
Most commonly, gallery walks are done with questions or pictures. A gallery walk is a way to create movement for students while they dialogue. Simply put, students get out of their desks and move through the room past the pictures or the questions. Students can be recording thoughts, ideas, and answers on their own paper, or putting questions and thoughts up on the chart paper that has been provided so that others can enter into what has been recorded before they get to the gallery walk exhibit.
Depending on your outcome, gallery walks can be done individually, in partners, or small groups. The number of exhibits can vary for a gallery walk, but realize the more stations the more time that is needed to complete the gallery walk. Rotating through the exhibits can be a formal organized process where each station gets approximately 3-5 minutes, while other gallery walks can be more fluid allowing the students to choose how long they stay at a station. Teachers move through the room collecting observations to inform future lessons, or to stimulate conversations. It is always important at the end of the gallery walk there is some type of synthesis of thought.
- It is most effective when the gallery walk is set up with open ended questions, or a focus that engages in higher order thinking skills
- Clear step by step instructions and expectations of how the gallery walk should progress and how students should record their learning is important.
- Arranging the room so that it is conducive to students moving through the different exhibits.