Classroom walkthroughs often become routine, or worse, something teachers dread. But a walkthrough can be something else: the start of a real conversation between a leader and a teacher, built on curiosity instead of judgment.
This course is for principals and instructional leaders who want their classroom visits to build trust, not just check a box. You don't need a perfect observation protocol to begin, just a willingness to notice, ask, and listen differently.
Over four weeks, you'll learn how to build trust, notice patterns and themes, and create an instructional walk habit, one classroom conversation at a time.
Length: Four Weeks
Audience: Open to New and Veteran Principals
Format: Self-Paced Lessons, Live Zoom Sessions, and Asynchronous Discussion in The Hallway
By the end of this course, you will have:
Learned the three-step instructional walk process: sharing your intentions, visiting classrooms, and engaging in coaching conversations
Understood the shift from judging to learning, and why current supervision systems make this shift difficult
Distinguished instructional walks from mini-observations, rounds, and traditional walkthroughs
Practiced the three key coaching skills: pausing, paraphrasing, and posing questions
Conduct your first instructional walks and document what you observe using a nonevaluative, narrative format
Build an instructional walk habit using a cue, routine, and reward, so visits become consistent rather than occasional
Communicate your intentions to your staff before beginning walks, so visits are understood rather than a source of anxiety
Hold a coaching conversation after a visit that starts with affirmation before moving toward reflection
Each week follows a simple rhythm, built around your own building, not just the course lessons.
Plan – Look at next week's calendar and schedule your classroom visit times, along with your intention or mindset for the week.
Visit – Spend 15 minutes in 2–3 classrooms a day, using the course's instructional framework as your lens (the "what").
Talk – Follow up briefly with each teacher, connecting what you saw to their goals and the school's shared focus.
Capture – Jot a short summary after each visit (the "how").
Share – By the end of the week, pull your notes together into a short staff newsletter (the "why"), so your whole building sees what you're noticing and why it matters.
Course participants can access additional support for only $150/session.
In this one-hour virtual event, leaders explored why they are struggling to get into classrooms and how they can empower others to share leadership responsibilities.
Downloadable resources are included with the recorded webinar.
In this first week, we take those initial steps into classrooms. The goal is to become acquainted with the idea of instructional walks: informal classroom visits focused on teacher strengths and a desire to learn. We accomplish this by listening to teachers, getting curious about the thinking behind their practice, and celebrating what's going well.
In this second week, we find our thinking beginning to change. With each instructional walk, we start to see instruction as an experience to observe and appreciate rather than judge or fix. With our defenses down, we find opportunities for influence, with the teacher as a partner in this process.
In this third week, we are beginning to see patterns in our observations and interactions. Some teachers surprise us, disrupting assumptions we had about them before engaging in instructional walks. This understanding unfolds through the humility that we bring to each classroom.
In this fourth week, classroom visits may not yet feel like a habit. Committing to change in our work means prioritizing instructional walks in our calendar as well as leveraging tools to keep motivation strong. The outcome is improved awareness of the instructional pulse of the school, along with appreciation from teachers and students of your visible support.
An updated list of common questions about instructional walks