AI in Classroom Observations: Keeping Professional Judgment at the Center

By: Ian Knox, Senior Professional Development Specialist (ETIS) & Former Principal at Bethlehem CSD

The fourth in a twelve-part series of articles published for Evaluation, Training, and Implementation Services (ETIS) a division within Measurement Inc.

You leave a classroom with several pages of notes and a conversation you want to have with the teacher. Then the day takes over. A student needs support, a parent calls, and a meeting runs long. By the time you return to the observation, you are trying to reconstruct the lesson while making sure the feedback is still timely and useful. 

This is where AI can seem especially appealing. 

Throughout this series, I have been exploring the decisions, routines, and relationships that shape the work of being a principal. Classroom observations bring those responsibilities together. They help us understand students’ experiences, consider teachers’ instructional choices, and discuss what comes next. 

Used thoughtfully, AI can help leaders organize observation notes and prepare clearer, more timely feedback. Its value depends on whether that support strengthens professional judgment and the conversations through which teachers develop their practice. 

Start With The Purpose 

Before choosing an AI tool, leaders need to be clear about what observations should accomplish. 

An observation might support coaching, contribute to formal evaluation, or help a leader understand an instructional priority. Each purpose carries different expectations. Teachers should understand the purpose and how the information gathered will be used. If professional growth is the goal, the process should encourage curiosity, reflection, and dialogue. AI should support those conditions. A faster process has limited value if teachers experience it as less personal or less connected to their work. 

Observations are necessary, but they should be part of an ongoing conversation about instruction. Teachers and leaders should regularly discuss student thinking, lesson design, challenges, and successes. 

When those conversations already happen, an observation adds depth to shared work. Without that foundation, even carefully written feedback can feel disconnected from the teacher’s daily experience. 

Organize The Evidence You Collect 

One sensible use of AI is organizing notes a leader takes while observing a lesson. Those notes often include direct quotations, descriptions of student activity, questions, and initial impressions. AI can help group them around an instructional focus and separate descriptions from interpretations. Imagine recording several teacher questions, student responses, and observations of group work. AI could help arrange that evidence into a readable account and suggest questions for a follow-up conversation. 

The quality of the account still depends on the notes. A polished summary can be incomplete or misleading. Leaders must check every statement against what they observed and remove unsupported additions. 

“Three students answered questions during the discussion” describes recorded evidence. “Most students were disengaged” makes a broader claim requiring more information. 

The leader remains responsible for deciding what the evidence supports.  

Keep Your Voice In The Feedback 

Being authentic to who you are as a leader matters, especially when discussing another person’s professional practice. Teachers know how you communicate, what you notice, and how you approach difficult conversations. Written feedback should sound consistent with the leader they work with every day. 

Simply dumping information into AI and passing along its response can create an obvious disconnect. The language may sound polished while offering little insight into the lesson. Recommendations may feel generic or unrelated to previous conversations. 

Before sharing a draft, ask: Is this what I mean? Would I say this in person? Can I explain the evidence behind it? 

Revise until the feedback reflects your thinking and voice. That might mean simplifying language, removing a generic recommendation, or adding a question about something you noticed. The words you share should help the teacher recognize what you saw and understand why you want to discuss it. 

Make Room For Context 

A classroom visit provides a partial view of teaching and learning. An observer may not know what happened yesterday, why a teacher selected an activity, or how students’ responses compare with earlier work. A pause might be deliberate thinking time. A straightforward task might represent meaningful progress. 

AI cannot supply context that was never captured. The teacher’s perspective is essential, and leaders should enter the conversation willing to revise their initial understanding. 

“What were you hoping students would do here?” and “How did this compare with what you expected?” connect the observed lesson to the teacher’s intentions. AI might help prepare those questions. Listening, asking thoughtful follow-up questions, and adjusting your understanding remain the leader’s work. 

Be Transparent About AI’s Role 

Using AI to organize observation notes can be helpful. Teachers should understand how that support is being used. Teachers should not have to wonder whether the feedback they receive reflects what their principal noticed or what a tool generated. 

An explanation can be straightforward: “I use an approved AI tool to help organize my observation notes. I check the draft against those notes and take responsibility for the feedback I share.” That explanation must accurately describe your practice. Teachers should know what information enters the tool, how the output is reviewed, and whether it contributes to formal evaluation. 

Schools should establish clear expectations for approved tools, access, and information handling, with meaningful input from teachers. Recording and transcription require particular care because they collect more information than written notes. Their use should follow established approval processes and applicable privacy and consent requirements. 

Transparency should begin before AI becomes routine. 

Judge The Quality Of The Conversation 

A manageable starting point is a narrow task: organizing written notes within an approved process. A small pilot with willing teachers can help leaders examine accuracy, usefulness, and trust. Compare original notes with AI-assisted drafts. Check for unsupported claims and changes in meaning. Ask teachers whether the feedback reflects their practice and supports reflection. 

Time saved matters, especially when it creates more room for coaching and classroom visits. But the quality of the conversation matters, too. Does feedback arrive sooner? Is it specific? Can teachers explain their thinking? Does the conversation lead to a useful next step and follow-up? 

AI earns its place when it helps leaders arrive better prepared and creates more time to listen. The responsibility remains with the leader to understand the evidence, invite the teacher’s perspective, communicate authentically, and keep instructional conversations going throughout the year. 

Teachers deserve feedback from someone who has paid attention and thought carefully about their practice. How we use AI should strengthen their confidence that we have done exactly that.