Never has the importance of teachers been so clear. Many of us remember a teacher who transmitted a passion for knowledge, pushed us to develop our talents and skills, and equipped us with a compass to find our views and values. It is in the classroom that many of our hopes and dreams first took root. The Covid-19 pandemic has reiterated that the impact of teachers goes far beyond the classroom, and that teachers play a central and frontline role in our societies.

The project underlying the analysis presented here, which was initially referred to as the Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) Video Study, is referred to as “Global Teaching InSights (GTI)” or “the Study” throughout this report.

Around the world, researchers, policy-makers, parents and children all agree that teachers matter for student outcomes. However we are only beginning to understand what makes a difference in terms of quality teaching. By directly observing teaching in the classroom, the OECD Global Teaching InSights: A video study of teaching looked into classroom management, social-emotional support and instructional practices in the classroom, as well as students’ opportunities to learn the content specified in the curricula and how all of these aspects of teaching related to student learning and student non-cognitive outcomes.

This chapter outlines why taking steps to better understand teaching and learning is critical to strengthening education policy and practice. It presents the rationale for the present Study and how it relates to existing research in education. The chapter also discusses the unique features of the Study and why they can help build a deeper understanding of teaching across multiple countries and economies.

The Study has unique aspects that differentiate it from other international studies of teaching. This chapter describes the aspects of teaching that were measured in the Study, how the samples of teachers and classrooms were obtained in each country or economy, and how the Study was fielded. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the limitations of the Study that should be taken into account when considering the Study’s results and implications.

Strong classroom management allows teachers and students to be focused on learning and use time efficiently. This chapter describes the quality of observed classroom management practices as well as how classroom activities were structured and where in the lesson instructional time was lost. It also describes teachers’ and students’ perceptions of classroom management practices.

Teaching practices that provide social-emotional support create classroom environments in which students can learn and develop. This chapter describes the quality of social-emotional support practices observed in lessons as well as teachers’ and students’ perceptions of that support.

Teaching practices that instruct students about mathematics are central to students learning mathematics and learning how to learn academic subject matter more broadly. This chapter describes the quality of instruction observed in lessons and teaching materials, and reports on teachers’ and students’ perspectives on the quality of instructional practices.

This chapter documents what the Study defined to be a “quadratic equations unit” and the degree to which that unit was implemented in similar ways across countries/economies. Variations in intended length and content are highlighted and, using teaching materials and teacher and student reports, variations in approaches to teaching the focal unit are described. Together, they shed light on what and how different types of opportunities to learn manifested in classrooms.

This chapter explores how the three domains of mathematics teaching described in prior chapters (classroom management, social-emotional support and instruction) are related to three different student outcome measures (academic achievement, personal interest in mathematics and self-efficacy with mathematics).

The Study offers a unique window into the classroom at an international scale. It provides a rare description of the intricate and complex nature of teaching. This chapter outlines the broad trends in classroom teaching that the Study finds from examining different contexts and school systems, and highlights directions that can be pursued to take teaching forward.

This report is the outcome of a collaboration among the participating countries and economies, the OECD Secretariat, an international consortium, a technical advisory group (TAG), and various mathematics, teaching material, and observation experts.