How a powerful NEP 2020 instrument for reflection and growth became just another box-ticking exercise
A teacher’s diary is a research document, a collection of lesson plans and resources designed to support teachers in implementing the principles of NEP 2020. It is not a PDF file but an on-the-spot, situation-based tool catering to CBE (Competency-Based Education) and student-centric learning.
A teacher’s diary should document a teacher’s learning journey, student-centric learning, and continuous professional development. A teacher’s diary is a personal teaching scrapbook. A teacher’s diary is a flexible, free-spirited space where we, as educators, can jot down our feelings too—what happened in the class, how an excellent student is maintaining progress, improving, how a poor student is improving, and so on.
A teacher’s diary is not a structured planning tool but a composite one, covering almost everything in the classroom.
A few days ago, I observed a teacher friend of mine preparing a lesson plan in a hurry as he anticipated the visit of inspectors to my institute. What he did was ridiculous. He opened Google and started writing the answer to a question, presenting it as a lesson plan. The notebook where he wrote served as a teacher’s diary. The inspectors checked the so-called diary, and my friend had a smile on his face, indicating as if he had succeeded in deceiving the officials.
A teacher’s diary is a record of a teacher’s daily activities, including lesson planning, classroom observations, students’ progress, and reflection on teaching practices.
A teacher’s diary is a tool used for planning, reflection, and tracking teaching activities.
As an academic monitor, I often get chances to observe the situation at the ground level. Our School Education Department is doing tremendous work, but we, as educators, do not come up to the expectations. The education policies regularly get destroyed due to our laziness at the ground level, and it pains
Lately, my fellow educators in one of the reputed government schools in my vicinity asked me about a teacher’s diary structure. When by chance, I turned over the leaves of the diaries they had prepared, I could find only questions and answers like a student’s primary class notebook.
A teacher’s diary is a personal assistant to an educator. It is a mirror, the reflection of which tells us how to decorate. A teacher’s diary is like a spy cam for me, helping to have a very close look over classroom management. A teacher’s diary is a tool for continuous improvement, reflection, and professional growth, ensuring teachers are equipped to implement the vision of the new education policy, NEP 2020. It creeps like a mouse but has a jaw like a lion.
It is the responsibility of resource persons at the zonal, district, and state levels to provide assistance to the educators in government schools of J&K to learn about this beautiful tool—the teacher’s diary. But, unfortunately, most of the resource persons never visit schools and never provide on-the-spot assistance to the teachers. In the context of NEP 2020, they are supposed to be in the schools.
I was appointed as a general line teacher in 2007. I remember the teacher’s diary prepared in those days. With the passage of time, we, as educators, trimmed the lesson plans and reduced them to almost nothing. The impact of the teacher’s diary nowadays is like a king’s falcon. The king trimmed the feathers of his most loved falcon, and the falcon couldn’t fly.
Sometimes, a teacher starts jotting down many lesson plans in the diary—almost a couple of months’ worth—in one hour when expecting inspection.
Here is a breakdown of what can be included in the teacher’s diary aligned with NEP 2020:
Daily Plan:
– Note the date and specify the subject being taught.
– Outline what students are expected to learn (e.g., understanding the structure of a sentence).
– Detail the specific activities and list the materials, books, or technology needed (e.g., picture cards, whiteboards, etc.).
– Follow this with an assessment—how you will gauge student understanding (e.g., a quick quiz).
– Record various assessments, including formative and summative, focusing on skills and competencies rather than just rote memorisation.
Student Observation:
(This part has almost been neglected by most educators.)
– Make brief notes on individual student behaviour—their progress, challenges, and strengths.
– Note the overall class engagement and any behavioural difficulties.
– Identify areas where you need to improve. Be sincere. There is always room for improvement.
Parental Communication:
– Record any parent interactions and phone calls.
– Share progress and any areas of concern with parents.
Lesson Review:
– Reflect on how the lesson went—what worked well and what could be improved.
The teacher’s diary serves as a comprehensive record of the teacher’s work. When maintained properly, the diary can be used for documentation and evaluation. A teacher’s diary, as per NEP 2020, should align with:
– Holistic development: Ensuring lesson plans are engaging and relevant to each student’s unique needs.
– Continuous improvement: Allowing teachers to identify areas for growth.
– Teacher’s empowerment: Providing a platform for documentary work, sharing experiences, and engaging in professional development activities aligned with NEP 2020.
It is the responsibility of the resource persons at the zonal, district (DIET), and state levels (SCERT) to come out of their cosy rooms and help the teachers of government schools in J&K in these matters. They are meant for this. Provide special training to educators on a priority basis, exclusively meant for the “Teacher’s Diary,” as soon as possible.
The writer is a teacher at Government Secondary School, Narbal
Muntashir Kifayat
mu**************@***il.com