Classroom Walkthroughs: Turn Quick Visits into Real-Time Coaching

Most teachers don’t exactly cheer when you say, “I’ll be stopping by for a walkthrough.” And can you blame them? Too often, a classroom walkthrough feels like a mini-evaluation. But done right, they’re one of the most powerful tools leaders have for real-time coaching.

Because here’s the shift: walkthroughs aren’t about catching teachers off-guard. They’re about instructional leadership in action — creating clarity, building trust, and driving school improvement. And it doesn’t take hours. With the right focus, 5–10 minutes is enough to make an impact in teacher growth, and student learning.

Here’s how school leaders can turn quick classroom walkthroughs into powerful coaching support that truly moves the needle.

Anchor Walkthroughs in Clear Success Criteria

If teachers don’t know what you’re looking for, feedback feels vague at best and evaluative at worst. (“I liked your lesson…” isn’t feedback. It’s an opinion.)  But when teachers know what success looks like — and leaders use that same lens — everyone’s on the same page.  

This is where success criteria change the game. Clear, measurable “look-fors” shift walkthroughs from evaluative to reflective, and create a winning situation for all involved. Think about it — teachers get focused, non-defensive feedback, leaders gain consistent walkthrough data to shape PD, and students benefit as instruction sharpens in real time.

See the below example of Success Criteria Look-fors:

→ Take it a step further by partnering with your staff to co-create clear, practical success criteria, making it a shared commitment, rather than a leadership expectation.  Use this Success Criteria Co-Creation Guide to facilitate a mini-workshop perfect for PLC’s, grade teams, or PD sessions.

Make Walkthrough Debriefs Coaching Conversations

Here’s the secret sauce: walkthroughs only matter if they lead to action. Otherwise, they’re just classroom visits with paperwork attached. 

The real magic happens in the debrief — when leaders use what they saw to coach in real time.  And here’s the kicker—you can get this done in about 10 minutes:

1. Set the stage (2 mins): Share the focus upfront — the strand or success criteria you were observing — so teachers know the “why” behind your visit.

2. Spotlight a strength (1–2 mins): Start with specific, evidence-based praise. (“I noticed strong student engagement—you prompted several students to explain their thinking.”)

3. Dig deeper (3–4 mins): Ask one or two reflective questions that help teachers connect practice to impact. (“How did the clarity of the objective support student thinking?”)

4. Co-plan next steps (2–3 mins): Work together to identify one small adjustment for next time. Keep it practical and bite-sized.

5. Lock in the follow-up: Decide how you’ll circle back — a quick check-in, resource, or pop-in to see the shift.

Short, intentional, and teacher-centered. That’s the kind of debrief that shifts walkthroughs from one-way feedback to high-impact coaching.

Turn Walkthrough Data Into Targeted PD

This is where walkthroughs go from useful to transformational. Individual coaching matters — but being able to spot patterns across classrooms, grade levels, or departments? Those trends are leadership gold.

They become the roadmap for professional development that actually hits the target.  For example:

• If questioning strategies are weak across classrooms → build a PD session on higher-order questioning.

• If objectives aren’t consistently clear → make that the focus of a PLC cycle.

• If engagement lags in a particular subject → highlight strategies from classrooms where students are highly engaged 

Because at the end of the day, walkthrough data isn’t just about gathering information — it’s about transforming it into focused action that drives schoolwide improvement.

→ For more on how to strategically analyze your walkthrough data, check out Analyzing Classroom Walkthrough Data: A Step-by-Step Guide for School Leaders.

The Bottom Line on Classroom Walkthroughs

Walkthroughs don’t have to be dreaded drop-ins or piles of paperwork. When leaders anchor them in success criteria → turn debriefs into coaching conversations → and transform the data into targeted PD, those quick 5-10 minute visits stop being “drive-bys” and start becoming one of the most practical, high-impact tools for improving teaching and learning.

👉 Want done-for-you professional development tools that make walkthroughs easier and more effective?  That’s exactly what you’ll find in this month’s Done-For-You PD: Using Walkthroughs to Improve Teaching.  It’s included in our Behind the Desk subscription, along with continued access to time-saving resources each month, or you can grab it by itself from my TPE store.