix issues that can arise from observation.”

“This session had so much value,” said Assistant Principal at École J. E. Lapointe School, Kendall Watson. “We were looking at everything from the tasks that the students were doing to the layout of the classroom. Then we focused on if the students knew what they were learning.”