Flipping the Lens on Classroom Observations With the ‘Inside-Out’ Method

Imagine a ninth-grade biology lesson on cell division. A teacher stands before 28 students and is observed by two administrators and a coach. The teacher calls on volunteers to summarize mitosis. Four students answer correctly, and the teacher moves on, confident that the class understands.

The administrators and coach busily record her actions: how she calls on students, how she transitions, how the class responds. Some rank her on a rubric, noting missed opportunities for “checks for understanding.” Others praise her classroom management. This “outside-in” observation, beginning with rubrics and adult judgments of adult moves, results in polite but superficial feedback.

An “inside-out” observation, on the other hand, takes a different approach: It starts with what students are learning.

In the same hypothetical biology lesson, students are asked to sketch the phases of mitosis. Only five of 28 students can correctly label all of the stages. An administrator jots down notes on accurate and inaccurate sketches, asks students what they think they’re learning, and notes that most can’t answer. The observer also asks students to compare the different phases of mitosis and inquires about their prior knowledge—what did they already know about the phases of mitosis?

This evidence, which includes data for interpretation, is later presented to the teacher for discussion. There’s no judgment from the observer and no need for the teacher to offer defenses—this review is simply a learning opportunity for the teacher. 

Why Schools Should Consider an Inside-Out Shift

Professor Robert Coe has argued that schools often mistake “poor proxies for learning” as useful evidence. Students who look busy, engaged, or compliant can fool both teachers and observers into believing that learning is occurring. A neat notebook, a lively group discussion, or students nodding along—these are all proxies. They look good but don’t prove that students have understood or can apply knowledge. Similarly, colorful posters that fill the walls of a classroom illustrate intentions but not actions—that is, unless students can explain how they use the posters to learn.

The proxies are reinforced by what author Dan Lortie called the “apprenticeship of observation,” the unconscious absorption of teaching patterns during the thousands of hours teachers spent as students themselves. As a result, classroom observations by administrators and coaches (many of whom are former educators) end up reproducing cultural traditions, rather than surfacing actual evidence. Observers focus on teaching moves and appearances of engagement but rarely capture what matters most: if students are making sense of the lesson. Unless observers intentionally look past surface signals, they risk reinforcing rituals instead of disrupting them.

Employing the Inside-Out Method

Below are three steps for administrators and coaches who want to try the inside-out approach.

1. Clarify your purpose: Observations are not for rating teachers—they’re for revealing patterns of learning and identifying actions that impact student learning.

When I was a principal, I conducted inside-out visits for each teacher approximately four times per year. Sessions were limited to five minutes, so I could focus solely on student artifacts and discourse. I always gave teachers a heads-up: “I’m coming in to be a second pair of eyes on the student work. I’m not scoring your performance.” This shifted our post-observation talks from anxious defenses to curious conversations. The message to teachers was that I was only taking a snapshot; I wasn’t carrying lots of assumptions that I wanted to unpack.

2. Collect student evidence: Observers should focus on what students write, say, and do, not just what the teacher presents.

The inside-out method begins with what students are experiencing and extracting. It examines the context: the tasks, structures, and resources that shape learning.

Inside-out observations are intentionally low-profile. Observers are not interviewing every student or interrupting instruction. Instead, they sample a small set of student artifacts, sketches, written responses, and brief explanations in order to surface patterns. The goal is to notice, not to interrogate. When they are done well, students experience inside-out observations as part of normal learning. Inquiry, not inspection, is the guiding disposition.

To keep observations low-profile and focused on inquiry, observers can utilize these strategies:

• Strategic positioning: Avoid hovering in the back of the classroom. Move to the front or sides to “map” the conversation, noting who’s participating and where the intellectual heavy lifting is happening.
• Over-the-shoulder glance: Move fluidly through the room. Pause briefly to look at student artifacts, sketches, and organizers without disrupting the flow of peer discussions.
• Curiosity-based check-ins: Rather than questioning students’ thinking, lean in and ask processing questions. One example: “I was looking at your notes—what’s been the most surprising part of this challenge?”
• Artifact sampling: Sample a range of works throughout the classroom. Surface patterns in the learning process without targeting a single student.

3. Close with shared action: After observations are completed, I recommend that administrators and coaches share their notes, hold a short meeting, and close with action steps.

• Share notes: Immediately after a classroom visit, observers share their notes, often via a quick email or a shared document. This isn’t meant to be a polished report. For example: “Seven out of 24 students wrote the formula correctly; three students could explain why the formula works.”
• Hold an “interpretation” meeting: A brief, 10-minute “evidence huddle” occurs within 24 hours. The teacher is the first to look at the data. The observer doesn’t tell the teacher what they did wrong. They ask helpful questions: “Looking at these five student sketches, what patterns do you see in their misconceptions?” The atmosphere is clinical and collaborative, akin to two doctors looking at an x-ray. Because the notes focus on student output rather than teacher moves, the natural defensiveness of being watched evaporates.
• Close with action steps: The meeting ends with a “Now what?” The teacher and observer agree on one small, high-leverage shift—a specific reteaching strategy, a new “check for understanding” prompt, or ideas to explore student thinking the next day.

A Way Forward

Changing observation practices isn’t easy. Cultural patterns are powerful precisely because they’re invisible. But the cost of continuing with outside-in is high: Students are left with misconceptions, and schools mistake motion for progress.

The inside-out observation method offers a path forward. By starting with the student experience, we can transform observations from rituals into engines of growth. Ultimately, this process is formative, not summative. Early evidence often reveals partial understanding, fragile ideas, or emerging connections. Strong leaders use this evidence to ask better instructional questions: Do students need another exposure? A clearer model? More guided rehearsal? The purpose is not speed, but direction.

When the inside-out method is used in brief, frequent, low-stakes moments, rather than episodic events tied to evaluation, teachers experience it as a valuable process. These observations are not about catching gaps; they are about clarifying next instructional moves while there is still time to act.