Gallery Walk
Gallery walk is a natural activity to get students working in teams to gather information, analyse, refine and present findings to their peers.
Quote from Leigh Shapiro, Dawson College
What is it?
Gallery walk is an instructional strategy that actively engages students in analytical dialogue as they review ideas/ artifacts/solutions/etc. Ultimately, the goal is determined by the instructor. Work is displayed (on the classroom walls, on a computer, etc.) and students circulate to review and critique or judge. This activity can last 15 minutes or may take place over a couple of classes.
Purpose: This review is typically intended to provide feedback to help peers refine or improve their work but may also be used to prioritize or judge the quality of a piece against a standard.
Skills Promoted
- Analytical reasoning
- Evaluative reasoning
- Communication skills
Who's using it?
SALTISE community members who use this strategy and are willing to share advice and/or resources.
| Institution | Discipline | Instructor | Classroom settings |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Concordia University Level: University |
Social Sciences |
Traditional Classroom Classroom size: All sizes |
|
|
McGill University Level: University |
Engineering |
Traditional Classroom Classroom size: 200 |
|
|
Ontario College of Art and Design Level: University |
Arts |
Traditional Classroom Classroom size: 25 |
|
|
Dawson College Level: College |
Organic Chemistry |
Traditional Classroom/Active Learning Classroom Classroom size: 30-40 |
|
|
Dawson College Level: College |
Biology |
Active Learning Classroom Classroom size: 30-40 |
| Institution |
Concordia University Level: University |
McGill University Level: University |
Ontario College of Art and Design Level: University |
Dawson College Level: College |
Dawson College Level: College |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Discipline |
Social Sciences |
Engineering |
Arts |
Organic Chemistry |
Biology |
| Instructor | |||||
| Classroom settings |
Traditional Classroom Classroom size: All sizes |
Traditional Classroom Classroom size: 200 |
Traditional Classroom Classroom size: 25 |
Traditional Classroom/Active Learning Classroom Classroom size: 30-40 |
Active Learning Classroom Classroom size: 30-40 |
Why use it?
Benefits
Challenges
Benefits
With gallery walk each student can become an “expert” on all of the questions, but must only spend the time to completing one. Students learn to evaluate each others responses and provide helpful, respectful feedback. They can also assess their own understanding by providing explanations for their work.
Challenges
Some students become protective of their answers, whereas others readily incorporate comments. If students don’t do the prior reading, it is difficult for them to participate in the activity. Consequently, incorporating a mini lecture or summary at the start of the activity can place students on a more even playing field. Some groups are much faster than others. Additional steps or problems can be provided for students who have additional time.
Ready to try it out?
Students form groups of 3 to 6 students and are assigned (if available) to an interactive whiteboard or a dry-erase whiteboard. Can also be done in a traditional classroom as posters. Presented here are two approaches that can be followed.
STEP 1: Instructor assigns a problem to each group of students. Problems may be identical or distinct, but they generally address related content.
STEP 2: In groups, students try to solve their assigned problem.
STEP 3: In groups, students move around the class room and peer-review the work completed by another group, making annotations and providing feedback.
STEP 4: In groups, students examine the feedback provided by their peers before analizing their response.
STEP 5: Instructor evaluates all responses with the class, highlighting any errors and distinct procedures for arriving at correct solutions.
Related Activities
Helpful resources
References
Keong, C. C., Kian, T. T. and Aquino, J. B. (2016). Peer-assessed gallery walk as a teaching strategy: A professional development experience for 21st century education. Conference paper: 3rd International Conference on Teacher Learning and Development, At Penang, Malaysia.
Schendel, J., Liu C. and Chelberg D. (2008). Virtual gallery walk, an innovative outlet for sharing student research work in K-12 classrooms. 38th Annual Frontiers in Education Conference.
Ridwan, M. (2016). Gallery walk; An alternative learning strategy in increasing students’ active learning. UNHAS Repository System (Hasanuddin University).
Rodenbaugh, D. W. (2015). Maximize a team-based learning gallery walk experience: Herding cats is easier than you think. Advances in Physiology Education, American Physiological Society.
Yildiz, M. (2017). Engineering innovative transdisciplinary projects: Gallery walk. In P. Resta & S. Smith (Eds.), Proceedings of Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference.
Farikah, F. (2017). The implementation of jingle button with gallery walk (JB-GW) model in developing english competence of economic faculty students of Tidar University.. ADRI International Journal Of Research Language Educational and Linguistic..
Video
Teaching Tip – Jim Drinkwine: Gallery Walks – Renton Technical College, Administrative Office Management instructor
TO LEARN MORE
For more resources go to Articles and Books