No. 6 | February 2025 Education Note Rethinking Teaching Quality: The Role of Engagement in the Teaching and Learning Process Diego Luna Bazaldua and Emma Carter Engaging teaching has emerged as a key approach to This approach often differs from traditional teaching fostering children’s socio-emotional and cognitive skills. methods in many contexts. It can be particularly impactful This policy note draws on findings of a recent comparative in helping to engage all children, including in supporting study on the LEGO Foundation’s Engage, formerly known their acquisition of foundational literacy and numeracy as Playful Learning Across the Years (PLAY)1, classroom skills. Additionally, engaging teaching provides a pathway observation tool and the World Bank’s Teach Primary to address inequities in education by creating inclusive instrument. The study highlights how these tools learning environments that respect and value diverse complement each other and underscores the importance cultural contexts. of actionable strategies to integrate and monitor engaging Engaging teaching has been linked to improvements in teaching practices in primary schools, including across students’ executive functioning, emotional regulation, low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) where they tend and intrinsic motivation. By prioritizing this approach, to be less common. By leveraging these types of tools to education systems can foster environments where monitor teaching practices, policymakers can signal the students are not only recipients of knowledge but active importance of effective, engaging, and inclusive teaching participants in their learning journeys. approaches that enhance educational outcomes. Teaching practices that emphasize engagement in learning also contribute to broader societal benefits. By nurturing 1. The Case for skills such as creativity, problem-solving, and collaboration, these approaches prepare children for lifelong learning. Engaging Teaching In the long term, such practices can set the foundations for skill building that leads to better economic outcomes by equipping individuals with the skills needed for an Engaging teaching emphasizes fostering exploration, evolving job market. Furthermore, they foster stronger agency, social connections, and emotional well-being social cohesion by encouraging cooperation and respect among children. It is an approach that integrates purposeful for diversity among learners, ultimately contributing to engagement with structured learning, allowing children more inclusive and equitable societies. to develop both academically and socially. Through engagement-based methods, students are encouraged to explore concepts creatively, collaborate with peers, and connect their learning to real-world experiences. 1 The name PLAY is used throughout this paper as it corresponds to the name used in publicly available materials at the time of writing. The authors acknowledge that the tool is now called Engage. 02 • PLAY uniquely captures dimensions specific to 2. Monitoring and engagement-based and socio-emotional teaching practices, emphasizing the importance of fostering Supporting Teaching children’s agency and exploration. Practices • Teach Primary provides a broader perspective, focusing on classroom culture and instructional strategies, which are foundational to effective teaching. Classroom observation tools like PLAY and Teach Primary • Insights from both tools may complement each other, provide critical insights into teaching quality. Effective offering a more comprehensive understanding of monitoring of teaching practices enables responsive teaching practices to inform policy and program actions to ensure that educators receive the support they development. need to enhance their methods and align with modern educational goals. The PLAY tool focuses on measuring the quality of support for student engagement, which is core to engaging teaching, capturing how teachers foster 4. Policy exploration, agency, social connection, and emotional Recommendations climate in the classroom. By contrast, the Teach Primary tool evaluates broader teaching practices, including To integrate and scale up engaging teaching classroom culture, instructional quality, and socio- practices, policymakers should consider the following emotional skill development. recommendations: These tools serve as complementary instruments, each addressing relevant dimensions of teaching quality. PLAY • Invest in teacher capacity. Provide opportunities offers a nuanced view of practices that directly support for teachers to gain knowledge and skills in engaging engagement-based teaching and learning, while Teach teaching methodologies that support children’s socio- Primary provides a broader assessment of overall teaching emotional development and well-being. This includes effectiveness. Together, they offer valuable insights initial teacher education programs and continuous that can inform policy and practice, helping to design professional development opportunities. interventions that address both general and engagement- • Leverage observation tools effectively. Incorporate specific aspects of teaching quality. periodic classroom observation studies, using Policymakers can leverage the respective strengths of appropriate tools, to identify strengths and areas for these classroom observation tools to understand strengths development. This information can help to specific and areas for development among the diverse factors that new policy objectives and to inform decisions around contribute to effective teaching. This information can be targeting and efficient resource utilization. used for better planning, targeting, and efficient use of • Ensure inclusivity and cultural relevance. Adapt resources to enhance children’s learning and well-being. engaging teaching practices to local contexts, ensuring they reflect cultural values and address specific community needs. 3. Key Findings from • Foster collaboration across stakeholders. Engage the Study. educators, parents, and community leaders in promoting the benefits of engagement-based learning. The comparative analysis of PLAY and Teach Primary highlighted several critical findings: • There is substantial content alignment between the tools, with over a third of PLAY items matching Teach Primary behaviors. This overlap demonstrates shared priorities in capturing essential teaching practices conducive to optimizing children’s learning and well- being. 03 5.Conclusion Integrating engaging teaching practices into education systems is a transformative step toward achieving holistic learning goals. Policymakers are urged to take bold, evidence-based actions to scale these practices, leveraging tools like PLAY and Teach Primary to gain information for continuous improvement and monitoring. By investing in engaging teaching, education systems can enhance classrooms to be more inclusive, engaging, and capable of nurturing every child’s potential. The ripple effects of such investments go far beyond the classroom. They help build societies where individuals are equipped with the skills and confidence to contribute meaningfully to their communities. By fostering creativity, collaboration, and critical thinking from an early age, engaging teaching cultivates a foundation for lifelong learning that adapts to the demands of an ever-changing world. Furthermore, these practices help bridge gaps in educational equity, creating opportunities for all learners to thrive regardless of their socio-economic background. Policymakers have a unique opportunity to lead this change by prioritizing resources and strategies that place engaging teaching at the heart of education reform. Together, policymakers and development partners can shape a future where learning is not just a process but a joyful and empowering journey for every child.