The Impact of Classroom Walkthroughs

I was reading a dissertation published in 2007 by Guy Rossi at the University of Pittsburg entitled, The Classroom Walkthrough: The Perceptions of Elementary School Principals on its Impact on Student Achievement. His results are consistent from what research and data generated from our H.E.A.T./H.E.A.R.T. walkthroughs are revealing -- focused classroom walkthroughs do impact instruction.

Key findings of Rossi's study indicated that the classroom walkthrough did affect instructional
practices and student achievement from the perspective of the elementary school principals. The study showed that teachers were sharing and more aware of best practices, principals were more aware of what is occurring in the classrooms, principals have meaningful data to share with teachers, and principals were better-informed instructional leaders. The entire dissertation is located at the following URL: http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/8703/1/Rossi_ETD_7-29-07.pdf.

The work campus administrators do as instructional leaders cannot be underestimated. Teachers want to hear what their administrators have to say especially after completing a walkthrough. My hope is that this study provides one more piece of evidence as to the efficacy of classroom walkthroughs for improving teaching and learning on your campus.

Clarifying Practice versus Problem

In the Engaged Learning section of the H.E.A.T./H.E.A.R.T. rubric, two of the look-fors reference a "teacher-directed problem." When considering this type of look-for, the observer needs to distinguish "teacher-directed practice" versus a "teacher-directed problem." A teacher-directed problem possesses the following characteristics:
• invites multiple solutions
• possesses a real-world context
• requires higher order thinking (applying and above)
• elicits student's natural curiosity

Teacher-directed practice is just the opposite. These learning episodes focus on single solutions (e.g., worksheet), hover around the remembering and understanding levels of Bloom's taxonomy, and typically provide students with repetitive problems in which to solve. Teacher-directed practice is often associated with lower levels of engagement (students reporting only what they have learned).

Recognizing the difference between these two constructs can increase the reliability of your H.E.A.T./H.E.A.R.T. walkthroughs and provide staff with a more accurate indicator of the level of teaching innovation in the classroom.

90/90 in a Nutshell

The target goal for successful H.E.A.T. Walkthroughs is 90/90 whereby 90% of staff are (1) indicating that they are getting some face-time feedback from their administrator(s) after a walkthrough and (2) acknowledging that the feedback is conducive to their professional growth. In many of our LoTi Digital-Age Schools, both of these numbers are climbing!

As a professional development provider over the past 20 years, I am hard-pressed to find a better way of promoting continuous improvement than through the Classroom Walkthroughs with H.E.A.T process. Why? Though other forms of P.D. (onsite, online, blended) have their obvious strengths and corresponding weaknesses, the walkthrough experience is targeted, timely, and highly personal. Above all, it is efficient. Think about it for a second. Classroom Walkthroughs do not require:

• substitutes

• time away from the classroom

• scheduling

• consultants

• a budget

• a workshop agenda

What better way to improve professional practice on your campus? Imagine the impact on your school's instructional program if you spend 15 minutes per day conducting one or two walkthroughs. Hitting the 90/90 mark does not guarantee improved test scores, but used in conjunction with digital-age best practices, a well-defined benchmarking system, and a standards-based approach to instruction and assessment, you can seamlessly build the necessary capacity to achieve both your student achievement and professional growth targets.

Teacher Feedback from H.E.A.T. Walkthroughs Revisited

During the 2011-12 school year, the vision for the H.E.A.T./H.E.A.R.T. Walkthrough process continues to be 90/90; meaning, 90 percent of the teachers will document receiving face-to-face feedback from every classroom walkthrough and 90 percent of the teachers will indicate that the feedback was meaningful to them in terms of improving professional practice. According to Hall and Hord (2000), “Classroom walkthroughs that include focused one-on-one feedback is the most powerful staff development approach available to impact and change behavior.”

Given the multitude of activities (or distractions) occurring during a typical school day, how can one meet the tenets of the 90/90 plan while still addressing a myriad of other and often times, non-instructional priorities? Provided below are suggestions that can help increase face-to-face contact following a H.E.A.T./H.E.A.R.T. walkthrough.

1. Block out a time period on your office calendar each week to provide one-on-one feedback resulting from the H.E.A.T./H.E.A.R.T. walkthroughs.

2. Arrange a neutral venue away from your office, but on campus to meet with individual teachers so as to decrease possible interruptions.

3. Plan to meet with the teacher briefly in his/her classroom during or after class.

4. Send a note to the teacher to meet with you by a certain day so as to give flexibility to the teacher to decide when and where for their follow-up feedback.

5. Send an invite message inside a card for the teacher to meet with you at a specific time.

6. Arrange a brief chat over coffee before or after school.

7. Have your office assistant schedule the follow-up meetings with teachers receiving a H.E.A.T./H.E.A.R.T. Walkthrough.

These follow-up sessions are critical and pivotal to the success of your instructional program and can provide a solid foundation for improving school climate, instruction, and most importantly, student academic progress throughout the year.


Hall, G., & Hord, S. (2000). Implementing change: patterns, principles, and potholes. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

What Gets Measured, Gets Done

The business adage, What Gets Measured, Gets Done, is equally true in K-12 classrooms. Recently, we added a new set of look-fors to the H.E.A.T. Walkthrough process focusing on math instruction. These look-fors appear below.

Math Look-fors

- Instruction targets current math benchmark period

- Math Problems-of-the-Day are implemented daily

- Student use of state-aligned rulers and reference sheets is evident.

- Student use of calculators is consistent with state assessment guidelines

- Student feedback is based on state open-ended scoring guidelines.

Given the imperative to improve student achievement in both math and literacy, it is critical that a well articulated set of expectations be establish for daily routines. Providing a clear set of guidelines enables all stakeholders to develop common language and specific targets for classroom instruction.

The Five Minute Walkthrough

There has been much debate as to the acceptable length of time for a classroom walkthrough. Should the walkthrough period last three minutes or one-half hour? The Classroom Walkthrough with H.E.A.T./H.E.A.R.T. protocol advocates for a five-minute walkthrough process; however, the intent is not to walk into a classroom with blinders and merely check boxes, but to focus on data collection.

Conducting a H.E.A.T./H.E.A.R.T. walkthroughs is about corroborating the teaching strategies, learning activities, and evaluation techniques that were first identified in the teacher's lesson plan, unit plan, or on the standards posted on the whiteboard. During this five-minute process, the observer should be cognizant of possible artifacts including student work samples, student and teacher comments, handouts, teacher notes, and presentation materials that paint a clear picture as to the entire lesson episode.

This approach has numerous benefits: reduces frustration levels of teachers who complain that the observer came into class 15 minutes too early or 10 minutes too late, provides the observer with a sense of purpose for the walkthrough rather than just collecting data points, and offers a forum for continuous improvement and reflective practice as part of an ongoing professional development effort.

A Renewed Approach to Walkthroughs in 2011-12

If last year is anything like the current school year, you are most likely swamped with a host of new priorities impacting your daily schedule. Attempting to see the benefits of your campus H.E.A.T./H.E.A.R.T. walkthroughs may not become immediately obvious, but over time, change will happen. And for the better!

We all want to see results quickly (me included), but sometimes, it just takes time. The website, But They Did Not Give Up, reminded me that others who have come before us have experienced similar frustration, but in the end, their efforts brought much needed fruitage. I particularly relished the story about Abraham Lincoln.

As a young man, Abraham Lincoln went to war a captain and returned a private. Afterwards, he was a failure as a businessman. As a lawyer in Springfield, he was too impractical and temperamental to be a success. He turned to politics and was defeated in his first try for the legislature, again defeated in his first attempt to be nominated for congress, defeated in his application to be commissioner of the General Land Office, defeated in the senatorial election of 1854, defeated in his efforts for the vice-presidency in 1856, and defeated in the senatorial election of 1858. At about that time, he wrote in a letter to a friend, "I am now the most miserable man living. If what I feel were equally distributed to the whole human family, there would not be one cheerful face on the earth."

The change process takes time and does not happen overnight. Just know that the work you do now in terms of making conscientious walkthroughs, giving specific and timely feedback to staff, and using the resulting data to make decisions will provide your fruitage for improving instruction and student achievement in the classroom.