explore · Knowledge Sharing, Ideation, Feedback · 30–60 min · 9-40 people in teams of 3-5 · medium energy
Gallery Walk
Questions or prompts hang on charts around the room. Small teams start at different stations, write their response, then rotate every few minutes, reading what earlier teams wrote and adding to it. When teams return to the station they started at, they summarise everything on it for the room.
When to use Gallery Walk
Use when you have several questions to work on and want every person to contribute to all of them without long plenary discussion.
What it solves
Plenary discussion of five questions takes the whole morning and only a few people ever speak.
How to run Gallery Walk, step by step
- Write 4-6 questions on charts and hang them around the room (prep).
- Form teams of 3-5. Give each team a different coloured marker and a starting station (3 min).
- Teams discuss and write responses at their first station (5 min).
- Rotate every 3-5 minutes. Read what is there, add new points, and tick what you agree with (20-25 min).
- Back at the first station, each team synthesises the chart and reports the key points (10-15 min).
Materials needed
- Chart paper or flip charts, one per question
- Markers in a different colour per team
- Tape
- Timer
Facilitator tips
- Rotate who holds the pen at each station so everyone contributes.
- Ask for short bullets near the top of the chart, or later teams find no space.
- Walk the room. It is the easiest moment to spot misunderstandings.
Common pitfalls
- By the fourth station teams just tick earlier comments. Shorten later rounds or change the prompt to 'what is missing?'.
- Too many stations for the time, so the rotation is rushed.
Variations
- Use the walk to give feedback on teams' own posters or prototypes instead of questions.
Running it online or hybrid
Make one frame per station on a shared board and move breakout groups between frames on a timer.
What it produces
One chart per question, built up by every team, with a short synthesis of each.
Origin
A classroom discussion technique documented by the Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College, widely used in training and workshops. — source
Build a session around Gallery Walk
METODIC places Gallery Walk inside a complete, timed session plan — agenda, worksheets, facilitator guide and slides — matched to your group and goal.