Teaching Observations

Who this is for

Teachers conducting live lessons and Academic leads reviewing student learning progress.

What this page answers

• How do I take private notes about a student during a live lesson?
• How do observations work in 1:1 lessons versus group classes?
• Where do past notes live, and who can see them?
• How do I use the AI Briefing Digest to prepare before a lesson?

Prerequisites

• An active teacher account with assigned students or classes

What Are Teaching Observations?

Teaching Observations are confidential, staff-only notes you can write about a student's progress, speaking habits, grammar challenges, or personal interests.

Key benefits:

• Private and secure: Observations are strictly visible to school teaching staff and administrators. Students never see these notes, and they are never shared on live lesson whiteboards or student dashboards.
• Accessible during class: Take quick notes directly from the live room call bar without switching browser tabs.
• Long-term memory: Notes are tied to the student's learning profile, building an ongoing record that helps you (or a colleague teaching a substitute class) understand how the student learns best.

Taking Notes During Live Lessons

During any live video lesson, look for the Observations icon (a notebook with a pen) on the bottom call bar:

In 1:1 Lessons

1. Click the Observations button on the call bar.
2. A flyout panel opens showing the student's name, recent past notes, and a note composer.
3. Type your note (for example, "Struggling with irregular past tense verbs, practiced -ed endings").
4. Click Save. The note is saved immediately and automatically linked to the current lesson.

In Group Classes

When teaching a group class, keeping track of individual students is easy:

1. Click the Observations button on the call bar.
2. The panel displays an accordion list with every student present in the room, complete with their photo or avatar.
3. Click any student's name to expand their personal note feed.
4. Type your observation and save. The note is stored directly in that specific student's profile.

Viewing Student Notes in the Dossier

Outside of live classes, you can review and organize all past notes for any student:

1. Go to Students in the sidebar and open the student's profile.
2. Select the Observations tab.
3. You will see a chronological feed of all past notes, who wrote them, and which lesson they were attached to.

You can also add standalone notes here that are not tied to a specific lesson—useful for recording conversations with parents, scheduling preferences, or long-term learning goals.

Free AI Briefing Digest

Before starting a lesson with a student you haven't taught recently, you can quickly get up to speed using the AI Briefing Digest:

1. Open the student's Observations tab.
2. Look at the Briefing Digest card at the top.
3. Click "Generate digest" (or "Refresh digest" if new notes have been added).
4. Locuto analyzes past observations and generates a concise summary highlighting key strengths, recurring challenges, and suggested focus areas.

Related pages

• Running Live Sessions for overall live lesson tools and controls
• Managing Enrollments for student profile details and learning plans
• Classes for managing class cohorts and rosters

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Q&A

Can students see my observations?

No. Observations are completely confidential and accessible only to teachers and school administrators. They are never sent to students or displayed on student screens.

What happens to observations if a student changes teachers?

When a student is assigned to a new teacher, the new teacher can read past observations to maintain continuity. However, only the teacher who wrote a specific note can edit or delete it.

Can I edit a note after saving it?

Yes. On the student's Observations tab, hover over any note you authored and click the edit or delete icon.