The Three Minute Scan

I am a BIG fan of the Three Minute Walk Through.  Many principals look at this as mini observations and get caught up in too many details. A walkthrough is not a classroom observation; it is a classroom scan.  You scan to see if students are engaged, if the teacher is teaching grade-level content, if the teacher is using appropriate instructional strategies to raise the rigor of the lesson, if the walls contain accurate information to support student learning (agenda, I can statements, word wall, etc.) and if the room is safe and secure. A principal should do a walkthrough daily and at different times each day. Your scans will inform your classroom observations by focusing your attention on the areas that were red-flagged during your walkthroughs.