Why Use Gallery Walk?
Use Gallery Walk to promote class discussion, higher order thinking, cooperative learning,
and team building.
Show Image Credits
Hide Palmerstown, 2004. Higher Order Thinking, accessed 12
November 2004.
Image Source: Douglas College, 2004. Class Pictures, accessed 12
November 2004.
Gallery Walk:
- dedicates time for students to practice discussing, debating, organizing, and writing the
language of earth science rather than just hearing ideas presented by the instructor;
- promotes the use of higher order thinking skills like analysis, evaluation, and synthesis when faculty choose the proper level of abstraction when designing questions; Learn more about creating questions for Gallery Walk using Bloom's Taxonomy
- emphasizes the collaborative, constructed nature of knowledge because students work in teams to synthesize information written from a variety of perspectives (Taylor, 2001); Learn more about cooperative learning
- encourages alternative approaches to problems, because students are exposed to a variety of perspectives posted at different discussion "stations" (Taylor, P. 2001);
- reassures students that their voices, ideas, and experiences are valued because students are more likely to share ideas among a non threatening group of peers (Taylor, P. 2001);
- provides an opportunity to gauge prior knowledge, skills, and misconceptions. The existing conceptual framework of students can be challenged and, if faulty, corrected during the "report out" phase of the Gallery Walk; Learn more about common student misconceptions in the earth sciences
- promotes team building, fosters debate, and encourages consensus as students work together to accurately represent group member's ideas at different Gallery Walk "stations;"
- acts as an ice breaker because students need to interact with classmates and the instructor when debating responses at each Gallery Walk "station"; and
- encourages movement around classroom as groups move from "station" to "station", interrupting the lethargy that sometimes results from being seated for long periods.
How to Use Gallery Walk. Learn more here.
References
- Taylor, P. 2001. Gallery Walk, http://www.cct.umb.edu/gallerywalk.html (more info) 3 October 2004.