One Percent Better: Can the Kaizen Approach Transform Bangladeshi Classroom

Published on: August 5, 2026

Teacher brings lesson plan into classroom; student is prepared for learning in a system focused on achievement of the syllabus and exams. Lessons and learning are conducted within a time frame that is not sufficient to achieve learning outcomes. Time is limited for teachers and learners to cover learning goals. However, not all of the tests reveal if the students can apply the ideas or ask questions or solve problems they have never encountered. The difficulty is the lack of time for reflection and for little steps that will bring about improvements. This is where Kaizen can help. It is a way of thinking that dovetails into education and is a philosophy of continuous improvement. It is not about a major change but asks teachers, students and institutions to make small changes, look at the impact and then make further improvements.

The first step in the Kaizen process is to determine one learning problem. For instance, a science teacher can observe students can repeat the definition of photosynthesis but can't explain how sunlight impacts plant growth. Teacher then thinks about the 'what if'. Students may have learnt the definition without seeing an example or having an authentic conversation about the definition. Next, choose one "small change". Teacher can cut back on some of the lecture and add in a group activity. Students could be asked to compare the plants growing in various amounts of light, predict their outcome and give reasons for their prediction. The purpose is to conduct an experiment to find one solution to a specific problem. Teacher collects evidence. The extent to which the activity helped students to understand can be evidenced by the answers and questions the students gave, their participation and the written work produced by students. An exit note might include questions to ask students: What did you understand, what did you not understand? The teacher follows up by looking at the evidence. If students are now able to make a link from sunlight to plant growth the activity has been successful. The lesson is modified if there is still some confusion. Teacher can include a schematic of the experiment, a local agriculture example or a simple experiment. This "new" method is then retested. Lastly, when the method is continually proving to be a successful way to enhance learning, then it becomes a part of the teaching and can be shared with others. If he/she tries again, it is not considered failure. It offers data on the following improvement. Kaizen creates the habit of looking for a problem, understanding why it is a problem, trying something out, gathering evidence and making improvements to the lesson.

It's a strategy that students can apply as well. One learner working on analysis but unable to do this paragraph could submit one paragraph a week and provide a comparison and ask for feedback from the teacher on this paragraph, then work on the next paragraph using the feedback. Progress is slow, discernible and stimulating. A similar practice is carried out in Japan in the form of lesson study. Teacher Groups conduct research on a learning problem, develop a lesson, observe it, analyses it and make changes. Lesson study is a widely used method in Japan that enables teachers to learn together from their classroom practices (OECD, 2019). The co-operative work of teachers is still evident in Japan. The OECD TALIS 2024 findings indicate that 50 per cent of the lower-secondary teachers teach in a classroom together and 53 per cent talk with the teachers of specific students about the learning development of these students (OECD, 2025). This means that Professional Learning is a regular activity. Continuous-improvement approaches are also used in schools and districts in the U.S. The Plan-Do-Study-Act cycle is a model that guides educators to plan a change in their practice, enact it, examine evidence, and then test the plan again to further develop the practice. It puts an emphasis on working together, adaptation, gathering information and lifelong learning.

Bangladesh has been successful in increasing access to education however, learning quality is an issue. Before the onset of Covid-19, the rate of proficient readers among ten-year old school children was 43 percent and only 25 percent of secondary school graduates had only basic competencies, according to UNICEF Bangladesh. UNICEF Bangladesh (2026) indicates that according to the data of MICS 2025, 50.2 percent of children aged seven to fourteen has foundational reading skills, and 39.2 percent of them has foundational numeracy skills. The first step could be to establish small teacher-learning groups in the schools, colleges and universities of Bangladesh. Teachers could select one difficulty per month, experiment with one solution and discuss student work as a class once a month. Students were able to give some brief comments following lessons. It is possible to give an assessment of the corrected draft, application task and comments on how to improve the work, not just a final score.

School leaders need to foster an atmosphere which allows for careful experimentation. If all failures are met with a negative score, teachers will not report problems as they would face a huge burden in doing so. Trust, time and permission to learn from evidence is required for kaizen. Education authorities may be able to support schools in recording the changes that have been successfully implemented and disseminate these changes locally in their education network. Kaizen does not replace funding, infrastructure, teacher recruitment, or assessment reform. It can, however, facilitate these investments to be used in classrooms. It looks like a decision Bangladesh can't take this Bangladesh to transform the education system. However, when each lesson is one lesson that is designed to teach and improve, classrooms can be 1% better, and the education system can be a learning system.

Md. Amir Hossain is an undergraduate student of Environmental Science and Management at North South University, where he serves as a Teaching Assistant and Research Assistant.