Understanding the classroom: a guide to selecting classroom observation tools

Jenny Price, Katarzyna Kubacka, Geeta Gambhir, Maria-Jose Guevara, Sébastien Hine

20 October 2022

Understanding what happens inside classrooms, and how classroom practices may be improved, is an important factor in the successful delivery of quality education for all learners.

This is particularly relevant in countries where education systems face a range of complex challenges that can hamper efforts to achieving quality and inclusive education, and that risk excluding vulnerable or marginalised learners.
This guide offers an insight into the use of classroom observation tools – why and how they can be used, and who may benefit from them – and gives an overview of three commonly used tools: Stallings, CLASS and Teach.

Written for teachers, researchers, evaluators, and stakeholders across education systems, this guide provides a comparison of advantages and limitations, allowing potential users to make an informed decision on which tool might best suit their needs.