The Big Picture Observation Tool

Description

Transform How You Observe, Analyze, and Support Effective Instruction

Classroom observations are most impactful when they move beyond compliance and evaluation, instead fostering meaningful insight into student learning and teacher decision-making. The Big Picture Observation Tool—based on our evidence-collection Strategy 8 featured in Feedback to Feed Forward —offers a structured yet flexible framework to help instructional leaders, coaches, and peer observers collect and analyze evidence in a way that strengthens instructional practice and student outcomes.

By centering observations on the key areas of environment, purpose, process, and understanding, this tool empowers educators to identify instructional patterns, provide meaningful feedback, and guide professional growth conversations that drive real change in the classroom.

What’s Inside the Big Picture Observation Tool?

The tool offers a template for evidence collection and support for use for four essential areas for gathering instructional evidence:

🔹 Environment – Examines how students are set up for success in the face of challenges and how they interact with one another.
🔹 Purpose – Focuses on what students need to know, its relevance, and how they connect new learning to prior knowledge.
🔹 Process – Highlights how students construct learning, the teacher’s role in sharing responsibility, and cultivating student-ownership in the classroom.
🔹 Understanding – Assesses student comprehension, success in tasks, and how teachers monitor and adjust instruction based on student needs.

By centering observations on these four key areas, instructional leaders can identify trends, guide goal-driven reflection, and enhance coaching conversations, ultimately improving instructional practice and student learning outcomes.

How to Use the Big Picture Observation Tool

📌 Conduct Walkthroughs & Gather Trends – Observe across classrooms to pinpoint areas of instructional strength and need.
📌 Engage in Goal-Driven Reflection – Use collected evidence to provide meaningful, targeted feedback.
📌 Facilitate Growth Conversations – Support teachers with actionable insights that improve teaching and learning.

Why Use the Big Picture Observation Tool?

✅ Improve Instructional Practices – Guide teachers with clear, evidence-based feedback.
✅ Strengthen Collaboration & Growth – Create a shared process for refining classroom instruction.
✅ Make Informed, Impact-Driven Decisions – Use real-time classroom data to support schoolwide improvement efforts.

By using this tool consistently, schools can build a culture of reflective practice and continuous instructional growth.