Sonia Mondal, Deputy Director, Peepul, Delhi
The Disengagement Epidemic
The National Achievement Survey 2021 highlights a concerning trend: students’ average performance in mathematics, science, and English stands at 266, 228, and 277 (out of 500), respectively. Moreover, the national average percentage of students achieving proficiency in Class 3 is 59%, dropping sharply to 37.8% by Class 10. Declines are recorded across almost all subjects, underscoring an urgent need for improvement.
Experts agree that effective teaching is the cornerstone of better student outcomes. Most government schoolteachers in India hold a degree in education and attend five days of in-service professional development (PD) annually. Despite this, these PD sessions often fail to make an impact. Teachers frequently endure hours of training, distracted and overwhelmed by pending classroom tasks. By the next day, much of the content is forgotten, and teaching practices remain unchanged.
At Peepul, our decade-long experience partnering with state systems and municipal bodies to strengthen government education systems has shown us a critical insight: disengagement during PD sessions is the root cause of this ineffectiveness. To reverse this trend, facilitators and designers must create PD experiences that teachers find engaging, valuable, and transformative.
What is Teacher Engagement in Professional Development?
Engagement in PD represents a teacher’s attention, curiosity, and enthusiasm while learning. This engagement manifests as active participation in discussions, collaboration with peers, and the effort to adopt new practices. Engaged teachers question, reflect, share experiences, and implement new techniques with an open mindset.
What Does an Engaged Teacher Look Like?
Engaged teachers exhibit behaviours such as:
- Actively participating in discussions and seeking clarifications.
- Providing feedback on their learning experiences.
- Exploring additional resources and applying insights in real-world contexts.
- Seeking feedback and self-reflecting to improve teaching.
Such behaviours require a supportive system, consistent encouragement, and professional growth opportunities that feel meaningful and relevant.
Designing Professional Development for Engagement
For PD to be impactful, it must lead to measurable improvements in teaching practices and student outcomes. It must address teachers’ real-world challenges while introducing innovative strategies. At Peepul, our PD themes are guided by needs-assessment surveys completed by teachers. This approach ensures relevance and alignment with teachers’ priorities, fostering motivation and ownership (Tournier et al., 2019; Cosentino & Sridharan, 2017).
Effective PD also strikes a balance between theoretical and practical aspects, focusing on skill-based learning (OECD, 2018; UNESCO, 2019). One-time sessions are insufficient; sustained engagement, follow-ups, and contextualized support are necessary for meaningful impact (Martin, 2018; Taylor & Robinson, 2019). Research further highlights the importance of collaborative learning and subject-specific pedagogy in enhancing teacher effectiveness (Best et al., 2018; Popova et al., 2019; Tournier et al., 2019).
Sarita Tiwari (name changed), a primary school teacher with over 12 years of experience, described Peepul’s PD workshops as a rare opportunity to acquire practical pedagogical solutions and classroom management strategies. Over two years, these workshops, coupled with refresher sessions and coaching support, helped her sustain new practices, boosting her efficiency and effectiveness as a teacher.
Engagement During Training
While well-designed PD provides a solid foundation, the true test of engagement occurs during the training itself. At Peepul training centres, every detail—from wall displays to opening activities—signals that teachers’ time is valued. The first 30 minutes set the tone, creating an inviting and stimulating environment.
PD sessions prioritize active participation. Small group sizes enable meaningful interactions and allow facilitators to tailor sessions to participants’ needs. Activities like role-playing, discussions, and problem-solving replace passive lectures, promoting deeper understanding. While smaller groups enhance engagement, they require resources and repeated sessions to reach broader populations.
Techniques such as “Cold Calling,” “Think-Pair-Share,” and team challenges promote active mental engagement:
- Cold Calling: Names are drawn randomly to encourage widespread participation.
- Think-Pair-Share: Teachers discuss ideas in pairs before sharing with the group.
- Team Challenges and Quizzes: These create an energetic atmosphere, reinforcing concepts.
Practice opportunities during workshops allow teachers to apply learning in simulated scenarios. Activities like role-playing and case studies provide hands-on experience, while peer and facilitator feedback helps refine techniques.
Acknowledging resource constraints in government schools, Peepul’s workshops include dedicated worktime for teachers to create custom teaching aids. They also introduce toolkits and digital resources to support classroom innovations. This dual approach equips teachers to implement changes confidently while modelling engagement strategies they can replicate with students.
Engagement Post-Training
Even the most enthusiastic teachers face challenges in implementing new practices. Overwhelming workloads and lack of support often diminish their motivation to sustain changes. Effective follow-up is crucial for translating training into classroom practice.
At Peepul, coaching bridges this gap. Facilitators conduct classroom observations, offering constructive, non-judgmental feedback tailored to each teacher’s context. This coaching approach develops trust and continuous improvement. Insights from these observations also inform future training sessions, creating a feedback loop for ongoing development.
Platforms like WhatsApp and Telegram further support post-training engagement. Virtual communities allow teachers to share experiences, celebrate successes, and seek advice. Regular nudges—reminders, polls, infographics—maintain momentum without overwhelming participants.
Teacher education best functions as part of a continuum, that includes pre-service training, induction and mentoring of new teachers, and CPD (Education Commission, 2019; Martin, 2018; OECD, 2019; Popova et al., 2019; Taylor, Deacon, and Robinson, 2019; UNESCO, 2019; UNESCO IICBA et al., 2017; VVOB, 2019). The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 advocates for continuous professional development, moving away from one-off training events.
Peepul’s year-long, module-based approach aligns with this vision. Bite-sized sessions minimize information overload, while long-term engagement builds relationships and enables deeper learning.
Creating meaningful PD experiences is a shared responsibility. Teachers deserve opportunities that make their professional growth journey worthwhile, leading to lasting classroom transformations.
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