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    Programme 2020-2023
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    Language-sensitive teacher education
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    Classroom teaching


Looking at classroom teaching


Reviewing lesson observation assignments


A vignette


A selection of language-sensitive lesson observation criteria


Further questions for reflection

Looking at classroom teaching

This section looks at video recordings of teaching with a focus on the teacher’s use of language and language sensitivity to address learners’ language-related and subject-related needs. This can also be applied to peer lesson observation.

Watch a video, if available, of subject teaching in the language of schooling in your context. If none is available, the following samples may be useful:

  • an example in English, which shows some maths teaching and some discussion with an expert observer, can be found here
  • an example in German showing learners working on biology tasks can be found here
  • examples of lessons in French about language with a multilingual group can be found here

TASK A Make a few notes on the video clip that you watched, taking as orientation the items below:

  • the aims of the lesson 
  • the teacher’s approach and teaching style 
  • something you found interesting or surprising about this teacher’s work 
  • something you would have done differently (and why) 
  • etc.

Use the first viewing to familiarise yourself with the objectives of the lesson, the content, the teacher’s approach and so on. If you are working with colleagues who have watched different videos, exchange descriptions and opinions with them.

TASK B Now watch the video again, focusing on the way the teacher uses language in interacting with the learners. 

List four or five examples of language used by the teacher: What did the teacher say/write? What do you think was the purpose? How did the learners react? If someone else has watched the same video, compare and discuss your notes and reflections.

TASK C Read again the definition of ‘language-sensitive teaching’ given in the introduction. 

In what ways is the teacher's approach language-sensitive? What opportunities for taking such an approach (if any) are missed, and what opportunities for taking such an approach could have been created by the teacher?