This morning marked the beginning of year 9 of instructional rounds, a model borrowed from the medical field in order to better connect division administrators to the important work taking place in our classrooms every day. The backdrop for our original efforts was City et al.’s book entitled Instructional Rounds in Education.
The book describes the practice as, “a network approach to improving teaching and learning” – and its main focus is to assist educational leaders and practitioners in developing a shared understanding of what high-quality instruction looks like and what schools and divisions need to do to support it.
This year, or course, our rounds look a little different. Throughout the morning, small teams visited classrooms at Goochland Elementary School, along with several elementary “classrooms” operating in the distance learning environment. We saw engaged students and talented, creative instructional staff everywhere we visited.
Instructional rounds will continue after the new year at Goochland Middle School.