The Training Paradox: Teachers Trained but Not Transformed

 The Training Paradox: Teachers Trained but Not Transformed

SABITABRATA MANDAL

The National Education Policy (NEP) 2022, with its transformative vision for the education system, is a crucial milestone. However, a significant challenge remains - the presence of trained but not transformed teachers. Despite the proliferation of training programs, teachers often find it difficult to apply their new skills and perspectives in the classroom. This paradox poses a direct threat to the policy's equity, quality, and inclusivity goals. As NEP-2022 underscores the importance of teacher capacity-building, it becomes imperative to address this paradox. This article will delve into the reasons behind this disconnect and propose urgent solutions to ensure that teacher training translates into transformative classroom practices, thereby bringing the vision of NEP-2022 to life.

There are several reasons why teachers may tend to follow old methods of teaching:

1. Individual Psychology:

 Fear of the unknown: Teachers worry about unanticipated challenges, student reactions, and loss of control when implementing new teaching techniques.

 Comfort with traditional methods - Teachers cling to conventional methods due to familiarity, ease of implementation, and fear of deviating from established routines, despite training in new techniques, as it provides comfort and control.

 Resistance to new technology - Teachers resist new technology due to fear of technical glitches, lack of confidence, and discomfort with digital literacy and adaptation.

 Personal biases and beliefs - It's crucial for us to acknowledge that our personal biases and beliefs, such as 'I've always done it this way' or 'This won't work for my students,' can lead to resistance to new techniques fuelled by scepticism, ego, and fixed mindsets. We need to shift our mindset to embrace change and growth.

2. Administration:

   Bureaucratic red tape -Bureaucratic red tape, characterised by excessive administrative hurdles, rigid protocols, and slow approval processes, stifles teachers' ability to implement new techniques, frustrating innovation and hindering educational progress.

    Lack of Knowledge – Generally, teachers are trained, but the principals are not. So, when teachers teach using the new method, they are unconvinced. They don’t encourage teachers to use innovative methods. The board's result evaluates the administrator's assessment, so they prefer rote memorisation of essential questions. All the stakeholders in Indian schools do not appreciate diversity.

3. Organizational Culture:

   Ingrained traditions and norms can inhibit change among teachers after training by encouraging conformity and compliance by creating a sense of "this is how we've always done it" by making teachers feel uncomfortable or guilty for deviating from established norms in staff rooms or monthly meetings.

All the stakeholders ensure that the teachers prioritise tradition over new ideas and methods other teaching community members, Limiting opportunities for critical reflection and growth.

  Groupthink and conformity - Groupthink and conformity inhibit teacher transformation by discouraging critical thinking, suppressing individual creativity, and encouraging a "follow the crowd" mentality. This leads to a collective avoidance of risk-taking and experimentation with new approaches and ideas learned during training.

4. Teacher Characteristics:

   Teacher identity and ego -Teachers' identity and ego can inhibit the implementation of new tools and techniques. They may feel threatened by changes to their established practice, fearing loss of expertise, autonomy, and reputation, and struggling to reconcile new methods with their self-image as educators.

   Fear of being overwhelmed -Teachers may fear being overwhelmed by new tools and techniques, worrying about mastering complex technology, managing increased workload, and meeting expectations, leading to anxiety and resistance to implementation.

    - Resistance to feedback and evaluation -Teachers may dislike feedback and evaluation after implementing new techniques, fearing criticism, judgment, and exposure of their vulnerabilities, leading to defensiveness, decreased motivation, and reluctance to continue innovating and improving their teaching practices.

5. Student Factors:

  Student resistance to new teaching methods - Students may resist new methods due to comfort with traditional approaches, fear of change in assessment methods, and uncertainty about new expectations, leading to scepticism, disengagement, and decreased motivation to learn. Students may resist change if they cannot voice their concerns, including grades.

6. Parent and Community Factors:

   Parental expectations and pressure - Parental expectations and pressure can resist change as they may prefer traditional methods, be familiar with their educational experiences, and measure success by grades and test scores, influencing teachers to maintain conventional approaches to meet parental demands.

   Community resistance to change - Community resistance to new teaching methods arises from concerns about unfamiliar approaches, Lack of understanding of new initiatives, perceived loss of academic rigour, and fear of decreased student performance, fuelled by misinformation, traditional values, and loyalty to established educational norms and practices. Schools are bothered about the negative impact of new methods on the school's reputation, which may impact the revenue of private schools. So, they follow the rules to save the skin but not for the holistic development of children.

   7. Policy and Governance:

 Inadequate policy support for innovation - Inadequate policy support and governance for innovation in NEP 2022 implementation hinders progress, as unclear guidelines, insufficient funding, and lack of accountability mechanisms hinder teachers' and institutions' ability to adopt and adapt new approaches, leading to inconsistent and slow transformation of the education system.

  Overemphasis on standardised testing - Overemphasis on standardised testing hampers new methods' implementation by prioritising rote memorisation over critical thinking, creativity, and experimentation, forcing teachers to focus on test preparation and limiting time and freedom to explore innovative approaches and assess student learning in more holistic ways.

  Lack of funding and Regulatory barriers for new initiatives - Regulatory obstacles and lack of funding hinders new initiatives' implementation by restricting access to resources, limiting budget allocation, and imposing bureaucratic hurdles, making it difficult for educators to secure necessary support, tools, and training to adopt and sustain innovative practices effectively.

   8. Resource Constraints: All schools have limited access to technology and infrastructure.      There is always insufficient time for planning and implementation at the grassroot level. Everything happens suddenly, and an immediate compliance report needs to be forwarded. Hence, the changes are never implemented in true spirit.

The training paradox, where teachers are trained but not transformed, is a complex issue rooted in multiple factors. What's more, these factors are not isolated-they are interconnected, each influencing the other. Individual psychology, administrative barriers, organizational culture, teacher characteristics, student factors, parental and community influences, policy and governance limitations, and resource constraints all contribute to this phenomenon. A comprehensive approach is needed to bridge the gap between training and transformation, addressing these interconnected factors and fostering a supportive ecosystem that encourages experimentation, innovation, and continuous growth. By recognizing and tackling these challenges, we can unlock the full potential of teacher training and empower educators to drive meaningful change in the classroom.