Introduction: The Strategic Importance of Teaching Quality
In the 21st century’s rapidly changing world, education systems must evolve to not only deliver information but also help students realize their full potential—socially, emotionally, and cognitively. Despite waves of educational reforms and technological innovations, large-scale student assessments (such as PISA) reveal stagnation or even decline in student performance across many countries.
This context makes the OECD’s 2025 report Unlocking High-Quality Teaching a timely and critical contribution. Rather than focusing solely on new trends, the report argues that significant and sustainable improvements in education are also possible through the systematic enhancement of existing, evidence-based teaching practices.
Its core message is clear:
What happens inside the classroom through the hands of teachers is the most powerful lever for improving student outcomes.
Teaching, therefore, must be approached as a science, an art, and a craft—requiring research-informed practice, creative responsiveness, and experiential wisdom.
The Nature of Teaching: Science, Art, and Craft
The report defines teaching through a three-dimensional lens:
- Science – Teaching practices must be grounded in rigorous empirical evidence.
- Art – Teachers need creativity, intuition, and emotional intelligence to adapt in real time.
- Craft – Effective teaching requires deliberate practice, reflection, and iterative refinement.
Because every classroom has unique dynamics, there is no one-size-fits-all formula. Teachers constantly adjust to diverse student needs, limited time, changing goals, and unpredictable behaviors. Therefore, success depends on the professional judgment of teachers, who combine scientific evidence with contextual insight.
Moving Beyond Pedagogical Labels: Practice-Based Focus
One of the report’s most valuable contributions is its shift from polarizing pedagogical debates (e.g., traditional vs. progressive, direct instruction vs. inquiry-based learning) to a focus on concrete teaching practices.
While pedagogical models reflect educational philosophies, teaching practices are the actual methods and actions teachers use. By unpacking the building blocks of instruction, the OECD emphasizes “what teachers do”, not just “what they believe.”
The Five Core Teaching Goals and 20 Instructional Practices
The report organizes high-quality teaching around five central goals, each supported by four specific practices. These 20 practices form the operational framework for effective instruction across subjects, age groups, and school contexts.
1. Fostering Cognitive Engagement
Goal: Ensure students actively and persistently engage in challenging thinking processes.
Practices:
*Asking open-ended, thought-provoking questions
*Providing cognitively demanding tasks
*Using mistakes as learning opportunities
*Linking new content to prior knowledge
Challenge: Cognitive engagement is hard to observe directly; it requires teacher intuition and ongoing assessment.
2. Crafting High-Quality Subject Content
Goal: Deliver subject matter in a clear, coherent, and meaningful way.
Practices:
*Giving well-structured, explicit explanations
*Helping students build conceptual understanding
*Making interdisciplinary connections
*Using real-world contexts to anchor learning
Impact: These practices foster deep understanding and long-term retention.
3. Providing Social-Emotional Support
Goal: Create a safe, respectful classroom environment that supports student well-being.
Practices:
*Building trusting, respectful relationships
*Promoting a positive and inclusive climate
*Recognizing and supporting students’ emotional needs
*Explicitly teaching social-emotional skills
Note: Many teachers feel underprepared in this domain, indicating a need for further professional development.
4. Enhancing Classroom Interaction
Goal: Facilitate high-quality interactions between teachers and students, and among students themselves.
Practices:
*Encouraging peer collaboration
*Structuring rich, whole-class discussions
*Giving students space to express their thinking*
*Maintaining dynamic teacher-student dialogue
Insight: In most classrooms, such interactions remain surface-level, requiring structured interventions.
5. Using Formative Assessment and Feedback
Goal: Continuously monitor and support student learning during the learning process.
Practices:
*Using formative assessment strategies to gauge understanding
*Adapting instruction based on assessment data
*Providing timely, specific, and constructive feedback
*Helping students develop self-assessment skills
Caution: When misapplied, feedback can demotivate students; it must be well-timed and focused.
The Role of the School Environment: Culture and Leadership
Effective teaching is not an isolated effort. The report highlights how school leadership, collaborative culture, professional development opportunities, and time resources play a crucial role in enabling teachers to apply and refine these practices.
Essential school-level enablers:
•Peer learning and knowledge-sharing communities
•Development-oriented feedback culture
•Time and space for reflection and planning
•Teacher autonomy and respect for professional expertise
Without institutional support, even the most talented teachers may struggle to effectively implement high-impact practices.
Conclusion: Sustainable Change Through Informed Practice
Unlocking High-Quality Teaching offers an alternative to sweeping educational fads and one-size-fits-all reforms. Instead, it champions small, deliberate improvements rooted in evidence, context, and professionalism.
The five goals and 20 practices serve as a universal roadmap for improving teaching across systems. When combined with supportive environments and empowered leadership, they can:
•Drive lasting improvements in student outcomes
•Narrow achievement gaps
•Elevate the status and effectiveness of the teaching profession
Ultimately, the report reinforces a critical truth:
Educational transformation starts in the classroom—and with the teacher.
Source: OECD (2025), Unlocking High-Quality Teaching, OECD Publishing, Paris.
