Classroom Walkthrough Tips for School Leaders
A guide to making quick, 5-10 minute classroom walkthroughs count.
5-10 min
Coaching Through Questions: A Practical Guide for School Leaders
A simple coaching tool that helps school leaders ask better questions.
Megan Rogers
Swap one directive or quick answer for a thoughtful question. This coaching activity helps school leaders build staff ownership, confidence, and trust by asking instead of telling.
Why try it
Build stronger thinking, ownership, and trust on your team by asking one good question instead of jumping in with the answer. When staff work through a problem themselves, they build judgment for the next one, and responsibility for follow-through shifts from you to them.
Use the included question bank to guide the conversation with a clarity, thinking, support, ownership, decision-making, or growth question, whatever fits the moment.
What's included
Browse the printables included with this resource.
Instructions
1
Notice the moment
Notice what's happening before you respond, then match it to a category in the included question bank:
- Clarity: Things feel tangled or rushed
- Thinking: Someone is capable but unsure
- Support: Emotions or stress are present
- Ownership: You want to build agency and follow-through
- Decision-Making: Choices or trade-offs are required
- Growth & Reflection: You're debriefing after action or experience
2
Ask a question from that category
Open the bank to the matching category and ask one question instead of giving your answer or direction.
3
Pause after asking
Count silently to five before you say anything else. Give the other person room to think.
4
Choose your next move
Based on the response, affirm and step back, ask one more clarifying question, offer support while keeping ownership with them, or step in yourself if the decision truly belongs to your role.
Activity variations
Adapt to fit your school's vibe, budget, and setting.
Meeting swap
Pick one moment in your next staff or leadership meeting to ask a question from the bank instead of giving direction.
Coaching cycle add-on
Fold a question from the bank into your regular coaching conversations or walk-through debriefs.
Go deeper
Additional tips for running this resource.
Leader Tip #1
Start small
Try one question swap a day before making it a habit across every conversation.
Leader Tip #2
Match the category
Use clarity questions when things feel rushed, support questions when emotions are high, and ownership questions when you want someone to run with a decision.
Built by Educators, for School Leaders
This resource was created in collaboration with passionate educators and school leaders who believe in the power of intentional connection.
Megan Rogers
Teacher
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