10 Important Questions for Every Teacher

Before the new school session.

In Nepal, we’ll start a new academic year in a few days.

I assume, that every school and every school leader and teaching team is going through reflections, PD workshops, and planning for the new session - with good intentions.

I hope school leaders and teachers also had time to discuss on building common understanding and concrete practices around effective learning and teaching. Besides the usual vision, mission, goals, and core values.

Here are the 10 most important questions - with learning at the center - every teacher must discuss among the teaching team of any school.

1. What is the meaning of learning? Have we defined it? Do we have at least 80% shared understanding and common vocabulary to talk about learning, learning processes, and learning outcomes?

2. What’s in the national curriculum? And, in the school curriculum? Do we all know and understand the bigger picture and the concrete details?

3. What are the “must-haves” and “nice to haves” learning outcomes in each subject? In each level, in each class? What’s in the core? What’s in the fringe? Additionally, have we defined intentional learning outcomes and incidental learning outcomes? How are we going to achieve and measure both of them?

4. Have we defined the type of learning culture we want to establish in the entire school? What does that look like? How are we going to set rules, norms, and expectations to promote positive student behavior and environment? Or, do we have ad hoc rules? Do we operate in fire-fighting mode?

5. What does a regular/standard lesson sequence/plan look like? Do we have both structures to make sure learning is happening and creative autonomy to experiment and innovate? In primary-level classes? In secondary-level classes?

6. Are we all aware of evidence-based practice in our teaching? What informs the pedagogical decisions that we make in our school? What approaches work for our school? And, for our learners? Do we know that for sure? What does the evidence say? What does the research say? Are we stuck on educational myths and fads?

7. What is our pedagogical stance? Do we all have a common understanding of “how learning happens”, “how teaching happens”, and “under what condition” what works and what does not? How do we move learners from novice to intermediate to expert stage?

8. How do we balance formative and summative assessment? And, how are we going to use that information to student enhance learning? And, what is our assignment checking, marking, and feedback policy?

9. How are we going to help students who fall behind? How are we going to help good students become better, and better ones become excellent?

10. How do we make sure that every teacher is on the same page about “how learning happens”? How are we going to make sure every teacher is growing better? How do we learn from each other, share learnings, and support each other?

There might be a few other questions but I believe these 10 are the most important ones. Without concrete answers to the above questions, teachers will be simply shooting in the dark hoping that learning will somehow happen magically. Eventually, school will happen but learning won’t.