Informal Observations and Classroom Walkthroughs: A Guide for Principals

An informal observation is a short classroom visit, often unannounced, that doesn't require the pre- and post-observation conferences of a formal observation. A principal, assistant principal, or coach stops in, watches part of a lesson, and follows up with the teacher. A formal observation shows a lesson the teacher has prepared for. An informal one shows something closer to a typical day.

I evaluated teachers for sixteen years before co-founding Tandem Education, which makes the Elevate observation platform. This guide covers what an informal observation is, how it differs from a formal observation, and how to run walkthroughs that teachers find useful instead of nerve-racking.

What is an informal observation?

The details depend on where you work, and your district's evaluation plan and teacher contract are the final word. The general pattern is the same almost everywhere. The United Federation of Teachers, for example, describes informal observations as lasting at least 15 minutes, possibly unannounced, and not requiring pre- and post-observation conferences.

Some districts use informal observations only for coaching. Others allow the evidence to count toward a teacher's summative evaluation. Kim Marshall, whose approach is described below, folded his short-visit impressions into year-end evaluations, and wrote that doing so takes an explicit agreement with the union. Know which arrangement applies before you start, and tell your teachers.

Formal vs. informal observation

A formal observation is usually scheduled ahead of time, in some contracts by mutual agreement, and covers a full lesson or period. It comes with a pre-conference about the lesson plan, a post-conference about what happened, and a full report tied to the evaluation rubric.

An informal observation may be unannounced and covers part of a lesson. How long depends on local rules: the UFT sets a 15-minute minimum, while some principals visit for as little as five. No conferences are required, though an administrator can still hold them, and a short conversation afterward is still the most useful part of the visit. The write-up is a short note, and sometimes there isn't one at all.

Walkthroughs, mini-observations, and learning walks

Schools use several names for short visits, and they don't always mean the same thing. “Classroom walkthrough” usually means a brief visit to one classroom. Marshall, a former Boston principal, prefers “mini-observation.” In a 2009 Education Week piece, he argued that “walk-through” suggests walking through a classroom instead of pausing to observe, and that it gets confused with the learning walk, which he describes as a tour of an entire school with general feedback to staff.

The label matters less than the purpose. If the visit ends with feedback to one teacher, treat it as an informal observation. If it ends with a summary of school-wide patterns, it is a learning walk, and teachers should know their names aren't attached.

How to run an informal observation

Decide what you're looking for

A short visit can't cover a whole rubric. Pick a focus before you walk in, such as a component the teacher is working on or something from your last conversation. If your district uses the Danielson Framework, most of what you can see in a short visit falls under Domains 2 and 3. My co-founder Sarah Hayden wrote a guide to the Danielson Framework that lists every component. Marshall preferred something simpler: a short mental checklist he called SOTEL, for safety, objectives, teaching, engagement, and learning.

Stay long enough to see something real

Marshall wrote that when he stayed less than five minutes his impressions were superficial, and when he stayed 10 or 15 he couldn't fit in as many visits, so five minutes became his default. That was his preference, not a standard, and your contract may require more. What matters is seeing enough of the lesson to say something specific about what students were doing.

Keep the visit low-stakes

Teachers notice the moment an administrator starts typing. Marshall took no notes during his visits and jotted the main points later in the day. Whatever you do, the goal is the same: the class should keep going as if you weren't there.

Give feedback quickly, and in person when you can

Marshall aimed to give every teacher he observed personal feedback within 24 hours, usually in a short conversation, and wrote that he sometimes missed that deadline, but not by much. He found that written feedback tends to be one-way, while a conversation lets the teacher add context and push back. A note left in a mailbox a week later doesn't do either.

Visit often enough to see a pattern

One short visit is a snapshot. Several across a semester show what a teacher does most days. Marshall supervised 42 teachers, set a target of five mini-observations a day, and saw each teacher every two to three weeks. You don't need that pace to get the benefit, but you do need a target. Without one, the calendar fills up and the visits stop.

Informal observation feedback examples

Good feedback after a short visit names what you saw. Often it also asks one real question. Four illustrative examples:

• “When you asked the table groups to compare their answers, every student at the back table explained their reasoning. What made you decide to have them compare before sharing out?”
• “Most of the questions in the ten minutes I was there had one right answer. What would it look like to add one open question to the warm-up tomorrow?”
• “The transition from the mini-lesson to independent work took about four minutes. Is that typical, or was today different?”
• “Your exit ticket asked students to explain their answer. Three of the five I read used the vocabulary from today's lesson.”

Each one starts with something the observer saw, and none of them hands down a rating. That keeps the conversation on what students were doing.

Where Elevate fits

Marshall stopped taking notes during visits because teachers tense up when the boss starts writing. The cost is that specifics are harder to recall by the end of the day. Our platform, Elevate, is one way to handle that. It transcribes the visit, however long it is, so you aren't typing, and afterward suggests evidence tied to your rubric that you accept, edit, or dismiss. You decide what goes into the note, and any rating stays with you.

A device that captures the lesson is still a device in the room, so tell teachers ahead of time that visits are transcribed and what happens to the transcript. I wrote more about why a shared record of what was said matters in how live transcription protects teachers from evaluator bias.

If you want to get into classrooms more often this year, get in touch.

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