Why is one-time teacher training insufficient for FLN success?
One-time teacher training cannot produce sustainable improvements in foundational literacy and numeracy outcomes. The Teaching Learning Practices Survey 2025 by Language and Learning Foundation reveals that while 83% of teachers attended in-person FLN training in the past year, classroom practices remain weak across critical areas. Training alone does not translate into changed teaching behavior. School leaders must reimagine professional development as continuous, practice-focused support rather than isolated training events to achieve lasting FLN improvement.
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What does the survey reveal about current teacher professional development?
Training attendance is high but classroom impact is limited
According to the Teaching Learning Practices Survey 2025, conducted across 1,050 classrooms in nine states between November 2024 and March 2025, there is strong awareness among teachers about FLN goals and learning outcomes. Almost all teachers believe the NIPUN/FLN Mission is having a positive impact. However, this awareness has not translated into effective classroom practice.
The survey documents significant gaps in foundational teaching practices despite widespread training participation. Most teachers did not monitor children’s work during group or individual tasks. While some checked written work, very few provided meaningful feedback or guidance to help children improve. In two-thirds of classrooms, children were mostly quiet and had few opportunities to speak freely, engage in conversation with the teacher, or learn from one another.
These findings demonstrate a critical disconnect. Teachers have attended training and understand FLN goals, yet their daily classroom practices do not reflect evidence-based teaching methods. School leadership teams must address this gap between knowledge and practice.
Academic support varies greatly in quality and frequency
The Teaching Learning Practices Survey 2025 reveals that the frequency and quality of academic support received by teachers is quite varied. While 52% of teachers reported receiving academic support, the remaining 48% reported irregular visits or inadequate support. This inconsistency undermines the potential impact of training programs.
Teacher interviews show that academic support for teachers is often irregular and limited in depth. Without consistent follow-up and coaching, teachers struggle to translate training inputs into day-to-day practice. School leaders must recognize that the quality of ongoing support matters as much as initial training.
What specific classroom practices require continuous professional development?
Language teaching needs systematic skill development
The Teaching Learning Practices Survey 2025 identifies multiple areas where language teaching practices fall short of effectiveness. The teaching of decoding was not systematic and relied either on writing letters and words or on just one activity to reinforce sound-symbol association and blending. More than half (52%) of teachers gave opportunities for children to practice reading independently, but only 18% provided guidance and support during this time.
Writing instruction shows similar limitations. More than three-fourths of teachers gave writing tasks that involved copying from the blackboard or textbook or writing letters and words. The survey recommends that writing activities should move beyond copying exercises to include meaningful opportunities for children to compose their own texts and express ideas and emotions.
These deficits cannot be addressed through one-time training. Teachers need ongoing support to develop systematic approaches to decoding instruction, learn how to guide independent reading practice effectively, and design writing activities that build composition skills. Teacher professional development must include demonstrations, guided practice, and feedback on implementation.
Mathematics teaching requires conceptual shifts
According to the Teaching Learning Practices Survey 2025, only 28% of teachers used teaching-learning materials effectively for demonstration. In 53% of classrooms, children did not use TLMs at all. A majority of teachers (58%) did not use real-life examples to contextualize mathematical concepts and processes.
More concerning, in only 19% of classrooms did teachers pose ‘why and how’ questions somewhat effectively. When teachers gave children mathematics tasks to work independently, only 16% observed the children, corrected their work, and provided feedback.
These findings indicate that teachers need support in making fundamental shifts from rote teaching to conceptual understanding. The survey emphasizes that teachers need to ask more ‘why’ and ‘how’ questions that prompt children to explain their thinking, justify their answers, and reflect on strategies. This represents a pedagogical transformation that requires sustained professional development, not a single workshop.
Basic pedagogical practices need strengthening
The Teaching Learning Practices Survey 2025 found that over half the teachers relied on asking questions to the whole class, which elicited choral responses from children. Very few teachers checked for individual children’s understanding through varied methods. During the observation period, only 30% of teachers used differentiated teaching strategies to support children at different learning levels.
The report states clearly that basic pedagogical practices such as building respectful teacher-child relationships, encouraging children’s participation, giving clear instructions, and monitoring learning to provide feedback are weak or inconsistently applied. These foundational teaching skills require explicit emphasis in teacher education and continuous reinforcement through professional development.
How should school leaders restructure teacher professional development for FLN?
Move from isolated events to continuous professional development
The Teaching Learning Practices Survey 2025 provides clear direction for school leadership teams. There is a need to reimagine teacher training as continuous professional development (CPD) rather than as isolated events. Effective CPD should offer multiple pathways for learning, including structured courses, blended and online programs, in-person workshops, and simple digital supports such as WhatsApp nudges and short, on-demand learning resources.
This recommendation challenges the conventional approach where teachers attend periodic training sessions with little follow-up. School leaders must create systems where professional learning is ongoing, embedded in teachers’ work routines, and responsive to their evolving needs. The survey evidence shows that one-time exposure to new strategies is insufficient for changing established teaching practices.
Prioritize practice-oriented designs over lecture-based training
According to the Teaching Learning Practices Survey 2025, during training sessions, greater emphasis should be placed on practice-oriented designs. The survey recommends prioritizing demonstrations, guided practice, collaboration among teachers, and reflection so that teachers can apply new strategies confidently in their classrooms.
This shift is critical. Many existing training programs rely on lecture-based instruction where teachers passively receive information about teaching strategies. The survey findings indicate this approach does not produce classroom-level change. School leaders should ensure that professional development programs include:
- Live demonstrations of effective teaching practices
- Opportunities for teachers to practice new strategies with feedback
- Structured collaboration where teachers work together to plan and refine lessons
- Reflection activities that help teachers analyze their own practice
These elements help bridge the gap between knowing about effective practices and being able to implement them consistently.
Strengthen peer learning as a core strategy
The Teaching Learning Practices Survey 2025 emphasizes that peer learning should be strengthened as a core CPD strategy. Creating opportunities for teachers to learn from one another through learning circles, peer observations, joint planning, and sharing of effective practices can help reinforce training messages and support sustained change in classroom practice.
School leadership teams should recognize peer learning as a powerful, cost-effective professional development approach. When teachers observe colleagues who successfully implement specific strategies, they gain concrete models for their own practice. Joint planning sessions allow teachers to collaborate on applying new approaches to their specific teaching contexts. Learning circles provide forums for problem-solving around common challenges.
These peer learning structures require school leaders to allocate time, create supportive environments where teachers feel comfortable sharing and observing, and facilitate productive collaboration. The investment produces sustained improvement because teachers support each other’s ongoing development.
What role does academic coaching play in translating training into practice?
On-site support is vital for implementation
The Teaching Learning Practices Survey 2025 states that there is a strong need to strengthen on-site academic coaching through regular classroom visits by academic resource persons (ARPs), cluster resource coordinators (CRCs), or equivalent roles. These visits should focus on observing classroom practice, demonstrating effective strategies, and providing concrete, actionable feedback tailored to each teacher’s context.
The report emphasizes that such support is vital for helping teachers translate training inputs into day-to-day practice. This finding has significant implications for how school leaders structure academic support systems. Coaching must be regular, not sporadic. It must focus on specific instructional practices rather than general observations. Most importantly, coaches must provide demonstration and modeling, not just feedback.
Academic functionaries need focused roles and training
According to the Teaching Learning Practices Survey 2025, mid-tier academic functionaries need to be relieved of excessive non-academic responsibilities so they can focus on instructional support. They also require targeted technical training to develop strong understanding of FLN concepts, active learning classroom pedagogy, and principles of supportive supervision.
School leadership teams must examine whether academic resource persons spend their time on instructional coaching or administrative tasks. The survey findings suggest that many ARPs and CRCs cannot provide quality academic support because they are burdened with non-academic duties. Leaders must protect the time and focus of these roles.
Additionally, the survey recommends that cluster-level meetings should be reoriented as structured academic forums rather than administrative gatherings. This shift can transform clusters into professional learning communities rather than compliance checkpoints.
How do pre-service education gaps affect FLN teaching quality?
Teacher preparation programs lack FLN focus
The Teaching Learning Practices Survey 2025 identifies critical gaps in pre-service teacher education. Pre-service programs in many states require curricular revision to include a clear focus on FLN, play-based pedagogy, teaching in linguistically and culturally diverse situations, and practical classroom strategies relevant to the foundational years.
This finding reveals a systemic problem. Teachers enter classrooms without adequate preparation for teaching foundational literacy and numeracy. School leaders cannot assume that new teachers possess the specialized knowledge required for effective early grade instruction. The survey findings show that basic pedagogical practices are weak or inconsistently applied, suggesting that pre-service preparation does not adequately develop these fundamental skills.
Training must shift to practice-oriented preparation
According to the Teaching Learning Practices Survey 2025, there is a strong need to move from lecture-based instruction towards practice-oriented and experience-based teacher preparation. This recommendation applies to both pre-service and in-service contexts.
For school leadership teams, this means advocating for reforms in teacher education programs while simultaneously building internal capacity to provide the practice-based learning that new teachers need. Schools must function as sites of ongoing professional learning, especially for teachers whose pre-service preparation was inadequate.
What immediate actions can school leaders take?
Audit current professional development approaches
School leadership teams should examine their current teacher professional development systems against the Teaching Learning Practices Survey 2025 findings. Key questions include:
- Is professional development continuous or limited to isolated training events?
- Do training programs include demonstrations, guided practice, and structured reflection?
- Are peer learning opportunities systematically built into school schedules?
- Do academic resource persons have protected time and capacity for instructional coaching?
- Are cluster meetings focused on pedagogical improvement or administrative compliance?
This audit will reveal gaps between current approaches and the continuous, practice-focused professional development that produces classroom-level change.
Create structures for ongoing learning
Based on the Teaching Learning Practices Survey 2025 recommendations, school leaders should establish specific structures:
First, schedule regular time for peer learning activities. Teachers need dedicated time for learning circles, peer observations, and joint planning. These activities cannot happen spontaneously; they require protected time in school schedules.
Second, strengthen academic coaching systems. Ensure that ARPs and CRCs can make regular classroom visits focused on observing practice, demonstrating strategies, and providing specific feedback. Track the frequency and focus of these visits to ensure quality.
Third, design follow-up supports after training events. When teachers attend workshops, create mechanisms for them to practice new strategies, receive feedback on implementation, and refine their approach. This might include demonstration lessons, co-teaching opportunities, or structured reflection sessions.
Address specific pedagogical gaps systematically
The Teaching Learning Practices Survey 2025 identifies three challenges that require planned and systematic program support: home language use, multigrade teaching, and differentiated instruction. School leaders should prioritize professional development in these areas.
For home language use, although 73% of teachers knew children’s home languages, only 10% used them consistently to enhance children’s participation and comprehension. Teachers need ongoing support to develop strategies for incorporating home languages strategically in instruction.
For multigrade teaching, nearly two-thirds of classrooms in the survey sample were multigrade settings. Teachers working in multigrade contexts need specific curricular guidance and pedagogical tools to manage multiple groups effectively. This requires sustained professional development, not one-time training.
For differentiated instruction, teacher guides, training modules, and academic support systems should explicitly model how strategies such as flexible grouping, scaffolded tasks, and guided practice for small groups can be planned and implemented within everyday classroom routines.
What system-level changes enable effective professional development?
Policy support must extend beyond current timelines
The Teaching Learning Practices Survey 2025 recommends that policy support for FLN must continue beyond the current NIPUN Bharat Mission time frame, up to 2026-2027. While Grades 1 and 2 must remain the primary focus, the policy and program focus for consolidation of foundational skills also needs to extend to Grades 3 to 5.
School leaders should advocate for sustained policy attention to FLN beyond 2027. Teacher professional development systems take years to build and produce results. Short-term policy commitments undermine efforts to create lasting change in teaching practices.
Connect professional development to classroom practice improvement
The Teaching Learning Practices Survey 2025 presents a framework showing how system-level enablers, including continuous professional development programs and academic support for teachers, must translate into improved classroom practices. School leaders serve as the crucial link in this chain.
Leaders must ensure that professional development investments are evaluated based on classroom-level outcomes, not just training attendance numbers. The relevant question is not how many teachers attended training, but whether classroom practices improved as a result. The survey provides a clear picture of what effective FLN teaching looks like, giving leaders a benchmark against which to assess progress.
Source: All findings and recommendations in this article are drawn from the Teaching Learning Practices Survey 2025, published by Language and Learning Foundation in December 2025. The survey was conducted between November 2024 and March 2025 across nine states (Assam, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, and Uttar Pradesh), covering 21 districts and 1,050 classrooms. Supported by Tata Trusts and implemented in collaboration with Centre for microFinance, Educational Initiatives, Madhi Foundation, QUEST, and Vikramshila Education Resource Society, in partnership with state governments.
Access the complete report: https://languageandlearningfoundation.org/