Assessing veteran educators in technical fields requires a shift from “inspection” to “collaboration.” These teachers often possess deep institutional memory and hands-on expertise that a checklist can’t capture. One of the methodology to assess them while keeping their dignity and ego intact is to rename the Assessment. This is especially true when learning and information is everywhere in the modern times and does not necessarily need a campus.

As they say, choice of words matter. Terms like “Performance Review” or “Audit” are better avoided when dealing with Senior Trainers. Maybe calling it as “Knowledge Sharing Sessions” where the projection is that the assessment is a way for them to document their expertise for the next generation. Or call it “Strategic Benchmarking” where we position assessment as a high-level alignment with industry standards rather than a critique of their teaching style. Teachers in India are still revered and whatever is done has to be with this in mind. Even an imaginary negation of this reverence in public especially with students in audience, would definitely result in immense negative repercussions.

In my experience as a trainee, then a trainer and manager of trainers, trainer of trainer, what really a great Trainer does in a class? It is not delivering domain subject; they go way beyond that. They are far more holistic than we can really imagine. When assessing teachers for 10-20 minutes, especially senior teachers observing their class and then offering criticism can be highly detrimental and often ineffective if not handled with great care and objectivity. Anyone would agree that when there is an observer watching over our shoulder, the entire classroom environment is altered. Teaching become unauthentic too, however senior they are there would be performance anxiety (deliver to expectation of assessors, not students anymore), lack of spontaneity (handy when a teacher faces an unexpected question, or even re-calibrate the pace based on engagement), In such scenario assessor would end up making wrong conclusion and may not be a reflection of a trainer’s everyday skill. To quote an equivalence an observation is just a snapshot, and not an entire movie. The trainer’s class is not disjoint set of topical delivery but a series of carefully woven & intricate yet contiguous sub-units (for e.g. it may be bang in the middle of a multi-period unit or even the end. When an assessor begins assessing at this, there is lack of context in terms of student learning, unit’s learning outcome or even the previous coverage. The assessment becomes superficial and criticism becomes non-constructive. It is like judging the entire movie based on a Screenshot.

Very often assessor’s style becomes the prism to judge performance of other Trainer. This lack of similarity in styles may not be necessarily pedagogically unsound. I use humour a lot even when teaching Electronics (especially Measurement systems need a lot of it else it works better than best sedative). And there is risk of confirmation bias too. Criticism was focussed on perceived flaws and not necessarily on measurable outcomes. Most importantly, the exercise would undermine allowable professional autonomy and even trust. It would definitely demoralise and result in loss of trust on the administration, whereas the expectation is that the processes foster growth.

A senior trainer faring well on measurable metrics validates them as trainers. Not my point there is no need to assess or improve. My emphasis on using objective metrics. To quote a real example during an assessment process: A senior trainer teaching well for over 10 years, when asked to rate herself on scale of 1 to 4 rated herself level 2 because she felt there is always scope of improvement and learning, was dissed with statements like, “”are you training being at level 2 and messed with students who need level 4“. This is where I differentiate between criticism and feedback. We need to establish a clear metrics that would help both sides in making life easier and better for every stakeholder.

Though not related to pedagogy I had an interesting argument on management style with Late Dr Reguraj of NTTF on our management styles. He was convinced when I said that if we were to interchange our styles, we will end up as a pathetic sideshow. To clarify It was being a democratic or autocratic leadership styles. I did not have the persona, experience, wisdom or bandwidth like him to lead for a autocratic leadership style which worked for him for nearly 6 decades (evident in the heights that the organisation reached)

Often in my experience a Peer-to-Peer Model has helped avoiding senior teachers feeling patronized if assessment is performed by resources (especially from HR or Administration which is most often the process in Indian Organisations. Problem is compounded if they are younger in age both physical and age in the organisation. One of the ways that we overcame this when I was working with a reputed University was to bring in External SMEs. They are more likely to accept feedback from someone they perceive as a true peer who understands the technical grind and not a HR or administration who has no skin in this game (as seen from the lenses of the Teacher being assessed). It is also true in case of an assessor from the domain irrespective of age but not acknowledged widely as an authority of the domain.

Focus on “Modernization” over “Competence”. Never question their fundamental knowledge. Instead, focus the assessment on how they adapt that knowledge to new tools. “Your grasp of Robotic Arm dynamics is undisputed. Let’s look at how we can integrate this new simulation software into your lab sessions.”  This frames the gap as a technological shift, not a personal failure. If I were to suggest, there is no need to carry out an assessment of senior teachers focussing on technical or domain grounds. Focus rather on the pedagogical process and classroom management or engagement abilities. The basic assumption here is that the senior teacher’s domain expertise is a given (if not, he/she has no business to be in the role in the first place)

Implement 360-Degree “Growth” Feedback. Instead of a top-down verdict, use a more holistic approach, start with self-appraisal first: This would let them lead giving a sense of ownership of the process. Seek suggestion on where they feel the department needs to go and what support they need to get there. Most important is how student impact is presented. There is no doubt that it has to be used but use it with care, filter it. In a tech training context, it is better to focus on clarity and Industry Readiness rather than Likability scores. Anyone would agree likability is actually trivial to a senior academic who is programmed to think that he is not here to win a Popularity contest.

Outcome can be drastically useful for all stakeholders if we drive the conversation towards how system at the end of the process would be a legacy that they leave behind for generations to come. Appeal to their role as mentors. Ask them to demonstrate their teaching methods so that the institution can “standardize their excellence.” Sit in their class to “learn their secrets” of student engagement. While doing this you get to see their performance, but they feel like they are being consulted for their wisdom.

Some Tips based on My experience

Having made the point, it is a given that things need to keep pace and keep changing. A key cog in the VET space is the Trainer and getting them to get better, is a mandate. Factoring the Banyan equivalence (reverence), we also need to consider that while we used to value teachers for their vast domain knowledge, a student can Google a fact in seconds. We should assess senior teachers not on what they know, but on how they teach students to filter, verify, and apply what the web provides. It helps to think of them as a Strategist not a Sage, as a Curator of contextualiser of information, from being controller to facilitator of learning. A senior teacher’s value lies in teaching insights not delivering information. Therefore, their assessment should focus on their ability to build a student’s “learning muscles”—critical thinking, synthesis, and curiosity—rather than their ability to produce high scorers on a static test. Ascertain trainers are able to move beyond Syllabus compliance to Skill Architecting, helping students learn independently. I remember a couple of Teachers of my times – Mr Basudev Ganguly, Mr Chandrashekhar, Mr Vivek Nayak, Mr Anil Kumar in the VET space and Ms Usha Madhavan or Ms Prabha in my Primary schools. Looking back they were way ahead of times

Red-Line Phrases, Avoid these at any cost.

• The data shows your performance is dipping.
• Younger teachers are doing this better.
• You need to change your old-school ways.

Green-Light Phrases. Try and use these

• We want to document your ‘secret sauce’ for the department.
• How can the institution support your vision for this lab?
• Your experience is vital for our upcoming accreditation/audit.

When I was Principal in a reputed Technical Training School, I had an approach for my direct reportees where I start by acknowledging their years of service & also specific technical expertise. Generally I start with a “Soft-Landing” question like, “”Having seen the department evolve over the years, what is the biggest change you’ve noticed in the quality of students we are getting now?” This respects their tenure and allows them to vent about modern student challenges before I pivoted on to teaching methods. My approach to finding if the teacher was on top of the modern trends (without asking in so many words) to ask them, “If budget wasn’t an issue, what one piece of technology or lab equipment would you bring in to make your subject more hands-on for today’s industry?”  This while being a feedback to act on, also reveals if they are keeping up with industry trends without me asking, “Do you know what’s new?”

To get them to a high and open up even more, I generally would explore in their own words which of their teaching modules creates the biggest ‘Aha!’ moment for the students? And nudge them to answer how can we help them to scale that impact” This approach focuses on their success & also allows us to suggest digitizing or modernizing that specific module.

It is obvious that Kaizens are not preserve of a manufacturing industry alone. There is always a better way to do things even in education and training field. With rapidlychanging technology scenario it is obvious there could be a definite skill gap. Instead of framing it as a personal gap we can shift it as one of Institutional gap when we ask questions like  “With industry standards shifting toward things like [AI/Automation/Green Tech], where do you feel our current curriculum—or even our faculty support—needs a boost?”

As an ego massage and reinforcing it as a leader (Mentorship Feeling), and as an indicator of their teaching philopshopy nudge them to answer question like, ““The junior faculty often look to you for guidance. What is the one ‘golden rule’ of technical training you think they should never forget?” This works exceedingly well as we now seek their expertise, not test their expertise.

To summarise, shift the mindset from “I am checking your performance”, to “I am seeking your expertise to upgrade the department.”  Avoid the Boss’s Office vibe. Meet over tea or in their cabin. Use terms like Strategic Vision, Legacy, Industry Alignment, and Institutional Pillar. Don’t dump raw student complaints. Translate them into Opportunities for Modernization. The core issue with most processes is its obsession with perfecting the past. Most working overtime to raise test scores, essentially getting better at a game that no longer matters. In the middle of a global shift, doubling down on outdated metrics isn’t progress—it’s a distraction. We need to stop polishing the old system and start reimagining the skills, literacies, and outcomes our children actually need to thrive today. Remember! Today’s students have not seen a world without Internet, notwithstanding the Digital Divide. The assessment process more often than not doesn’t factor the fact that use of technology to find answer is a norm today, not an exception except when they come to the campuses. Determine the readiness to address this, not based on assessors’ outdated understanding of who a perfect trainer is. Assessment should help the organisation decide, if a senior teacher is just a human textbook, in which case they are redundant. If they are a coach for the “learning skill,” they are indispensable.

Knowledge being a commodity is a click away today. Knowing things isn’t the goal, Learning how to learn is