Formative Walkthroughs






Formative Classroom Walkthroughs:
How Principals and Teachers Collaborate to Raise Student Achievement















ASCD Webinar
February 10, 2015

Presenters







Connie
M.
Moss,
Ed.D.
 
 
 
 
 Susan
M.
Brookhart,
Ph.D.

[email protected]

 
 
 
 
 
 [email protected]










 2


Traditional Classroom Walkthroughs

 Purpose:

To
evaluate
the
teacher
and
the
teacher’s
instruction
in
order
to
improve
it.

o A
trickle
down
approach
to
school
improvement—the
principal
is
the
“evaluator
in
chief”.

o Mini‐observations
with
a
collegial
supervisory
approach.




 Sources
of
Information:
The
observer
certifies
the
use
of
checklist
of
“best
practice”
instructional

strategies.




 Focus
of
Observer’s
Feedback:

Provide
suggestions
for
increasing
the
use
of
the
missing
or
weak

instructional
strategies.




 Post
Walkthrough
Goal:
Observer
revisits
classroom
to
assess
the
degree
that
the
teacher
has
enacted

the
observer’s
suggestions.


Formative Classroom Walkthroughs




“Formative”
means
contributing
to
the
improvement
of
learning.




 Formative
Purpose:

Professional
learning
and
school‐wide
improvement


o Supported
by
a
learning
target
theory
of
action
(Moss
&
Brookhart,
2012)
resulting
in
a

collaborative
and
cohesive
professional
learning
process.

o Everyone
focuses
on
what
students
are
actually
doing
to
learn
and
achieve
during
daily
lessons.

o Everyone—leaders,
coaches,
teachers
and
students—uses
that
information
to
identify,
pursue,

and
assess
the
success
of
their
learning
goals.

 Leadership
Growth
As
An
Intentional
Goal:

Formative
Classroom
Walkthroughs
are
as
much
about
the

professional
growth
of
principals,
instructional
coaches,
and
other
leaders,
as
they
are
about
improving

teacher
effectiveness
and
student
learning.

 Shifting
the
Culture
‐
“Sitting
in
the
Student’s
Seat”:
What
are
students
doing,
saying,
making
or

writing—during
the
lesson—to
master
the
concepts
and
skills
they
are
supposed
to
be
learning?


 Key
Inquiry
Point:

If
students
completed
everything
the
teacher
asked
them
to
do
during
the
lesson,

what
kind
of
growth
in
learning
and
achievement
would
we
expect
to
see?

 Shifting
the
Culture:
Two
Big
Ideas

1. The
purpose
is
formative:

Both
the
observer
and
the
teacher
should
learn
things
about
how
to

improve
their
practice
to
raise
student
achievement.

2. That
formative
purpose
is
best
accomplished
when
the
observer
looks
for
what
the
students

are
doing
first,
and
other
things
(teacher,
environment,
materials)
second.


Formative Classroom Walkthroughs—Looking for Evidence of Student Learning

Observers
sit
in
the
student’s
seat
to
look
for
evidence
of
student
learning
through
seven
key
learning
processes:

1. A
Worthwhile
Lesson

2. A
Shared
Learning
Target

3. A
Performance
of
Understanding

4. Student
Look‐Fors

5. Formative
Feedback

6. Student
Self‐Assessment

7. Effective
Questioning


Source: Based on Formative Classroom Walkthroughs: How Principals and Teachers Collaborate to Raise Student
Achievement, by Connie M. Moss ([email protected]) and Susan M. Brookhart ([email protected]) © 2015
by ASCD. All rights reserved. Learn more about ASCD at www.ascd.org.





 3


Using Walkthrough Information



 Classroom
information,
no
matter
how
frequently
or
carefully
collected,
only
becomes
evidence
when


educators
use
it
to
improve
student
achievement.





 Formative
Classroom
Walkthroughs
use
up‐to‐the‐minute
classroom
information
to
guide
collegial
feed‐
forward,
conversations
about
deepening
student
learning.


Promoting A Culture of Learning and Improvement




 Formative
Classroom
Walkthroughs
emphasize
learning
inside
of
practice.

They
combine
four
formative

learning
processes:


1. A
professional
learning
target
that
describes
the
next
level
of
work
for
educators
as
individuals

or
groups.

2. Professional
performances
of
understanding
that
deepen
professional
learning
and
produce

evidence
of
professional
growth,


3. Clear
and
understandable
professional
look‐fors
(success
criteria),
and


4. Feed‐forward
information
through
collaborative
inquiry.





Leading By Learning by Feeding Professional Learning Forward




 The
most
effective
climate
for
feedback
is
a
climate
focused
on
learning.



 In
a
school
climate
focused
on
learning,
everyone
learns,
not
just
the
teachers
and
the
students.

 If
feedback
is
to
be
effective,
it
should
be
given
and
received
in
a
school
culture
where
learning
–


everyone’s
learning
–
is
the
prime
directive.


 The
principles
of
respectful,
descriptive
feedback—focused
on
the
work
and
not
the
person,
with


suggestions
for
next
steps—remain
the
hallmarks
of
effective
feedback,
whether
the
learners
are

children
or
adults.



o The
Micro
View:

Does
the
feedback
have
all
the
requisite
features
research
has
found
in

effective
feedback?


o The
Snapshot
View:

Does
the
feedback
give
both
the
teacher
and
the
observer
a
snapshot
of

current
learning
status?

Does
each
person
view
the
conversation
as
a
learning
episode?


o The
Long
View
of
Learning:
Does
the
feedback
contain
information
about
next
steps
in
learning

so
that
teachers
and
principals
can
see
their
way
clear
to
taking
those
steps?

And,
did
the

conversation
bring
about
improvement
in
educational
practices
and
student
learning?





Formative Classroom Walkthroughs: Taking a Bite Out of the Achievement Gap



 Schools
improve
when
educators
improve!



 The
best
evidence
of
improvement
comes
from
what
students
do
to
learn
in
every
lesson,
every
day.



 Formative
Classroom
Walkthroughs
lead
to
improvements
that
rest
on
this
evidence
to
make
a
real


difference
for
students.





To Contact the Presenters




Connie
Moss:

[email protected]













































Sue
Brookhart:

[email protected]


Source: Based on Formative Classroom Walkthroughs: How Principals and Teachers Collaborate to Raise Student
Achievement, by Connie M. Moss ([email protected]) and Susan M. Brookhart ([email protected]) © 2015
by ASCD. All rights reserved. Learn more about ASCD at www.ascd.org.




Co  aching for Capacity Building

  
  

Asking
Thoughtful
& Reflective
Questions

          I l linois State Board of Education             Page | 16 

 

 
 

What is Thoughtful and Reflective Questioning? 

 
Thoughtful and Reflective Questioning is the second skill set of effective communication. Questioning can serve 
two purposes:  
 

 Help inform the coach of the team’s knowledge and intentions 
 Help the team clarify its thinking and uncover possibilities and solutions 
 
Thoughtful questions are designed to help teams reflect on their practice.  Using carefully chosen questions will 
allow the coach to probe for deeper complexity and encourage team self reflection. As a coach, careful thinking 
about the type of questions to ask is important.  Considering the purpose and intended outcome will lead to 
choosing effective questions.   
 

Why is Thoughtful and Reflective Questioning important? 

 
 As coaches develop the art of thoughtful questioning, they can guide teams to be reflective of their practice.  
Thoughtful questioning helps build team capacity through evaluation of current status and determination of next 
steps.  
 

How does a coach help the team develop the skills and competencies to function 

independently? 

 Carefully choosing specific, thoughtful questions is a process to help a team move forward with focus and intent.  
As a team moves through the planning and improvement process, a coach’s use of strategic, reflective questions 
supports team progress.   

Asking the right kinds of questions empowers the team to move forward to action in powerful ways. Through 
questioning, the coach sends the message that the team’s ideas are critical to the planning process. The team 
gains confidence and becomes more skilled at working through tough problems or thorny situations.  

A thoughtful question does more than convey respect for the team’s ideas; it develops the team’s problem 
solving abilities.  However, when a coach is overly directive, or asks questions that are condescending, 
disingenuous or put people on the spot, the confidence of a team is reduced and the team’s performance and 
success are sabotaged.  

The process of asking thoughtful and reflective questions supports both short‐term and long‐term capacity 
building goals: the short‐term goal of helping the team to generate a solution to the issue at hand and the long‐
term goal of helping the team develop the skills and tools to handle similar issues in the future independently.  

 
 
 
 

           w  ww.schoolimprovementcoach.org             Page | 17 

 

 
 

Job Aid  

 
Thoughtful, Reflective Questions Starters   
 

o List of question stems, grouped by intended outcomes, to facilitate the development of thoughtful, 
reflective questions. 

 
 

Resources and References 

 

Facilitating Reflection: A Manual for Leaders and Educators, Julie Reed & Christopher Koliba  
 

o This online manual helps coaches focus on helping teams build capacity through development of 
thoughtful, reflective questioning skills.  http://www.uvm.edu/~dewey/reflection_manual/ 

 

 
The Art of Effective Questioning: Asking the Right Question for the Desired Result, Irene Leonard   
 

o This website includes a variety of helpful resources including questions stems to help coaches craft 
specific thoughtful and reflective questions. http://www.coachingforchange.com/pub10.html 

  

          I l linois State Board of Education             Page | 18 

 

 
 

Thoughtful, Reflective Question Stems 

 
One of the most important jobs of a coach is to ask thoughtful questions for specific purposes. As a coach, careful 
thinking about the type of question you want to ask is important.  Considering the purpose and intended outcome 
of your question will help you choose effective questions.  The question stems below are grouped by intended 
outcome. This document will provide guidance in developing thoughtful questions that will help a team move 
forward effectively. 

 

Asking Questions That Seek Reasons and/or Evidence 

o What events could have happened that...? 
o Can you compare...? 
o Do you know another instance where...? 
o What was the turning point...? 
o Can you share an example...? 
o Is the evidence/data clearly linked to....? 
o Does the evidence/data include qualitative and quantitative components...? 
o What evidence supports......? 

 

Asking Questions That Help the Team Shift from Descriptive Conversations (e.g., facts, information, 
actions) to Interpretive Conversations (e.g., analysis, comparison, evaluation) 

o What changes would you make to solve…? 
o Can you elaborate on the reasons why...? 
o How would you estimate the results for….? 
o What conclusions can you draw...? 
o Why was this project successful…? 

 

Asking Questions That Require More Than a Yes or No Response 

o Why do the results show....? 
o What can you tell me about...? 
o What happened after...? 
o What differences exists between...? 

 

Asking Questions That Help Identify Issues within the Context of the Bigger Picture  

o What is the relationship between...? 
o Has this ever happened before...? 
o Why did these changes occur...? 
o What do you think are some of the motives behind...? 
o Why do you think this happening...? 
o Can you elaborate on the reason...? 
o Why was this project successful…? 

 

 
 
 

             www.schoolimprovementcoach.org             Page | 19 

 

 
Asking Questions That Help the Team Set Goals and Determine Actions 

o  What changes could be made to solve...? 
o What would happen if...? 
o What can be done to minimize/maximize...? 
o What would you recommend....? 
o How would you prioritize...? 
o How might this look different...? 
o What other ways do you plan to...? 
o What would happen if...? 
o What might be an alternative...? 

 
Asking Questions That Direct Focus Back to the Team 

o Can you tell me more about...? 
o What evidence supports...? 
o What do others think about...? 
o Has this question been asked before...? 
o Can you help me understand...? 

  

 
  

          I l linois State Board of Education             Page | 20 

A Pocket Guide to Probing Questions 
From “Looking at Student Work” http://www.lasw.org/questions_probing.html 

Probing Questions:  

The distinction between clarifying questions and probing questions is very difficult for most 
people working with protocols. So is the distinction between probing questions and 
recommendations for action. The basic distinctions are: 
 
Clarifying Questions​ are simple questions of fact. They clarify the dilemma and provide the nuts 
and bolts so that the participants can ask good probing questions and provide useful feedback 
later in the protocol. Clarifying questions are for the participants, and should not go beyond the 
boundaries of the presenter’s dilemma. They have brief, factual answers, and don’t provide any 
new “food for thought” for the presenter. The litmus test for a clarifying question is: Does the 
presenter have to think before s/he answers? If so, it’s almost certainly a probing question. 
 
Some examples of clarifying questions: 

● How much time does the project take? 
● How were the students grouped? 
● What resources did the students have available for this project? 

Probing Questions​ are intended to help the presenter think more deeply about the issue at hand. 
If a probing question doesn’t have that effect, it is either a clarifying question or a 
recommendation with an upward inflection at the end. If you find yourself saying “Don’t you 
think you should …?” you’ve gone beyond probing questions. The presenter often doesn’t have a 
ready answer to a genuine probing question. ​Since probing questions are the hardest to create 
productively, we offer the following suggestions: 

● Check to see if you have a “right” answer in mind. If so, delete the judgment from the 
question, or don’t ask it. 

● Refer to the presenter’s original question/focus point. What did s/he ask for your help 
with? Check your probing questions for relevance. 

● Check to see if you are asserting your own agenda. If so, return to the presenter’s agenda. 
● Sometimes a simple “why…?” asked as an advocate for the presenter’s success can be 

very effective, as can several why questions asked in a row. 
● Try using verbs: What do you fear? Want? Get? Assume? Expect? 
● Think about the concentric circles of comfort, risk and danger. Use these as a barometer. 

Don’t avoid risk, but don’t push the presenter into the “danger zone.” 
● Think of probing questions as being on a continuum, from recommendation to most 

effective probing question. For example, from an actual Consultancy session in which a 

teacher was trying to figure out why the strongest math students in the class weren't 
buying in and doing their best work on what seemed to be interesting math "problems of 
the week" 

1) You could have students use the rubric to assess their own papers. (recommendation re­stated 
as a question) 
 
2) What would happen if students used the rubric to assess their own work? (recommendation 
re­stated as a probing question) 
 
3) What do the students think is an interesting math problem? (good probing question) 
 
4) What would have to change for students to work more for themselves and less for you? (better 
probing question) 
 
In summary, good probing questions: 

● are general and widely useful 
● don’t place blame on anyone 
● allow for multiple responses 
● help create a paradigm shift 
● empower the person with the dilemma to solve his or her own problem (rather than 

deferring to someone with greater or different expertise) 
● avoid yes/no responses 
● are usually brief 
● elicit a slow response 
● move thinking from reaction to reflection 
● encourage taking another party’s perspective 

Some final hints for crafting probing questions.​ Try the following questions and/or question 
stems. Some of them come from Charlotte Danielson’s Pathwise work, in which she refers to 
them as “mediational questions.” 

● Why do you think this is the case? 
● What would have to change in order for…? 
● What do you feel is right in your heart? 
● What do you wish…? 
● What’s another way you might…? 
● What would it look like if…? 

● What do you think would happen if…? 
● How was…different from…? 
● What sort of an impact do you think…? 
● What criteria did you use to…? 
● When have you done/experienced something like this before? 
● What might you see happening in your classroom if…? 
● How did you decide/determine/conclude…? 
● What is your hunch about .…? 
● What was your intention when .…? 
● What do you assume to be true about .…? 
● What is the connection between…and…? 
● What if the opposite were true? Then what? 
● How might your assumptions about…have influenced how you are thinking about…? 
● Why is this such a dilemma for you? 

Some Examples of Probing Questions: 

● Why is a “stand­and­deliver” format the best way to introduce this concept? 
● How do you think your own comfort with the material has influenced your choice of 

instructional strategies? 
● What do the students think is quality work? 
● You have observed that this student’s work lacks focus – what makes you say that? 
● What would the students involved say about this issue? 
● How have your perspectives on current events influenced how you have structured this 

activity? 
● Why aren’t the science teachers involved in planning this unit? 
● Why do you think the team hasn’t moved to interdisciplinary curriculum planning? 
● What would understanding of this mathematical concept look like? How would you know 

students have “gotten it”? 
● Why did allowing students to create their own study questions cause a problem for you? 
● Why do you think the expected outcomes of this unit weren’t communicated to parents? 
● What was your intention when you assigned students to oversee the group activity in this 

assignment? 
● What evidence do you have from this student’s work that her ability to reach 

substantiated conclusions has improved? 
● How might your assumptions about the reasons why parents aren’t involved have 

influenced what you have tried so far? 
● How do you think your expectations for students might have influenced their work on 

this project? 

● What do you think would happen if you restated your professional goals as questions? 
● What other approaches have you considered for communicating with parents about their 

children’s progress? 
● What would understanding of this mathematical concept look like? How would you know 

students have “gotten it”? 
● Why did allowing students to create their own study questions cause a problem for you? 
● Why do you think the expected outcomes of this unit weren’t communicated to parents? 
● What was your intention when you assigned students to oversee the group activity in this 

assignment? 
● What evidence do you have from this student’s work that her ability to reach 

substantiated conclusions has improved? 
● How might your assumptions about the reasons why parents aren’t involved have 

influenced what you have tried so far? 
● How do you think your expectations for students might have influenced their work on 

this project? 
● What do you think would happen if you restated your professional goals as questions? 
● What other approaches have you considered for communicating with parents about their 

children’s progress? 

 

 

Coaching Session Planning Tool 

These reflection prompts can be used to prepare for a coaching session or conversation. It 
can be very helpful to write out responses and to look back at them after the meeting and 
over time. 

1. Where did our last coaching conversation end and what do I need to come back to with 
my client? Was there anything I said I’d check in on next time? 

 
2. What are the goals for this coaching conversation? Are there goals related to the work 

plan that need to be addressed?  
 
3. What are my intentions for this meeting? What do I want my client to think and feel by 

the end of it?  
 
4. What might my client’s disposition be? What do I know about where he or she is going 
to be?  
 
5. What do I anticipate might be happening with my client or might be challenging? How 
can I prepare for this and manage these challenges?  
 
6. Do I anticipate my client will need to release emotions? If so, how can I do this? What 
works for him or her to process emotions?  
 
7. How can I enroll my client in this conversation? How can I make it matter to him or her?  
 
8. Of the six coaching stances, which might be most effective? Is there a coaching stance 
that I haven’t used much that might be worth trying?  
 
9. Can I anticipate that my client might want to engage in any coaching activities? Which 
ones might I suggest? Which might help my client reach his or her goals?  
 
10. Are there any materials (articles or tools) that I might gather and bring with me in case 
my client requests them?  
 
11. Who do I need to be in this conversation? Who does my client need me to be? How do I 
need to show up? 
 
12. How do I want to feel at the end of this coaching session?  
 
 

 
 

© Elena Aguilar. ​The Art of Coaching: Effective Strategies for School Transformation​. San Francisco: Jossey­Bass, 2013. 

 

A FORMATIVE WALKTHROUGH ­ CCC and LCC Short Form 

FROM THE TEACHER (ahead of time): Optional for Short Form 

What is your intended learning target for today’s lesson?  (By the end of this one lesson, what do 
you want students to learn?) 

 
 
 
 
 

What will students be doing, making, saying or writing in today’s lesson? 

 
 
 
 
 

What evidence of learning will you collect?  How will you know the extent to which students 
have met your intended learning objective? 

 
 
 
 
 

Where does this lesson lie in the larger learning trajectory?  What came before it and what will 
come next? 

 

 

What would you like the observer to focus on during today’s lesson?  Are there any areas you 
would like specific feedback on or specific support with?  

 
 
 
 
 

FROM THE OBSERVER (during the visit): 
What were students doing, making, saying or writing to demonstrate their learning? 
 
 
 
 
 

 
What student work did you gather or observe and what did you notice from it?  What evidence of 
learning did you find and what does that tell you about the intended learning objective? 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 

FROM THE DEBRIEF (end of the visit): 

What stands out to you when we look at the student work from today?  How does that match up 
with your learning target for the lesson?  How does this lesson fit into the larger unit trajectory? 

 
 
 
 
 
Possible follow up questions… 

What’s another way you might…?  Can you elaborate on the reasons why…? 

Can you help me understand…?  What sort of an impact do you think…? 

What do you wish…?  What was your intention when…? 

What is your hunch about…?  How did you decide/determine/conclude? 

What do you think about the success of…?  What would if look like if/ What do you think 
Why?  would happen if…? 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
What is your one take away from this? 

 
 
 
 
 

How can I best support you between now and my next visit in relation to our conversation?   

 
 

 

A FORMATIVE WALKTHROUGH ­ WIOA Short Form 

FROM THE TEACHER (ahead of time): Optional for Short Form 

What is your intended learning target for today’s lesson?  (By the end of this one lesson, what do 
you want students to learn?) 

 
 
 
 
 

What will students be doing, making, saying or writing in today’s lesson? 

 
 
 
 
 

What evidence of learning will you collect?  How will you know the extent to which students 
have met your intended learning objective? 

 
 
 
 
 

Where does this lesson lie in the larger learning trajectory?  What came before it and what will 
come next? 

 

 

What would you like the observer to focus on during today’s lesson?  Are there any areas you 
would like specific feedback on or specific support with?  

 
 
 
 
 

FROM THE OBSERVER (during the visit): 
What were students doing, making, saying or writing to demonstrate their learning? 
 
 
 
 
 

 
What student work did you gather or observe and what did you notice from it?  What evidence of 
learning did you find and what does that tell you about the intended learning objective? 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 

FROM THE DEBRIEF (end of the visit): 

What stands out to you when we look at the student work from today?  How does that match up 
with your learning target for the lesson?  How does this lesson fit into the larger unit trajectory? 

 
 
 
 
 
Possible follow up questions… 

What’s another way you might…?  Can you elaborate on the reasons why…? 

Can you help me understand…?  What sort of an impact do you think…? 

What do you wish…?  What was your intention when…? 

What is your hunch about…?  How did you decide/determine/conclude? 

What do you think about the success of…?  What would it look like if/ What do you think 
Why?  would happen if…? 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
What is your one take away from this? 

 
 
 
 
 

How can I best support you between now and my next visit in relation to our conversation?   

 
 

 

 

A FORMATIVE WALKTHROUGH ­ YouthBuild Short Form 

Observer/Teacher Pre­lesson Interview 
What is your intended learning target for today’s lesson?  (By the end of this one lesson, what do 
you want students to learn?) 
 
 
 
 
 
What will students be doing, making, saying or writing in today’s lesson?  
 
 
 
 
What evidence of learning will you collect?  How will you know the extent to which students 
have met your intended learning objective? What is your takeaway for today’s lesson? 
 
 
 
 
 
Where does this lesson lie in the larger learning trajectory?  What came before it and what will 
come next? 
 
 
What would you like the observer to focus on during today’s lesson?  Are there any areas you 
would like specific feedback on or specific support with? Any specific professional goals you’re 
working on?  
 
 

Observations (during the visit): 
What were students doing, making, saying or writing to demonstrate their learning? 
 
 
 
 
What student work did you gather or observe and what did you notice from it?  What evidence 
of learning did you find and what does that tell you about the intended learning objective? 
 
 
 

 

A FORMATIVE WALKTHROUGH ­ YouthBuild Short Form 

Post­lesson interview (end of the visit): 
 
How engaged were the students with the lesson material? 
 
 
 
 

 
What stands out to you when we look at the student work from today?  How does that match up 
with your learning target for the lesson? 
 
 
 
 
Follow­up questions starters: W​hat’s another way you might…? Can you help me understand…? What do you 

wish…? What sort of an impact do you think…? What was your intention when…? How did you 
decide/determine/conclude? 

 
 
 

 
What is your one take away from this? 
 
 
 
 
 
In the context of today’s observation, how can I best support you between now and my next 
visit?  When should I return?