How School Administrators Build Learning-Focused Relationships Using Classroom Walk-Throughs

What is a walk-through?

It depends on the school culture. It could be a 5-10 minutes, scheduled or unscheduled, informal observation. It is more intentional than a classroom visit, which can be more interactive and casual. A walk-through has a particular focus, usually grounded in a particular standard of practice.

What is the value of a walk-through?

Your presence in the classroom has great value to the students, teacher, and you as the instructional leader. In the beginning, you are establishing a routine of being present and getting a sense of the classroom climate and culture. You are communicating your commitment to focusing on supporting the instructional program.

What to do during a walk-through:

1. Smile and nod – make it a genuine smile, smile at students, smile at the teacher, smile at paraprofessionals who might be in the room. You will begin to establish a system of how to communicate that you are on a quick walk-through and the teacher and students should carry on with the lesson as though you were not there. Enter each classroom with positive intentionality and expect to observe something that you will be able to begin a positive conversation with the teacher after you leave.
2. If you must carry a phone or a walkie when you visit classrooms, step out of the classroom if you must take a call or respond to a text. Other than this, your hands should be empty, especially in the beginning of the school year (more on how this evolves as the school year progresses in a future blog post).
3. Focus on teacher-student and student-student interactions, both verbal and non-verbal. Forget about looking for a posted objective or student work samples, that will come in time. Look for interactions that encourage students to participate and learn. Don’t forget to keep smiling.
4. As you make you exit, try to catch the teacher’s eye. Smile, nod and silently say “thank you.” You want leave the classroom with non-verbal communication that you were glad to spend time with the class, which will help to lower the teacher’s anxiety during your next visit.

How to following up after a walk-through:

In the beginning, your walk-throughs will naturally spark informal conversation, either initiated by you or the teacher. Keep these conversations casual and not evaluative (unless you observed something egregious that would require action on your part). Writing a quick note is definitely the next level of practice for walk-throughs, which will be covered in a future post.

Stay tuned…