We know its not ideal, but the Staffroom is best explored on a desktop :)
We know its not ideal, but the Staffroom is best explored on a desktop :)
We know its not ideal, but the Staffroom is best explored on a desktop :)
We know its not ideal, but the Staffroom is best explored on a desktop :)
Hypothesis 4
There is a correlation between whether teachers view themselves as learners and whether they adopt learner-centric teaching practices
...
Teachers who adopt a growth mindset and see themselves as learners, also exhibit many student-centric practices in the classroom and possibly deliver learning more effectively.
Patterns
To assess the growth mindset of teachers, we studied their learning mindset, reflective mindset and where they place the onus of learning. Our findings showed that the teaching practices of teachers identifying as learners differed considerably from that of the non-learners.
The teachers who identified themselves as learners alongside their students (Advocates, Nurturers and Catalysts) exhibited the following patterns:
Reflective practice: recognised learning as a shared or self-driven process and engaged in practical or critical reflections centred on student learning.
Broader teaching focus: expanded teaching beyond academic goals to include learner enablement and valued both knowledge & marks in assessment.
Impact-based teaching success: defined success by students’ understanding and application.
Personalization: adapted teaching to individual learning needs.
In contrast, the teachers who did not view themselves as active learners (Settlers, Competitors and Go-Getters) exhibited the following patterns:
Non-reflective practice : placed responsibility for learning solely on students and reflections remained deflective or technical, centred only on lesson development
Narrow teaching focus : limited to academic goals and assessed students only on marks
Action based teaching success : defined success by personal or lesson goals
No personalization : lacked the ability to adapt teaching to different learning needs.
Lower effectiveness : struggled to overcome classroom adversities.
Insights
When teachers learn with their students, they teach differently — they adapt, personalize and aim for impact, while for non-learners teaching remains confined to the lesson plan.
The distinction arises because learner-teachers adopt a growth mindset; they remain open, reflective and adaptive, viewing setbacks as opportunities to improve and broadening their teaching aims to create more avenues for learning.
Non-learners, by contrast, operate with a fixed mindset, emphasizing compliance and academic output, which limits their ability to nurture effective learning.
Ruminations
We wonder how an identity shift in teachers that makes them see themselves as teacher-learners, and engage in self driven learning and reflection would impact their teaching practice and effectiveness.
Inside the Staffroom
Unpacking Beliefs, Behaviours & Possibilities of Indian educators
Deep-Dives
Write to us at : hello@foldlabs.in
© 2025 Fold Labs. All rights reserved
