"Great Teaching, Unpacked": a four-part documentary

"Brilliant! We used the clip in PD sessions yesterday. Created lots of rich discussion. More would be great!" - Barbara Terziyski, Chace Community School

"We watched this today in our T&L lunch! An unbelievably rich resource." - Anya Thomas, Woodham Academy

"The power that this has to shape teaching and learning on a larger scale is very exciting. Thank you for making and sharing this!" - Bethany Swindell, Co-Op Academy Belle Vue

"The teaching captured in this documentary is truly inspirational and gives us a chance to see what’s possible!" - Cat Rushton, Academy Transformation Trust

Models of teaching are incredibly powerful for several reasons:

• 1.
  Teaching is often too complex to capture fully in words; seeing it in action provides clarity and nuance.
• 2.
  A strong model makes effective teaching feel more achievable and within reach.
• 3.
  Models help align practices across staff, creating positive ripple effects throughout a school.

Yet, not all teachers have access to great models of teaching. This inequity isn’t just unfortunate—it’s unfair. Teacher development shouldn’t be left to chance.

To help address this, we’ve spent the last 18 months creating a ‘supermodel’ of teaching. This takes the form of a four-part Netflix-style documentary, offering a rich and detailed look at one powerful configuration of effective teaching. Designed to spark reflection and discussion, it aims to help schools consider how they might elevate teaching in their own contexts.

The series follows a diverse range of teachers across multiple lessons in two schools (one secondary, one all-through). It blends classroom footage with teacher interviews and expert analysis, exploring key themes such as harnessing attention, teaching behaviour, securing success and embedding development.

Alongside the series, we've developed a full suite of resources to support schools in making the most of the documentary by tailoring its insights to their unique contexts. While the series showcases one example of effective teaching, the resources highlight the foundational principles driving success, ensuring these can be re-contextualised across diverse settings. Recognising the demands school leaders face in balancing competing priorities, we’ve structured the resources to help identify one or two key focus areas that are both achievable and impactful for driving meaningful improvement.

To explore the documentary and its potential applications in more detail, we’re hosting a webinar on Thursday 13th February 2024, 4:00 - 5:00 pm. Peps Mccrea, Josh Goodrich and Alex Gingell (Steplab) will be joined by Neena Sharma (Ark Academy Soane and featured in the documentary) to tell you everything you need to know about Great Teaching, Unpacked.

Attention is the foundation of learning, but how do great teachers secure and harness it in every lesson?

In this episode, we explore how three exceptional educators communicate in captivating ways, foster 100% participation and extend student thinking. From Neena’s dynamic English lesson at Ark Soane to Isla’s highly engaged primary class at Reach Academy Feltham, we unpack practical strategies like storytelling, paired talk and choral response. These approaches don’t just improve learning—they build confidence, inclusion and curiosity in the classroom.

Great teaching relies on great behaviour. But what does it take for students to move beyond mere compliance to deep commitment?

In this episode, we explore how two schools explicitly teach behaviour—by running effective routines, nudging social norms and building high levels of trust. We’ll see how these practices free up student attention, create inclusive classrooms and foster motivation and wellbeing. Through examples from inspiring educators like Pritesh and Neena, we’ll uncover the principles that help students to succeed and teachers to thrive.

This episode explores how great teachers plan and deliver lessons with precision, breaking down content into manageable chunks and guiding students with clarity and interaction.

Teaching doesn’t stop there, though—the best educators respond in real-time, using quick checks for understanding to adapt and refine their approach. These techniques are combined with a strong culture of improvement, where mistakes are seen as opportunities to grow. Together, these practices form a robust framework for helping students to experience consistent success (and as a result: be more motivated).

In this final episode, we focus on the practices and systems that great schools use to develop their teachers and create a culture of continuous improvement.

From instructional coaching to group rehearsal, from drop-ins to codification, these schools have embedded powerful tools that help teachers grow expertise in reliable ways. We’ll explore how these tools come together to improve practice, create alignment, and ultimately contribute to long-term school success. Plus, you’ll learn how these schools design a feedback-rich environment where everyone—from leaders to new teachers—can constantly refine their expertise.

Original full lesson footage of two lessons with Pritesh Raichura at Ark Soane, as featured in the documentary ‘Great Teaching, Unpacked’. Watch as Pritesh skillfully deploys a range of techniques—including choral response, paired talk, cold call, and heads down hands up—to ensure 100% of his students master key chemistry concepts. In the second episode, watch as Pritesh expertly chunks and sequences the learning, enabling students to quickly secure a deep understanding of the material.

Original full lesson footage of two lessons with Isla Iago at Reach Academy Feltham, as featured in the documentary ‘Great Teaching, Unpacked’. Watch as Isla skillfully deploys techniques like choral response, paired talk, mini-whiteboards, and whole-class feedback to ensure all students finish the lesson with a clear and complete understanding of the novel. In the second episode, watch how Isla carefully sequences the learning to deepen students’ understanding and engagement with the text.

Alongside the series, we’ve developed a suite of resources to help school leaders and teachers translate the great teaching showcased in the documentary into impactful practice. To help schools achieve this, for each episode we have provided:

• 1.
  A leadership booklet to guide leaders’ reflections as they engage with the documentary as a team.
• 2.
  Teacher PD slides to deliver in-school training to teachers using the documentary.
• 3.
  Teacher booklets to support teachers’ reflections and deepen their engagement with the content while they watch.
• 4.
  Goal overviews which summarise specific techniques showcased in the documentary.
• 5.
  Rehearsal slides that give schools a ready made whole-staff rehearsal session to develop an area of practice with their staff.

The key document that brings all of these resources together is the welcome pack, which acts as an implementation guide providing a clear model for how you can harness the power of the documentary and maximise the impact of engaging with it as a school team.

Want to learn more about how Steplab can support your school or trust with professional development that really works? Book a demo.