Beyond Training: What Teachers Need to Transform Learning Koji MiyamotoTara BeteilleMaria Felda Alarkon September 15, 2026 This page in: English

Beyond Training: What Teachers Need to Transform Learning Koji MiyamotoTara BeteilleMaria Felda Alarkon September 15, 2026 This page in: English https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/education/beyond-training--what-teachers-need-to-transform-learning On a quiet Monday morning, a teacher at Amban Elementary School in South Cotabato, Philippines, asks her grade 1 students a simple but powerful question: "What color is your feeling today — and what made it that color?" Small hands shoot up. Six-year-olds reach not just for crayons, but for words to describe their inner worlds. This is social-emotional learning (SEL) in action — not an abstract concept buried in a policy document, but a living practice woven into an ordinary school day. Teachers had long been practicing SEL without necessarily calling it by name; training helped them recognize and apply these practices with greater intention. The change is visible: teachers now adjust instruction to learners' needs and deliberately nurture curiosity, confidence, and belonging — which, among the school's predominantly Indigenous Peoples students, has translated into greater participation and engagement in class.