Learning how to teach isn’t just about mastering content or perfecting a lesson plan. A successful teacher also knows how to respond to what’s happening in the classroom, but this can be hard to teach through lectures or textbooks alone.
That’s where classroom videos come in.
Whether it’s recognizing missed opportunities or noticing what a student is really saying, watching a classroom in action can reveal what’s easy to overlook in the moment. Videos let future educators slow things down, catch the details that matter, and start paying closer attention to how students respond. This kind of practice builds confidence and sharpens instructional decision-making before teachers step into their own classrooms.
Why Seeing Real Classrooms Matters
Many teacher prep programs include fieldwork or student teaching, but when those experiences are limited to one classroom or mentor, candidates miss the range of strategies and student responses they’ll need to navigate in their own practice. Video expands that view.
As anyone who has been in front of a classroom knows, everything moves quickly. With dozens of things happening at once, it’s easy to miss the small moments that matter most. Because classroom footage can be paused and replayed, instructors can push candidates to move past surface-level takeaways. Instead of asking what went well, they can guide future teachers to examine specific decisions, student thinking, or moments of learning.
Watching classroom videos also provides an opportunity for peers to compare observations and reflect together. As preservice teachers notice different details and ask stronger questions, they begin to shift from passive viewing to purposeful analysis. Over time, they start watching like teachers, focused on student thinking, instructional decisions, and what those moments mean for learning.
Rather than assigning a full lesson to watch and review, instructors might focus on a two-minute clip that aligns with a specific learning goal. Perhaps a student reveals a misconception or a teacher uses a key questioning strategy. Short, targeted clips allow future teachers to study one moment more closely, rather than trying to process an entire lesson at once.
It can be tempting to use classroom video to model an ideal lesson, but the goal isn’t to find the perfect video or a perfect teacher. The most helpful clips are often imperfect but prompt candidates to think through instructional choices and consider how they might respond in similar situations. Instructors can support that work by providing guiding questions, asking candidates to make predictions, or inviting them to consider alternative teacher moves.
Looking for classroom videos to use with your current and preservice educators? Learn about our video library, a collection of over 2,100 classroom videos that help new teachers see great instruction in action and build confidence.
While classroom video is a powerful tool for training teacher candidates, and it doesn’t stop being useful once a teacher earns their license. Watching video can continue to support professional growth long after student teaching ends. For experienced educators, video can offer a clearer picture of recurring classroom patterns, provide a way to test new strategies, or help identify small changes that lead to better outcomes.
When used intentionally, video becomes a tool for reflection that grows with the teacher. It meets educators where they are, whether they’re preparing for their first day or refining their practice after years in the classroom.
Listen, Watch, Learn
When teacher preparation programs include structured opportunities to watch, pause, and discuss real classroom moments, future educators gain more than ideas. They build habits around noticing student thinking, evaluating their own moves, and making sense of what learning looks like.
This kind of work takes time, but it creates habits that stay with teachers as they grow and begin reflecting on their own classroom videos with mentors and education leaders.
Want to hear how video observation plays out in real teacher preparation programs? In Episode 79 of Teaching Channel Talks, Dr. Miriam Sherin, professor of Learning Sciences at Northwestern University, shares how she uses real classroom footage to help her students develop sharper judgment, spot meaningful moments, and build confidence before they ever step in front of a class.
