Classroom Guide

Creating an
Inclusive Learning
Environment
 “Educating effective future leaders is a high responsibility.”
“To do it well, we must look beyond the world, which is passing from sight and turn our eyes to
the unchartered world of the future. We must rise above the antiquated approaches of earlier
days and instead infuse our students with what I would call three “A’s” of modern learning - the
spirit of anticipation, the spirit of adaptation and the spirit of adventure. This will happen best in
learning environments which are both serious and focused on the one hand, but which are also
joyous and inspiring places, operating on the cutting edge of pedagogy and knowledge.”

HIS HIGHNESS THE AGA KHAN,

FOUNDATION STONE-LAYING CEREMONY OF THE RESIDENTIAL CAMPUS,
AGA KHAN ACADEMY MOMBASA, 2008,
AKF Classroom Guide to Creating
an Inclusive Learning Environment
1. Introduction
Over the last decade, the global discussion on learning outcomes in education has
increasingly recognised the importance of equipping students with the knowledge, skills,
attitudes and values to succeed in their lives and societies beyond their time in the classroom.
Ranging across a focus on resilience, the ability to work with difference, the importance of
mindset or the value of critical thinking, creativity, communication and collaboration, all of
these concepts address the importance of preparing students for success in their life and work
in the context of uncertainties, fragilities and rapid environmental, social and technological
change that marks this century.

The Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) believes that teachers and school leaders are at the heart of
educational change. Drawing on over 100 years of learning experiences in education across
15 countries in Asia and Africa, AKF and the broader agencies of the Aga Khan Development
Network (AKDN) work with schools, governments and key partners to develop
globally-informed and locally-rooted teaching and learning solutions. Alongside the broader
approach of the AKDN in advancing pluralism as an ethic of respect for diversity, the Aga Khan
Foundation (AKF) has adopted pluralism and ethics as the lens through which it approaches its
work with teachers and educators in equipping young people with the attitudes and values
required to become contributing members of society. AKF’s education programme focuses on
enhancing students’ curiosity, imagination, resilience, and the capacity to respect and care
about the well-being of themselves, their friends, families, communities and planet.

This classroom guide has been designed to provide a set of guidelines for teachers and
educators defining and creating positive classroom experiences for early years, primary, and
secondary students. The guide is based on a large body of research suggesting that personal
qualities that are also defined as social and emotional skills, can enhance academic
achievement and student well-being.1 This includes the growing evidence that students who
experience classrooms that are guided by principles of positive and trusted relationships
demonstrate better achievement in the short - and long-term.2

The tool offers examples of each aspect of positive emotional climate and instructional quality,
but not all of these will be relevant for each context. Users are strongly encouraged to
contextualise and adapt the guide to create a set of relevant examples for each dimension
described.

1
Bruns et al., RISE Working Paper: Measures of effective teaching in developing countries, 2016; McKinsey, and Company, How to improve student
educational outcomes: new insights from data analytics, 2017; OECD, Learning Framework 2030: The future of education and skills, 2018.

2
AKES, Teaching and Learning at the heart of school improvement (Draft), 2018; Teachstone - CLASS, Effective-Teacher Child Interactions and Child
Outcomes, 2017.

AGA KHAN FOUNDATION | CLASSROOM GUIDE 1

Why this guide?
Prepared by AKF’s global education team in consultation with international and local experts,
the guide is proposed for world-wide use by school mentors and inspectors, academic leaders
and teachers in promoting best teaching and learning practices in classrooms.

The guide is intended to be used as a professional development tool, along with others, to
promote best practices in creating a classroom environment in which students not only gain
knowledge and skills required for success in the 21st century, but also develop pluralistic and
ethical attitudes and values necessary for individual and societal well-being and stability. The
guide considers ten dimensions of an inclusive classroom environment, the first three of which
comprise the essentials of a positive emotional climate: emotional climate (positive and
negative), teacher sensitivity and classroom agreements. The additional seven dimensions are
grouped under the category of instructional quality: effective facilitation, learning objectives
and sequencing, differentiation, individual and collaborative learning, learning to learn
strategies, assessment and feedback strategies. Under each dimension, detailed teaching
strategies/descriptors and developmental dialogue questions encourage teachers to consider
how they can explicitly integrate pluralistic and ethical attitudes and values across the
planning, delivering and evaluating phases of their lesson.

The World Bank has also recently published Teach, a teaching measurement toolkit, which
uses observation to holistically measure teaching quality – including social-emotional learning
– in low- and middle-income countries3. AKF’s Classroom Guide to Creating an Inclusive
Learning Environment complements Teach. The guide is a capacity building tool that focuses
on building understanding of what quality and inclusive teaching and learning looks like, using
observation as a method. With this aim in mind, the guide elaborates on the dimensions
associated with an inclusive learning environment – including the centrality of a positive
emotional climate. A second aim of the guide is to introduce a focus on pluralism and ethics as
both a lens and vehicle to enhancing teacher-student and student-student relationships.

Dimensions of an inclusive learning enviroment

Learning Teacher Classroom Learning to Feedback

objectives & sensitivity agreement learn strategies strategies
sequencing

Emotional Effective Differentiation Individual & Assessment

climate facilitation collaborative strategies
learning

3
Bruns et al., RISE Working Paper: Measures of effective teaching in developing countries, 2016; McKinsey, and Company, How to improve student
educational outcomes: new insights from data analytics, 2017; OECD, Learning Framework 2030: The future of education and skills, 2018.

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The importance of a positive emotional climate
Essential to this guide is the importance of a positive emotional climate, explicitly highlighted
as a unique dimension that should be at the heart of the classroom environment. Positive
interactions between students and their teachers as well as among students in the classroom
have consistently been found to predict better student learning.4 Because these relationships
are essential for learner success, the positive emotional climate dimension of this tool focuses
on teachers’ capacities to create and strengthen positive interactions through the classroom
climate, behaviour management, expectation setting and teacher sensitivity. The guide
explores how these areas can link to instructional strategies and the development of students’
personal competencies across knowledge, skills, values and attitudes.

A focus on pluralism and ethics

Building on the importance of positive relationships in the classroom, this guide also
encourages teachers to approach their relationships with students and students’ relationships
with their peers with a view towards positively engaging with differences and diversity and
placing their actions in an ethical framework. In this case, difference can be understood as
different ideas, ways of thinking and points of view as well as a respect for diverse
backgrounds and awareness of one’s biases. Teachers are also encouraged to help students
to think critically about the world around them, making informed judgements connected to
their ethics and values.

The focus on pluralism and ethics is also connected to several social and emotional skills and
personal competencies.

4
Hattie, John, Visible Learning, 2009; Hamre, Bridget and Robert Pianta, 2003; Gillispie, Mary, 2002.

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 Personal qualities and competencies aligned with Pluralism and Ethics

• Self-awareness and resilience

• Empathy and open mindedness
• Respect for diversity
• Taking responsibility
• Relationship building
• Collaboration
• Reconciling tensions
• Critical thinking and problem solving

Descriptions under each dimension that connect to these pluralistic and ethical skills and
attitudes have been marked with

How should this guide be used?

The guide is intended as a professional development tool for building the capacity of
teachers, school leaders, teacher mentors and school inspectors, not a classroom
observation tool to rank or scale teachers performance. As a professional development
tool, the guide should be used in:

1. Training workshops and/or school or cluster level educators’ community of practice

meetings, ideally focusing on one or two dimensions at a time as relevant to the needs
and capacity of the teachers and educators. Trainers/facilitators of the guide are
encouraged to use videos and/or encourage trainees to observe teaching strategies
before or during the training, relevant to each dimension for the participants to observe,
watch and rank what they have seen using the indicators included in this guide and then
discuss in pairs and/or groups;

2. Teachers’ professional development processes. The mentor and the teacher should
mutually agree to focus on one or two dimensions at a time, as relevant to the
professional development needs and plans of the teacher. The professional
development dialogues presented at the end of each section are suggested starting
points to support individual reflection and mentoring. These questions are intended to
be explored in an open-ended discussion format, following peer observation with a
teacher. The questions can be taken as a whole or used in parts to apply to the entire
dimension, rather than specific indicators. The most important aspect of the
development dialogues is to promote introspection and reflection on areas to improve
teaching practices without ‘ranking’ teaching performance.

If used, adapted or integrated to complement existing classroom observation

methodologies and tools, the observer should be careful to consider:
• the overall purpose of the observation
• not everything can or is meant to be observed in one lesson
• the tool should be used to promote reflection and to improve teachers’ performance,
rather than be used as a stand-alone ranking
• the value of targeting specific areas for observation in collaboration with a self-
assessment by the teacher being observed
• the benefits of peer observation and reviews

AG
A GA
A K
KHHA
ANN FFO
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NDDAATTIIO
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CL A S S R O O M
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GUUIIDDEE 03
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How can this guide be contextualised?
One of the most critical steps in contextualizing this guide is generating contextually relevant
values, attitudes and practices for the indicators under each of these dimensions. This does
not only include assessing current values, attitudes and practices, but also understanding what
you would like to see for your classrooms and students in the future – in other words, those
behaviours you want to see.

Below are steps we recommend be taken into consideration when adapting this guide. They
are based on AKF’s own experiences:

1. Engage the right stakeholders. Depending on how the guide will be introduced or rolled
out, it is critical to engage the relevant stakeholders, such as teachers, school heads and
educators.

2. Re-define the dimensions. Develop a broad definition or description of each dimension,

e.g., positive climate, teacher sensitivity, feedback approaches. What might a positive
climate look like in your context? Teacher sensitivity?

3. Revise the indicators under each dimension. Review the elements included under
each dimension, revise and adapt the existing ones and add to them if there are aspects
that are not reflected based on your definitions.

4. Think about what this looks like in your context. Identify contextually relevant
behaviours, practices, or markers of each dimension that reflect your new definitions.
Working with your stakeholders, brainstorm behavioural markers that will help teachers
and mentors/educators anchor the indicators to what they can see in a classroom. This
could be thought about in terms of what an “ideal” classroom looks like and what kinds of
things you want to avoid. For example, what does “respect” look like between teacher and
child or between students?

This process is particularly helpful if the guide is used as a professional development tool. Not
all of the ten dimensions need additional contextualized behavioural markers, but expression
of positive affect, for example, can be displayed in many different ways. It is important to get
these behaviours “right” for the context.

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2. Classroom dimensions

An effective lesson structure uses clear objectives, pacing and

smooth transitions, communicating the lesson purpose and
outcomes. The teacher effectively focuses all students'
attention towards learning objectives and the purpose of the
lesson. The teacher is fully prepared for activities and lessons
and consistently links ideas and activities to one another and to
previous learning. The teacher uses different activities to vary
Learning objectives the interactions students have with new knowledge and skills.
& sequencing

A warm and cohesive classroom environment offers all

students a chance to feel validated, heard and understood. The
teacher and students consistently demonstrate respect for one
another through positive communications and interactions. The
teacher and students do not display negative emotions. The
teacher demonstrates positive energy in walking around,
observing activities and engaging with students and effectively
deals with disruptions and managerial tasks in a respectful
Emotional climate
manner.

A sensitive teacher demonstrates encouragement, attention

and an inclusive attitude, and also anticipates and consistently
responds to students’ needs. The teacher regularly observes
students’ actions and attitudes and encourages students'
efforts to increase involvement and persistence. Students
appear comfortable reaching out to the teacher, sharing their
ideas and responding to questions. The teacher demonstrates
sensitivity by responding to all students equally, irrespective of
Teacher sensitivity
ethnicity, gender or religion.

An effective facilitator engages all students in activities,

showing students what the tasks are how to perform them.
Students consistently show their interest by asking and
responding to questions and working with their peers in
lessons. The teacher uses questioning techniques effectively
to enhance students’ learning. The teacher checks for
understanding and at the end of each lesson revisits the
Effective facilitation content covered and ties the activities together.

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2. Classroom dimensions

An inclusive classroom environment reinforces clearly defined

expectations and procedures through mutual agreement
between teachers and students. Both teacher and students
positively demonstrate the agreed expectations throughout
the class. Everybody knows what is expected of them and how
to go about doing it.
Classroom agreement

Differentiated teaching strategies requires teacher to adjust

their teaching practices in order to help and extend the
knowledge and skills of every student, regardless of their
starting point. The teacher delivers lessons or provides
activities that incorporate adjustments for different learning
styles, starting points and expectations.
Differentiation

A learning lesson incorporates tasks that encourage students

to work on their own or in groups. The teacher balances time
for individual and collaborative learning. For individual learning,
the teacher explains each step to the student and then
engages with the student as they complete the task. For
collaborative learning, the teacher provides activities that
encourage all students to participate, negotiate roles,
Individual and responsibilities and outcomes. The teacher encourages
collaborative learning working groups to have a diversity of student backgrounds.

Learning to learn strategies teach students to be aware of how

they learn and how to gain control over their learning, helping
them move from an attitude that leaves little room for change
to an attitude that promotes self-awareness and resilience.
Teachers model various strategies to promote learning to
learn by asking students questions, encouraging them to be
Learning to learn creative and think critically, and providing opportunities to
strategies self-reflect.

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2. Classroom dimensions

Feedback informs a student and teacher about the student’s

performance relative to learning goals, allowing the student
to align efforts, actions and behaviours to achieve the
learning goals. The teacher consistently provides feedback
that is positive, useful, and timely to complete the task. The
teacher models or demonstrates how a task is done or how
to solve a problem and frequently provides support for
students and answers questions.
Feedback strategies

Student assessment strategies help teachers to measure

student’s progress and evaluate the effect classroom
experiences are having on learning. The teacher regularly
applies different assessment strategies including formal and
informal, diagnostic, formative and summative, that are
relevant to what students learn in the classroom. The
teacher also promotes student self- assessment.
Assessment strategies

3. Observable indicators
How do we observe for these dimensions in a classroom?
The following set of Observable Indicators provide an approach to examining these ten
dimensions in the classroom. Included are a set of indicators - or descriptors - for each
dimension which can be reasonably demonstrated within a classroom environment and
through the course of a given lesson or series of lessons.
While the indicators mainly refer to the actual delivery of the lesson, they also include
assessment and evaluation elements. Moreover, they all have underlying planning
dimensions. It is recommended that the observer or mentor have the lesson plan before them
while observing a lesson to enable effective reflection and dialogue as soon as possible after
the completion of the lesson.
Following the indicators are a set of suggested questions to support teachers’ professional
development through ‘development dialogues’. These questions are intended to be a starting
point for reflection and self-guided inquiry on one’s teaching practices and strategies to better
highlight the dimensions included in this guide. The suggested questions should be used if the
guide is used as professional development tool between a mentor or observer and a teacher.
During the development dialogues, the mentor is advised to encourage the teacher to analyse
the preparation and delivery of the lesson, beginning the conversation first with a
self-assessment. Reflecting back the observations in a helpful manner will enable teachers to
grow in confidence and develop a dialogue to improve teaching practice. In general, mentors
should aim for open-ended questions that encourage reflection. Mentors might also consider
meeting with the teacher prior to the lesson to better understand the lesson design and
purpose before observation.

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Learning objectives and sequencing
Observable indicators

AREA CHOOSE COMMENTS

Teacher gives the students a clear sense Never

of the purpose of the lesson in language
Rarely
they understand, including expected
learning outcomes and connections to Sometimes
previous learning. Mostly
Always

Teacher brings students' attention to Never

learning objectives and/or the purpose of Rarely
the lesson. Sometimes
Mostly
Always

Teacher involves the students in Never

summarizing main points of the lesson Rarely
objectives.
Sometimes
Mostly
Always

Teacher follows the developed lesson Never

plans throughout the class. Rarely
Sometimes
Mostly
Always

Lesson has a planned flow, beginning, Never

middle and end with clear pacing and Rarely
routine.
Sometimes
Mostly
Always

Lesson activities are well paced & include a Never

range of structured and free tasks learning
tasks e.g. play, role-play, games, multi- Rarely
sensory activities, experiential learning, Sometimes
discussion, presentation, inquiry, problem-
Mostly
solving, project-based research etc.relating
to expected student learning outcomes. Always

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Learning objectives and sequencing
Observable indicators

AREA CHOOSE COMMENTS

Teacher is fully prepared - no time is taken Never

away from the lesson. Rarely
Sometimes
Mostly
Always

Outdoor activity is included to foster awe, Never

imagination and inquiry and helping Rarely
students to connect the learning objectives Sometimes
with their local context and environment.
Mostly
Always

Teacher uses opportunities throughout the Never

lesson to connect learning objectives, Rarely
content and activities to the personal Sometimes
competencies aligned with pluralism and
Mostly
ethics.
Always

The classroom is clean and well-arranged Never

for effective delivery of the lesson and Rarely
learning objectives. Sometimes
Mostly
Always

Suggested questions for development dialogues:

1. How do you know the objectives or expected learning outcomes were achieved?
What helped students understand the purpose of the lesson?
How can you make the purpose more explicit?

2. How do you link your objectives to student’s previous learning/experiences?

3. How might you have better prepared for the lesson?

4. Is there a way the activities could have been designed or linked better?
How did your lesson end? Is there a way you can bring students together at the end?

5. Is there a way you could have used the classroom space better?

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Emotional climate
Observable indicators

AREA CHOOSE COMMENTS

Teacher and students interactions are Never

positive; teacher frequently moves around,
Rarely
listening to and talking with all students in
a warm, positive, caring, empathetic and Sometimes
encouraging manner. Mostly
Always

Teacher addresses students by their name Never

and provides opportunities to share their Rarely
personal experiences that relate to the Sometimes
topic.
Mostly
Always

Teacher voice and body language exudes Never

warmth and confidence and conveys high Rarely
expectations. Sometimes
Mostly
Always

Teacher uses culturally and contextually Never

relevant positive emotions, humour, Rarely
surprise, praise, encouragement and Sometimes
delight.
Mostly
Always

Teacher promotes a positive attitude Never

towards learning by recognizing and Rarely
motivating students’ efforts. Sometimes
Mostly
Always

Teacher integrates a respect for diversity Never

and ethics into their lesson content and Rarely
delivery, e.g. by including multiple Sometimes
perspectives.
Mostly
Always

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Emotional climate
Observable indicators

AREA CHOOSE COMMENTS

Teacher treats all students fairly with respect Never

and value, consistently challenges Rarely
stereotypes/negative attitudes when they
Sometimes
arise and involves students in exploring and
questioning them. Mostly
Always

Students look happy and interested and Never

actively participate by asking questions and
Rarely
engaging in discussion.
Sometimes
Mostly
Always

Students enjoy answering questions without Never

fear of ‘getting it wrong’ and actively ask
Rarely
their own questions.
Sometimes
Mostly
Always

Teacher and students do not use a negative Never

verbal tone or body language, sarcastic or
Rarely
dismissive words or have cold and
disrespectful interactions. Sometimes
Mostly
Always

Suggested questions for development dialogues:

1. How do you think you related to your students? What did you do well, and how do you know?
What could you have done better? What do you need to be more effective to better enable students’
learning?

2. What strategies did you use to foster positive interactions with your students and positive interactions
among students? How well do the students relate to each other? How can you better enable this?

3. What do you think makes students enjoy your lesson? What could you have done better?

4. How do you make your classroom more inclusive with regard to students from different backgrounds,
cultures, languages, religions/sects, gender, abilities etc?
How would you describe the social dynamics of your classroom?

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Teacher sensitivity
Observable indicators

AREA CHOOSE COMMENTS

Teacher is aware of the social-emotional Never

and academic needs of students and has
structured learning activities to meet those Rarely
needs by providing students with a range
Sometimes
of choices, i.e. work alone or with partners,
work with the teacher, provide answers in Mostly
writing, using note cards as prompts etc.
Always

Teacher is able to recognize anticipated Never

problems or behaviours that distract Rarely
students from the task and is able to
Sometimes
re-engage them effectively.
Mostly
Always

Teacher notices distress, isolation, bullying Never

etc. and responds with empathy. Rarely
Sometimes
Mostly
Always

Teacher creates a collaborative learning Never

ethos and includes students of all genders, Rarely
faiths, cultural backgrounds, abilities,
Sometimes
personalities etc. in sharing, turn-taking
and group discussion. Mostly
Always

Teacher finds opportunities to incorporate Never

students’ culture and context in the Rarely
curriculum and encourages students from Sometimes
minority groups to share their culture and
Mostly
contexts with the whole class.
Always

Teacher provides opportunities for Never

students of all backgrounds to express Rarely
themselves equally, initiate discussion, Sometimes
contribute ideas and share feelings and
Mostly
viewpoints with the teacher and each
other. Always

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Teacher sensitivity
Observable indicators

AREA CHOOSE COMMENTS

Students demonstrate sensitivity and are Never

willing to help peers who are distressed, Rarely
show empathy towards one another and
Sometimes
interact with respect.
Mostly
Always

Teacher is sensitive to how children from Never

different backgrounds and gender relate to Rarely
each other and gently challenges Sometimes
stereotypical thinking and behaviour.
Mostly
Always

Teacher identifies bias as it comes up and Never

encourages discussion to promote a Rarely
respect for diversity. Sometimes
Mostly
Always

Teacher is proactive in discussing sensitive Never

topics and issues related to ethical Rarely
responsibilities. Sometimes
Mostly
Always

Suggested questions for development dialogues:

1. In what ways do you think you were sensitive to students’ needs?
How did you meet the learning needs of students who needed more help/were distressed?
2. What differences did you notice in the way you treated different groups of students,
(e.g. based on gender, disability and background)? How did you differentiate for your students?
Give an example of when you differentiated for your students.
3. How open and collaborative was your classroom environment?
How might you better encourage students from different backgrounds/genders to relate to
one another and respect each other’s differences?
4. What can you do to further explore students’ thinking about class, gender, faith, ethnicity etc? When
planning for all of your students, how do you ensure that you are mindful of gender, faith and ethnicity?
Can you give an example?

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Effective facilitation
Observable indicators

AREA CHOOSE COMMENTS

Students are engaged and involved in Never

activities and lessons. Rarely
Sometimes
Mostly
Always

Teacher consistently links ideas and activities Never

to one another, to previous learning and to Rarely
real life and knowledge of the world. Sometimes
Mostly
Always

Teacher uses multiple modalities for Never

instruction and repeats instructions as Rarely
needed - students’ understanding is Sometimes
confirmed in both target and other languages Mostly
where necessary.
Always

Teacher uses open-ended questioning Never

techniques effectively to enhance and extend Rarely
student learning. Sometimes
Mostly
Always

Teacher provides collaborative activities that Never

relate to real life, problem-solving Rarely
opportunities to reflect, brainstorm, analyse, Sometimes
seek and interpret information, find solutions Mostly
and make decisions.
Always

Teacher provides activities that enable Never

students to use their initiative, imagination Rarely
and be creative e.g. use of art, drama, music, Sometimes
poetry, varied and low/no cost materials and Mostly
to work collaboratively with peers.
Always

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Effective facilitation
Observable indicators

AREA CHOOSE COMMENTS

Teacher effectively uses visuals techniques Never

and integration of ICTs and digital Rarely
technologies where available throughout
Sometimes
the lesson.
Mostly
Always

Teacher effectively uses classroom space, Never

materials and furniture for various activities Rarely
throughout the lesson.
Sometimes
Mostly
Always

Teacher gives all students, regardless of Never

gender, equal opportunities to participate Rarely
and share ideas. Sometimes
Mostly
Always

Teacher actively encourages students to Never

engage with others from different Rarely
backgrounds with a respect for diversity. Sometimes
Mostly
Always

Suggested questions for development dialogues:

1. What are the top facilitation techniques you applied in your lesson today that were most effective? Why?
What could you have done better?
2. How do you tell if all students were engaged and participating equally?
What can you do in the future to increase engagement?
3. How did you build on students’ previous learning?
4. What other strategies can you use to promote creativity and imagination?
5. What strategies can you use to encourage students to ask more questions?
To engage in more collaborative activities?

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Classroom agreement
Observable indicators

AREA CHOOSE COMMENTS

Teacher communicates the highest Never

expectations.
Rarely
Sometimes
Mostly
Always

Teacher monitors and helps students to Never

monitor their own behaviour. Rarely
Sometimes
Mostly
Always

Teacher uses positive discipline Never

techniques to encourage responsible
Rarely
behaviour and enable students to find ways
to resolve conflict and disagreement, e.g. Sometimes
listen, discuss, acknowledge feelings Mostly
and apologise. Always

Students contribute to the development Never

of their own class/school code of Rarely
conduct.
Sometimes
Mostly
Always

Students uphold the class code of Never

conduct, rarely misbehaving and often Rarely
suggesting solutions for conflict
Sometimes
resolution.
Mostly
Always

Students demonstrate personal Never

commitment to the classroom agreements Rarely
and their own values and choices.
Sometimes
Mostly
Always

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Classroom agreement
Observable indicators

AREA CHOOSE COMMENTS

Teacher models agreement through Never

meaningful, mutually respectful, trusting Rarely
relationships and warmly encourages
Sometimes
every child.
Mostly
Always

Teacher actively watches for behaviours to Never

acknowledge and probe further. Rarely
Sometimes
Mostly
Always

Teacher promotes students’ health, hygiene Never

and well-being in classroom agreements Rarely
and physical environment, e.g. hygiene Sometimes
corners, informative displays, etc.
Mostly
Always

Teacher provides opportunities for Never

students to demonstrate ethical Rarely
responsibility, leadership skills and care Sometimes
for the community and environment.
Mostly
Always

Suggested questions for development dialogues:

1. What kind of expectations of students did you demonstrate? What could you do differently?
How do you create classroom expectations for all of your students where they feel they have ownership
and voice?
2. What kind of relationships do you model in your interactions with various students?
3. What can you do to help students develop more leadership and responsibility?
4. In what ways can you provide more encouragement to all students, across gender, culture and
learning styles?
5. How can you become more aware of what is happening in different parts of the classroom?
6. How do you think your students respond to your strategies for classroom management and beliefs
about discipline?

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Differentiation
Observable indicators

AREA CHOOSE COMMENTS

Teacher provides differentiated and more Never

basic or extended tasks to challenge and
Rarely
engage students of all abilities.
Sometimes
Mostly
Always

Teacher uses a variety of strategies Never

including auditory, visual, movement, and Rarely
materials, to effectively interest students Sometimes
of all abilities and encourage their
Mostly
participation.
Always

Teacher is able to identify individual needs, Never

including students with special educational
Rarely
needs, and knows how to refer students if
needed. Sometimes
Mostly
Always

Teacher uses different types of questioning Never

with students and varies the amount of Rarely
instructions provided. Sometimes
Mostly
Always

Students have opportunities to suggest Never

and pursue activities that both interest Rarely
them and align with the learning objectives. Sometimes
Mostly
Always

The classroom is flexible, dynamic and Never

differentiated for interactive activities that Rarely
support all learning styles and abilities, e.g. Sometimes
using stations where students can work on Mostly
various tasks at their own pace and ability.
Always

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 Differentiation
Observable indicators

AREA CHOOSE COMMENTS

Students have opportunities to choose how Never

they wish to display or demonstrate their
Rarely
learning, e.g. models, poems, plays, debates,
compare/contrast etc. Sometimes
Mostly
Always

Teacher uses flexible grouping to group and Never

regroup students to support and extend Rarely
students’ learning. Sometimes
Mostly
Always

There are a range of safe, relevant, accurate, Never

engaging bias-free materials and resources Rarely
on display for play, exploration, construction
Sometimes
etc., for use across all subjects, including
familiar materials from local cultures Mostly
provided in target languages. Always

Materials are inclusive to students from Never

diverse backgrounds, genders and of Rarely
different abilities and the teacher promotes Sometimes
these positively.
Mostly
Always

Suggested questions for development dialogues:

1. What are the learning needs and differing abilities of your students?
How did you incorporate those needs in this lesson?
2. What strategies did you use to support students who had challenges?
3. How did you approach developing questions that extend learning?
4. What can you do for students who are finding the work too difficult?
What could you do for students who can be challenged with a harder level of work?
5. What other materials can you have used? How can you use existing materials in a more innovative way?
6. How might you develop your questioning technique to enable all children to answer questions correctly?

AGA KHAN FOUNDATION | CLASSROOM GUIDE 20

Individual & collaborative learning
Observable indicators

AREA CHOOSE COMMENTS

Teacher uses group work activities Never

effectively to promote students’ active Rarely
participation and collaboration.
Sometimes
Mostly
Always

All students are engaged in learning Never

activities throughout the lesson. Rarely
Sometimes
Mostly
Always

There is a wide range of structured Never

individual, pair, group and whole class Rarely
work, with smooth transitions between Sometimes
them. Mostly
Always

Teacher helps students to organise Never

themselves effectively in collaborative Rarely
learning, e.g. dividing work, team checks, Sometimes
monitoring participation. Mostly
Always

Teacher encourages students to work in Never

pairs or groups with students from diverse Rarely
backgrounds. Sometimes
Mostly
Always

During group work students present their Never

work to their peers in a variety of ways. Rarely
Sometimes
Mostly
Always

21 CLASSROOM GUIDE | AGA KHAN FOUNDATION

Individual & collaborative learning
Observable indicators

AREA CHOOSE COMMENTS

Teacher role models or draws attention to Never

ways in which students can be inclusive of Rarely
one another and include different ideas in
Sometimes
group interactions.
Mostly
Always

Students are given opportunities to reflect Never

on their role in the group, their interactions Rarely
with others, and how they manage Sometimes
disagreement and conflict.
Mostly
Always

Students are able to develop a sense of Never

self-efficacy and make decisions after Rarely
looking at the various viewpoints. Sometimes
Mostly
Always

Students are able to take on responsibilities Never

of both leading and participating in Rarely
a team. Sometimes
Mostly
Always

Suggested questions for development dialogues:

1. When is it appropriate or effective to use whole class teaching? Why?

What are the opportunities to replace whole class teaching with individual or collaborative learning?
2. What was the purpose of group work that you used in your class? How did you form groups?
How can you create more opportunities for collaborative learning using locally available resources
and relevant context?
3. How do you think the progression from individual to pair to group work helped students to learn?
4. How do you ensure groups work equitably (hold individuals responsible) and that they stay on task?
5. How do you ensure that all members of a group are contributing equally?
What can you do differently in cases when:
a. students are in disagreement
b. groups are off task
c. groups have one dominant member (or gender) or students who do not participate at all?
6. In what ways could you extend the group work, e.g. group presentations.

AGA KHAN FOUNDATION | CLASSROOM GUIDE 22

Learning to learn strategies
Observable indicators

AREA CHOOSE COMMENTS

Teacher models learning to learn, offers Never

guided instruction to improve students’
Rarely
skills, opportunities for peer support and
independent reflection or practice. Sometimes
Mostly
Always

Teacher extends learning by asking Never

open-ended and increasingly challenging
Rarely
questions to prompt students to elaborate
and engage in dialogue, and to help Sometimes
students think through how they will Mostly
approach a new task. Always

Students are encouraged to take learning

Never
risks and are happy to ask and answer
questions, even difficult ones. Rarely
Sometimes
Mostly
Always

Students are encouraged to openly talk Never

about their failure in a positive way and Rarely
teachers praise their efforts, not only the
Sometimes
outcomes.
Mostly
Always

Students are given opportunities to think Never

aloud or visualize how they will complete Rarely
a task and report their thoughts while
Sometimes
working through a task.
Mostly
Always

Students seek clarification and support Never

when they encounter barriers to learning.
Rarely
Sometimes
Mostly
Always

23 CLASSROOM GUIDE | AGA KHAN FOUNDATION

Learning to learn strategies
Observable indicators

AREA CHOOSE COMMENTS

Students are given guidance on how to take Never

effective and organised notes in class to Rarely
help them monitor their learning, questions
Sometimes
and materials.
Mostly
Always

Students are given opportunities to engage Never

in self-questioning and reflection of their Rarely
thinking patterns. Sometimes
Mostly
Always

Teacher provides opportunities for students Never

to work and brainstorm ideas in groups, Rarely
with mentors, and to discuss and appreciate Sometimes
different approaches amongst one Mostly
another.
Always

Teacher builds discussion about learning to Never

learn as part of the everyday classroom Rarely
vocabulary.
Sometimes
Mostly
Always

Suggested questions for development dialogues:

1. How did you provide opportunities for students to set up or think through how they would approach a
task? In what ways can you improve in this aspect?
2. What strategies do you use to encourage your students in independent thinking, exploration and a
healthy approach to making and learning from mistakes?
3. What strategies do you use to ensure students ask questions to each other, in groups and of themselves?
4. How do you employ mentoring and peer support to help students understand how they learn?
5. How do you determine student success? E.g. Test scores, learning, growth?
How do you encourage students to reflect on their own learning?

AGA KHAN FOUNDATION | CLASSROOM GUIDE 24

Feedback strategies
Observable indicators

AREA CHOOSE COMMENTS

Teacher provides specific feedback to Never

students that is useful for completing the
Rarely
task or improving performance.
Sometimes
Mostly
Always

Teacher delivers feedback in a positive Never

manner and avoids labelling and
Rarely
stereotypes.
Sometimes
Mostly
Always

Teacher consistently provides feedback to

Never
students, individually and in groups.
Rarely
Sometimes
Mostly
Always

Teacher provides feedback that focuses Never

on students’ effort and attitude and helps Rarely
to increase confidence, self-efficacy and Sometimes
self-esteem.
Mostly
Always

Teacher uses skillful questioning as a Never

strategy to build on students’ responses to Rarely
feedback, broaden students’ perspective Sometimes
and encourage self-awareness. Mostly
Always

If students are facing difficulties with a task, Never

the teacher finds something positive to Rarely
comment on; asks students to explain what Sometimes
is difficult and then tries to break down the
Mostly
task to reinforce students’ understanding.
Always

25 CLASSROOM GUIDE | AGA KHAN FOUNDATION

Feedback strategies
Observable indicators

AREA CHOOSE COMMENTS

Teacher asks another student to assist or Never

model the task and attempt another strategy
Rarely
to help struggling students.
Sometimes
Mostly
Always

Teacher provides additional information to Never

expand on students' understanding or Rarely
actions. Sometimes
Mostly
Always

There are opportunities for students to give Never

constructive feedback to each other. Rarely
Sometimes
Mostly
Always

Teacher provides feedback on homework Never

and in-class assessments that is connected Rarely
to a student’s overall learning objectives. Sometimes
Mostly
Always

Suggested questions for development dialogues:

1. What strategies did you use in your class to give feedback to students?
What do you notice when you give feedback? What is the effect on students?
2. How might you make your feedback more effective?
3. What are some other ways of giving feedback that may be more helpful to students’ learning?
4. When is feedback purposeful and what opportunities do students have to get feedback?
5. In what ways can you engage students in giving meaningful feedback to each other?

AGA KHAN FOUNDATION | CLASSROOM GUIDE 26

Assessment strategies
Observable indicators

AREA CHOOSE COMMENTS

Teacher uses a range of different Never

assessment strategies in an effective and
Rarely
consistent manner, e.g. formative,
summative, competency-based, Sometimes
self-assessment etc. Mostly
Always

Teacher uses informal observation Never

throughout the class to keep track of Rarely
student strengths and needs. Sometimes
Mostly
Always

Assessment strategies are an integral part Never

of the lesson and are used to improve Rarely
learning, set teaching strategies and set Sometimes
learning targets for students.
Mostly
Always

There are opportunities for student Never

self-assessment and peer assessment and Rarely
for students to set their own goals. Sometimes
Mostly
Always

Homework is consistently checked, and Never

timely feedback and support strategies are Rarely
given individually or as a whole class for
Sometimes
e.g. common mistakes or points well done.
Mostly
Always

Suggested questions for development dialogues:

1. How do you assess students’ learning? Are there other methods you can use?

2. How do you use assessment data to plan instruction?

3. How does your assessment of students assist their learning?

4. What strategies do you use to communicate success criteria to your students?

5. What records do you keep of students’ learning? What else can you do?

27 CLASSROOM GUIDE | AGA KHAN FOUNDATION

 References
Aga Khan Education Services (AKES). Teaching and Learning at the heart of school
improvement (DRAFT). London: Innovation Unit and AKES, 2017.

Aga Khan Foundation Pakistan. RCC: Classroom Observation Tool. Pakistan: AKF(P).

Association for Childhood Education International (ACEI). ACEI Global Guidelines Assessment
(GGA) An Early Childhood Care and Education Program Assessment. Washington: ACEI, 2011.

Bennet, T. Creating a Culture: How school leaders can optimize behaviour, Independent review
of behaviour in schools. Department for Education: London, 2017.

British Council. Teaching for Success - Continuous Professional Development (CPD) Framework
for Teachers. London: British Council, 2016.

Bruns et al. RISE Working Paper: Measures of effective teaching in developing countries, 2016

Gillespie, Marie. “Student–teacher connection in clinical nursing education.” Journal of

Advanced Nursing, 37(2002): 566-576.

Hamre, Bridget and Robert Pianta. “Early Teacher–Child Relationships and the Trajectory of
Children's School Outcomes through Eighth Grade.” Child Development 72 (2001): 625-638.

Hattie, John. Visible Learning: A synthesis of over 800 meta-analyses related to achievement.
New York: Routledge, 2009.

Husbands, C. and Jo Pearce. What makes great pedagogy? Nine claims from research,
National College for School Leadership: Nottingham, U.K., 2012

McKinsey, and Company. How to improve student educational outcomes: new insights from
data analytics. McKinsey and Company, 2017.

Murray, Chirstopher and Kimber Malmgren. “Implementing a teacher–student relationship

program in a high-poverty urban school: Effects on social, emotional, and academic adjustment
and lessons learned.” Journal of School Psychology 43:2(2005) 137-152.

OECD. Learning Framework 2030: The future of education and skills. Paris: OECD, 2018.

Pintrich, Paul. “The role of metacognitive knowledge in teaching, learning and assessing.”
Theory into Practice 41:4 (2002) 219-225.

Teachstone - CLASS. Effective-Teacher Child Interactions and Child Outcomes. Teachstone,

2017.

Thakur, Kalpana. “Differentiated instruction in the inclusive classroom.” Research Journal of

Educational Sciences. 2:7 (2014) 10-14.

The World Bank Group. Teach: Observer Manual (English). Washington, D.C.: World Bank
Group, 2018.

United Kingdom Department for Education. Standards for teachers’ professional development.
UK: Crown, 2016.

United Kingdom Department for Education. Teachers’ Standards: Overview. UK: Crown, 2011.

AGA KHAN FOUNDATION | CLASSROOM GUIDE 28

AGA KHAN FOUNDATION | CLASSROOM GUIDE 30
For more information, please visit www.akdn.org/akf

The Aga Khan Foundation brings together human, financial and technical resources to address some of the
challenges faced by the poorest and most marginalised communities in the world. Special emphasis is placed
on investing in human potential, expanding opportunity and improving the overall quality of life, especially for
women and girls. It works primarily in six areas: Agriculture and Food Security; Economic Inclusion; Education;
Early Childhood Development; Health and Nutrition; and Civil Society.

For over 100 years the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) has worked to ensure that students of all ages
have access to quality learning opportunities. The Network operates programmes and institutions that span the
educational ladder, from early childhood programmes to primary and secondary schools, from vocational
studies for youth and adults to university degrees and continuing professional development. Each year, the
AKDN reaches 2 million learners across 16 countries.

© Aga Khan Foundation 2019

Photo credits: AKDN / Christopher Wilton-Steer, Lucas Cuervo Moura