Survey Finds Early-Grade Classrooms Offer Few Chances to Speak
A survey of 1,050 early-grade classrooms in nine states finds children mostly quiet, with limited speaking, peer interaction and differentiated teaching.
Young children in the early grades spend much of their classroom time listening rather than speaking, asking questions or learning from one another, according to the Teaching Learning Practices Survey (TLPS) 2025.
The study, conducted by the New Delhi-based education non-profit Language and Learning Foundation (LLF), examined Grade 1 and Grade 2 classrooms across nine states. It covered 1,050 classrooms and focused on the teaching of language and mathematics.
Quiet classrooms, few chances to speak
In nearly two-thirds of the classrooms observed, children were mostly quiet, with limited opportunities to speak freely, interact with teachers or learn from their peers.
More than half of the teachers directed their questions mainly to the whole class. This tended to produce answers in unison, making it harder for teachers to judge whether individual students had grasped the lesson. Only a small number of teachers used methods to check the understanding of individual students.
Teaching methods and language use
Differentiated teaching, which tailors instruction to children at different learning levels, was used by just 30 per cent of teachers. Teachers also made limited use of children's real-life experiences and open-ended questions during oral language activities.
A gap emerged in the use of home languages. While 73 per cent of teachers knew the home languages spoken by their students, only 10 per cent used them consistently to support participation and understanding.
How classroom time is spent
Children were off-task for 27 per cent of classroom time. Of the time they were engaged, 32 per cent went into listening to or watching the teacher or another child read, or copying from the blackboard. A further 17 per cent was spent on choral repetition or answering together.
Teaching-learning materials were not used by children in 53 per cent of classrooms.
The findings point to the need for early-grade classrooms to become more interactive, with more opportunities for children to speak, take part in activities and learn from one another. Greater use of learning materials, open-ended questions and children's everyday experiences could also make classroom learning more engaging.
LLF was founded in 2015 and works with governments across India to improve foundational literacy and numeracy, mainly by strengthening teaching practices, teacher training and education systems.