Global Teaching InSights

Global Teaching InSights: A video study of teaching

What does teaching look like? What practices are most impactful? By directly observing teaching in the classroom, this study trialled new research methods to shed light
on these key questions for raising student outcomes around the world.

This report provides a detailed account of classroom management, social and emotional support, and instructional practices in the classrooms of eight countries and economies, drawing upon the observation of lesson videos and instructional materials, the analysis of teacher and student questionnaires, and the measurement of students’ cognitive and non-cognitive outcomes.

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The Study

Around the world, researchers, policy makers, parents and students agree that teachers matter. Yet, we have just begun to understand what, how and why teachers do what they do in their classrooms. By directly observing teaching, the Study is trialling new research methods to answer these key questions, a critical step to better education. In parallel, the platform showcases quality teaching practices to spur reflection, knowledge sharing and peer collaboration among stakeholders at a global scale.

The Study is an innovative project that trials new methodologies to deepen our understanding of teaching and learning at an international scale. To have a better-rounded picture of the classroom, the Study collected observation and artefact evidence in addition to survey and achievement data. Its goals were to:

understand which aspects of teaching are related to student learning and student non-cognitive outcomes
observe and document how teachers from participating countries and economies teach
explore how various teaching practices are inter-related, and how contextual aspects of teaching are associated with student and teacher characteristics.

The Video Outputs

The Global Teaching InSights initiative, resulting from the study, aims to make quality teaching practices from around the world visible through classroom videos in a digital platform. Authentic classroom videos provide tangible examples of teaching to stimulate a new and more effective international, peer-driven discussion around pedagogy, broaden national horizons by presenting diverse teaching approaches and settings, and support the teaching profession with a powerful resource to improve classroom practice. Its main goals are to:

understand how can tangible examples of practice from around the globe foster a more effective international dialogue on the key driver of student learning in the classroom
empower the teaching profession to share their expertise on the complexity of teaching, and its relationship to classroom challenges and contexts, at an international scale
explore the potential for classroom examples of practice from around the world to support national and local teacher education, and professional development opportunities.

The Core Collection

Our core collection includes videos on

Classroom Management
Social-Emotional Support
Responsiveness
Cognitive Engagement
Quality of Subject Matter
Classroom Talk

This month's spotlight video from the Core Collection: Making Self-Reflection a Routine
In this Columbian classroom, a teacher brings self-reflection into part of the process of teaching and learning for students:

Observation Masterclasses

Check out the Observation Masterclasses collection which features videos showcasing classroom observations in mathematics classes, with a specific focus on the intricacies of teaching the quadratic formula through various strategies. Each video presents a unique case study, providing an in-depth exploration of how educators approach this fundamental topic. To enrich your learning experience, you will find valuable documents linked in the description of each video. Join us on a formal and informative journey to explore diverse teaching methods and gain a profound understanding of quadratic formula instruction in these illuminating masterclasses.

Our feature Observation Masterclass is Agency and Positioning, from a classroom in Bogotá, Colombia, which focuses on what happens when students are provided with agency and asked to solve a rich mathematics problem.

Teaching for Climate Action

Transforming how our next generation thinks and acts about the environment and the world requires profound changes in teaching and learning. And that is why the OECD, UNESCO and Education International ran a joint initiative to gather teacher expertise on what makes a difference in student agency to act and lead on climate matters. Roughly 850 teachers actively contributed to this initiative, with engagement from more than 6500 visitors across 157 countries. The final Summary of InSights report is available in English here, as well as French and Spanish. You can also read the highlights from the initiative here: Teaching in Focus #44-Teaching for Climate Action.

This month's Teaching for Climate Action: Video Highlight features Ana, a teacher in Spain, who began an initiative to teach students how to create folders from masks. Learn more on how she inspired students to come up with their own solutions to waste by watching the video!