What started as a small initiative in schools has grown into a district-level effort to improve education in Pema Gatshel. The district hosted a research symposium recently to help teachers reflect on their teaching practices, make changes and share their findings. Over the two days, 60 participants, including principals, teachers, and research focal presented 12 action research papers.
Pema Gatshel started the action research initiative in 2021 after a Training of Trainers programme at Dechhenling Lower Secondary School. However, no research was published until last year.
The symposium gave teachers a platform to share best classroom practices, discuss challenges, and explore research-based solutions to improve teaching and learning.
“In remote schools, we have very few teachers catering to many students. They rarely get time to participate in such forums or conduct research. But when schools come together like this, findings can be shared. And when they return to their schools, they’ll have something new to improve their skills,” said Phurpa Tashi, Principal, Nangkor Central School, Pema Gatshel.
“I learned that one of the most effective strategies I can implement in the classroom is guided reading, the SQ3R method, and skimming and scanning strategies,” said Thinley Dorji, Teacher, Khengzor Primary School, Pema Gatshel.
According to the District Education Sector, this was the first-ever research symposium in the district.
“This platform allows our teacher-researchers to showcase their findings and share them with a wider audience. More importantly, we won’t let these findings sit idle. Our principals and teachers present in the forum have agreed to implement the findings across the district to improve student learning outcomes,” said Pelzang, Chief DEO, Pema Gatshel.
The district now plans to hold the symposium every year, giving teachers a platform to share their research.
With annual forums, clear roadmap and a commitment to collaboration, Pema Gatshel is paving the way for a stronger and more reflective education system, one driven by its teachers.
Thinley Dorji, Pema Gatshel
Edited by Sonam Pem
