Education Research and Teacher Professional Development

Learning Forward Saturday

To review education research and motivate teacher professional development.

Key Takeaways

Research-Backed CPD: The session drew on findings from a multi-partner study (Tata Trust, HP Foundation, etc.) to establish that continuous professional development (CPD) is a research-backed necessity, not merely a school mandate.

Classroom Gaps: The study identified key gaps: inactive print materials (73% of classrooms), rigid seating (73%), and limited use of home languages (9%), despite high teacher proficiency (73%).

Feedback & Differentiation: Teachers' current feedback is often superficial (e.g., "Good"), and differentiation is rare (30% of teachers). The research recommends targeted strategies like flexible grouping and scaffolded tasks.

Oral Language Focus: The study found that language teaching relies on rote copying. The group discussed shifting to open-ended questions that require inference and prediction to develop critical thinking.

Topics

Motivation for Professional Development

The session's goal was to shift the perception of Learning Forward Saturday from a mandatory event to a research-driven necessity for improving teaching.

The discussion focused on a study by partners including Tata Trust, HP Foundation, and Quality Education Support Trust to provide an evidence-based foundation for this work.

Classroom Environment & Interaction

Findings:

Print-rich materials are common but often at inaccessible heights.

Seating is rigid (73% in rows/columns), limiting interaction.

Student talk is minimal, with few opportunities for free conversation.

Home languages are rarely used (9% of teachers), hindering comprehension.

Recommendations:

Place print materials at eye-level and use them actively.

Adopt flexible seating to foster collaboration.

Strengthen teacher-child relationships to build student confidence.

Consistently use home languages to improve participation.

Discussion:

Brinda noted the NEP also recommends using mother tongue for clarity.

The group agreed immersive language exposure is more effective than translation.

Brinda shared a personal anecdote of a child learning four languages simultaneously through immersion.

Lesson Planning & Delivery

Findings:

Teachers rarely monitor work during tasks.

Feedback is superficial and lacks guidance for improvement.

Questioning is often whole-class, eliciting choral responses.

Differentiation is rare (used by only 30% of teachers).

Recommendations:

Use regular observation to identify errors and adjust instruction.

Provide specific, actionable feedback with clear steps for improvement.

Use varied checks for understanding (e.g., asking individuals to explain).

Implement targeted strategies like flexible grouping and scaffolded tasks.

Discussion:

Sunita shared a feedback system using "Good," "Very Good," and "Increase Effort" stamps.

Brinda stressed the need for clear instructions to prevent misunderstandings.

Manjula suggested seating struggling students at the front for more attention.

Brinda advised investigating the root cause of learning difficulties and challenging bright students to prevent boredom.

Neelashi suggested having students create puzzles to develop problem-solving skills and foster compassion.

Language Teaching Practices

Findings:

Oral language activities rarely use real-life experiences or open-ended questions.

Decoding instruction is unsystematic.

Independent reading lacks teacher guidance (only 18% of teachers provide it).

Writing tasks are mostly rote copying (blackboard/textbook).

Recommendations:

Connect oral language activities to familiar contexts.

Use open-ended questions to encourage prediction, inference, and deeper thinking.

Discussion:

The group defined open-ended questions as those with no single "right" answer, requiring students to explain their reasoning.

Minakshi gave an example: "Why do we need to study school?" vs. a closed question like "Is this right or wrong?"

Next Steps

Neelashi: Share the research document link with all teachers.

Neelashi: Schedule the next session to continue the discussion.

Minakshi: Share the "Kachua and Khargosh" (Tortoise and Hare) story video with the group.

To Copy VS Not To Copy - Mizan Ali

"A renewed effort after failure tends to be even more creative." 

Success in life is measured by self-awareness and knowledge, which brings maturity and growth. However, in the context of student life, success is often mistakenly equated with the marks obtained on a result sheet. In reality, these scores have limited value in shaping practical life outcomes. Measuring success solely by grades rarely equips students with real-world challenges.

Under the pressure of parents and societal expectations, students often resort to unethical methods—cheating, writing answers on their palms, or sneaking in notes during exams. When these actions are exposed, the student faces embarrassment. Yet, such behavior stems not from malice, but from the overwhelming focus on securing good grades.

Interestingly, children labeled as "unfocused" or "weak in studies" demonstrate remarkable focus when they attempt to cheat. Their fear of failure pushes them to find ways to succeed by any means necessary. This raises an important question: Can a child who displays such determination truly be considered weak? The problem lies not in their capability, but in the misguided approach they adopt to achieve their goals.

As teachers and parents, it is essential to instill strong moral values in children. We must help them understand that exams are not just about obtaining high marks, but about honestly evaluating their knowledge and skills. True literacy and success are measured by how well they can apply this knowledge in real-life situations.

Mizan Ali

Sunbeam Indiranagar

Rajinder Pal Devgan: My Experience Of Present Generation Parents in India

The inability to say "No" to a child is the biggest hurdle to parenting in India. This is especially so with the neo-rich generation of parents. Parents in trying to give their children what they couldn't get fail to draw a line. Lack of time, patience and at times ignorance adds to it.

The gradual disappearance of the joint family the young couples in town and cities at their wits end when it comes to raising Children. They are a confused lot, depending on a few books on parenting and advice of friends and family. Their parenting often ends up in just keeping the child happy. They cannot stand the sight or sound of their child crying. Once the child has its way the crying turns to tantrums if its wishes are not met. Parents also fall into the trap of so-called permissiveness, subscribe to the theory that child should not be admonished or told off. As the child becomes a teenager it makes the best of the situation and turns everything to its advantage by indulging in emotional blackmail.

Parents fail in drawing a line"this much and no more. Emotionally weak parents fall into a trap of their own making. Children outsmart them by making them succumb to their whims and fancies.
They at times threaten their parents with dire consequences if their demands are not met.
I have known of teenagers locking themselves in their bedroom refusing to eat. Some parents unfortunately also blame Schools for their children's behaviour. Expressions such as"my child have gone into a depression" for the slightest of reprimand.

Teenagers turn into juveniles when they get the support of their parents. It is imperative that the parents have trust and faith in the School. Permissiveness does not mean that a child can get away with murder. The sooner a child understands that a No means a No. He must not try to play one parent against the other when he doesn't get his way. This is a big hurdle in bringing up children
In bringing up children the parents must stand together this also helps in inculcating the right Values in a child.

Children need parents time, not money and gifts. Parents must take great interest in their children and make sure they imbibe the right values most important for a good education.

- Rajinder Pal Devgan rpdevgan@gmail.com is the Chairman of Learning Forward India.