The Curiosity Plug

What if we can walk through classrooms every single day, give teachers feedback, and still not improve instruction?

In this episode of The Curiosity Plug, Laurie Jack and Diane Mallard tackle a frustrating reality in school leadership: walkthrough feedback that changes nothing.

When classroom observations focus on checking off boxes—like whether the date is correct on the whiteboard or if a learning objective is posted—feedback becomes an evaluative checklist rather than a coaching tool. Laurie and Diane dissect why telling teachers what to fix creates short-term compliance instead of long-term change, how to shift the focus from teacher behaviors to evidence of student learning, and how leaders can build genuine ownership through curious, student-centered coaching conversations.

In this episode, we cover:

• The Checkbox Trap: Why checking off posted dates, objectives, or teacher proximity does zero work toward growing teacher capacity.
• Skill Gap vs. Will Gap: Why telling a teacher what to do fails if they don't know how or when to execute it in real time.
• Evidence of Learning over Teacher Behavior: How anchoring feedback in student work, student responses, and student engagement removes defensiveness and opens the door to reflective coaching.
• Model the Model: Why leaders and instructional coaches must demonstrate the exact pedagogical moves in staff development that they expect to see in classrooms.

Whether you're a principal, instructional coach, district leader, or classroom teacher, this episode will help you rethink classroom walkthroughs and shift your campus culture toward meaningful, long-term growth.

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