Host:
Welcome to the deep dive. Today we are getting into a really, um, critical question in education.
I think—how do we make sure that professional development for teachers, you know the training they get, actually helps students learn better—like really learn better, measurably.
We’re focusing specifically on Bangladesh today and the challenges there, looking at something called the Evidence-Based Teacher Development framework (EBTD).
Co-Host:
That’s right. And if you’re listening, maybe you’re an educator yourself.
You’re probably looking for ways to, well, improve your own teaching.
Our mission today is really to connect the dots for you. We need to look honestly at the problems teachers face in Bangladesh first—and then show how this suite of courses, grounded in research, offers real practical tools.
Tools to bridge that gap between training and actual student results.
Host:
And it’s not like there hasn’t been effort. The scale of investment is huge, isn’t it?
Co-Host:
Oh, absolutely. The commitment is clear, but um, the research tells a slightly different story.
Access to training—yes, it’s high—but the impact, the effect on what teachers actually do in the classroom day to day… that’s still really uneven.
The data suggests many teachers get the certificate but then struggle to apply new ideas when they’re standing in front of, say, 60 kids.
Host:
Okay. Right. Let’s unpack that. That’s the crucial bit, isn’t it?
If half a million teachers get training, why are learning outcomes still lagging?
What are the specific problems—the pain points—for teachers?
Co-Host:
The outcomes data really says it all.
There was a baseline study in 2024 looking at places like Kurugram and Jamalpur—areas facing big educational challenges—and it found only about 10 to 22% of grade V students were actually meeting expected levels in core subjects.
Host:
Oh wow. 10 to 22%. That’s stark.
And you mentioned this isn’t always about the teacher not knowing the subject matter itself?
Co-Host:
Often no, it’s more about the pedagogy—the how of teaching.
Teachers might lack confidence or maybe the specific techniques for things like remedial help or teaching kids at different levels in the same class, you know, differentiation.
Then you add the other pressures—especially in the secondary schools—huge workloads, tons of admin, massive class sizes.
It all just sort of squeezes out the time and energy needed for that individual attention, for reflecting on your practice.
The whole system can feel like it’s fighting against applying new skills.
Host:
It sounds incredibly tough, almost impossible.
So, if that’s the daily reality—huge classes, mountains of paperwork—what can research realistically recommend?
We see these ideal scenarios like allocating 115 days for supervised practice during training. That sounds great on paper, but 115 days?
How do you possibly scale that kind of high-quality supervision across hundreds of thousands of teachers, many in really remote areas?
It feels structurally impossible.
Co-Host:
You’ve absolutely hit on the key challenge there.
The research is clear—we have to move towards structured practical learning. Practice-based, not just theory.
But you’re right, pulling teachers out for 115 days isn’t feasible at scale.
So the answer has to be different. It has to be about structured, evidence-based training delivered in smaller chunks, maybe supported by some in-school coaching.
And that leads us straight to the solution we’re discussing—the Integrated Teacher Development Award.
Host:
Okay, so this award—it’s designed specifically with those constraints in mind: the big classes, the workload.
It aims to deliver that practical element despite those challenges.
Co-Host:
Exactly. That’s the whole point.
It’s meant to be comprehensive, yes—covering the core evidence-based stuff—but adapted for Bangladesh.
It starts from the reality that teachers are already stretched thin.
Whatever they learn, they need to be able to use it pretty much straight away.
Host:
Right. So, how does it work? How is it structured to be effective but also manageable for a busy teacher?
What are the nuts and bolts?
Co-Host:
It’s designed for efficiency.
Each module kicks off with a single, really focused one-day workshop—just one day.
That’s then followed by about 20 hours of structured online learning, which the teacher does independently on their own time.
Delivery is super flexible. You can do it online, it can be delivered in school, or a mix—blended.
Plus, there are optional coaching drop-ins just to help make sure those new routines actually stick when you’re back in the real classroom.
Host:
Okay. And the full award is built around six core areas, six modules that link together.
Co-Host:
That’s right—six core modules that build on each other:
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Mind to Memory
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Curriculum Design
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Improving Behavior
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Metacognition and Self-Regulated Learning
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Effective Assessment and Feedback
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AI and Teaching
Host:
Interesting list. And you’re saying the real strength is how they connect, right? Not just six separate things.
Let’s maybe dive into the first couple then.
You grouped Mind to Memory and Curriculum Design as “making learning stick.”
This tackles that fundamental issue—kids forgetting stuff.
Co-Host:
Exactly. And this is key.
Teacher training often focuses on what to teach, but it needs to solve the memory problem, too.
Why do students forget?
So, the Mind to Memory module explains the cognitive science—the why of forgetting—and then the how: practical things like retrieval practice, spaced repetition.
Host:
Retrieval practice sounds a bit technical. What does that actually look like in a typical Bangladeshi classroom, maybe one without lots of tech?
Co-Host:
It’s surprisingly simple, and that’s the beauty of it when it’s truly evidence-based.
Retrieval practice just means getting students to pull information out of their memory without looking it up.
So, think low-stakes quizzes, really quick ones, or asking students to just write down everything they remember about a topic for two minutes—a “brain dump.”
Even simple flash cards work.
The act of trying to remember actually strengthens the memory. It builds that long-term retention needed for more complex thinking later.
Host:
Okay, that makes sense. Simple but powerful.
And you need the curriculum design part for that to work well, right?
Co-Host:
Precisely.
This module helps teachers move beyond just seeing the curriculum as a long list of topics they have to get through.
It’s about designing it coherently—making sure it’s rich in knowledge, sequenced logically.
We teach things like backward design—start with what you want students to know and be able to do at the end, then plan backwards.
And a really practical tool, especially for large classes where students can feel overwhelmed, is creating knowledge organisers or concept maps.
They make the structure and connections clear, reducing that cognitive load.
Host:
Right. So, you structure the knowledge well, then you get students actively retrieving it.
That sounds like a solid foundation. But none of that works if the classroom is chaotic.
Co-Host:
Which brings us to the next cluster—the calm, focused classroom.
This uses the Improving Behavior and Metacognition modules.
For behavior, the big shift is towards being proactive, not reactive—building routines and relationships rather than just relying on rules and consequences after something goes wrong.
We focus on simple things: clear signals for starting and stopping activities, setting clear expectations, and crucially, understanding the psychology of interaction—like the 5:1 ratio, aiming for five positive interactions for every one corrective one.
Host:
The 5:1 ratio—why that specific number? What’s the thinking there?
Co-Host:
It really boils down to building trust and rapport.
If most of your interactions with a student are positive, affirming, encouraging, they’re much more likely to listen and respond well when you do need to correct them or give constructive feedback.
It reduces defensiveness.
Kids feel safer and more connected—and the result? Fewer disruptions, a calmer classroom, which means more time for actual teaching and learning.
Host:
Okay, so you establish that calm environment. Then you can actually work on teaching students how to learn more effectively.
That’s the metacognition piece. Isn’t that sometimes seen as a bit abstract or maybe too advanced for younger students?
Co-Host:
It can seem that way, but it’s absolutely essential—and not as complex as it sounds.
Metacognition is basically teaching students to think about their own thinking—to become independent learners.
Teaching them how to plan their work, monitor how they’re doing, evaluate if they were successful.
The evidence is really strong here.
Explicitly teaching these skills significantly boosts student achievement.
Teachers learn practical techniques like think-alouds, where the teacher verbalizes their own thought process while solving a problem—showing the steps, the wrong turns, the thinking, not just the final neat answer.
Host:
Showing the process, not just the product. I like that.
Okay, so we’ve got content structure with memory science and we’ve got a calm, focused environment where students learn how to learn.
What about the teacher’s own time and effort? That workload issue is huge.
This is where the last cluster comes in—efficiency and precision.
How does AI and teaching fit, especially given the context in Bangladesh?
We’re not talking about every school having cutting-edge tech, are we?
Co-Host:
No, absolutely not.
The goal of the AI module isn’t about expensive hardware.
It’s about leveraging readily available AI tools to streamline planning, assessment, and resource creation—reducing workload and even personalizing learning a bit more.
And crucially, because device access is patchy, the focus is heavily on generating print-first outputs.
Host:
Print-first—so using AI to create things teachers can actually print out and use in a low-tech classroom?
Co-Host:
Exactly that.
Teachers learn how to prompt AI effectively to create things like differentiated worksheets, quick quizzes, example answers, exit tickets—all things they can print and use immediately.
We also cover practical tips like using prompt patterns that work well for mixed Bangla and English, which is common.
So AI becomes like a helpful assistant—saving time on resource creation, not a barrier requiring new infrastructure.
Host:
That makes a lot of sense.
And that efficiency must link directly to the Effective Assessment and Feedback module.
Is this about marking less or marking smarter?
Co-Host:
It’s really both.
The module pushes a shift away from marking everything towards assessing for learning—what information do I need to move students forward?
We emphasize that if your initial teaching is really clear and effective, and you use good formative assessment techniques along the way—checking understanding as you go—you actually reduce the need for tons of corrective marking later.
Teachers learn practical, low-marking strategies like whole-class feedback, identifying common errors and addressing them once with the whole group, or using simple codes on student work instead of writing long comments every time.
The goal is feedback that’s timely, specific, and actionable—without burning the teacher out.
Host:
It really sounds like a complete system.
Then you’ve got the memory science—the content, the curriculum giving it structure, the behavior strategies creating the right environment, metacognition building student independence, and then AI and smart assessment making it all manageable for the teacher.
It all works together.
Co-Host:
That’s absolutely the idea behind the full integrated award.
It’s not just individual tips.
It’s about understanding how these evidence-based approaches form a coherent pedagogical model.
Completing all six modules means a teacher has really mastered this integrated approach.
They get certified as a confident, reflective practitioner—someone who can not only implement these strategies in their own classroom, but potentially lead change across their school, too.
Host:
And for those teachers who do complete the full award and they’re eager for more—what comes next? Are there further development pathways?
Co-Host:
Yes.
The award is really about mastering that core classroom practice based on evidence.
From there, EBTD offers more specialized routes depending on career goals:
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Leadership Training Bangladesh for those moving into management or school leadership roles
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Tutor Training Programme for those mentoring other teachers or students
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The BRIDGE Framework, a comprehensive tool for conducting whole-school reviews and driving improvement across the entire institution
Host:
So this deep dive really highlights that just increasing access to teacher training isn’t enough, is it?
That’s just step one.
The crucial part is making sure that training is practical, grounded in solid evidence, and tailored to the real-world constraints teachers face—like those huge classes and workloads in Bangladesh.
The Integrated Teacher Development Award seems designed precisely to bridge that gap—taking global evidence and making it work locally, practically, in the classroom.
Co-Host:
Absolutely.
And when you invest in that kind of structured practical PD—focusing on things we know work, like memory science, metacognition, proactive behavior strategies—the teacher benefits immediately:
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Less stress
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Clearer teaching
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Calmer classrooms
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More efficient use of time
And that inevitably translates into better learning and higher achievement for their students.
It’s a win-win.
Host:
Okay, here’s something for you, our listener, to think about as we wrap up.
If you know that designing your curriculum carefully helps students learn things in a logical order, how much time could you potentially save next term?
Think about combining that intentional design with some AI tools for creating resources quickly—and maybe throwing in a simple cognitive science tactic like a quick brain dump retrieval task at the start of a lesson.
It’s that integration—curriculum, AI efficiency, cognitive science—where the really exciting transformation for both teachers and students might begin.
Thank you for joining us for the deep dive.
