Resetting How 500 Educators Communicate in EdTech
How we designed a cohort based, psychology driven inclusion and communication program to restore student trust and build respect at scale.
The challenge
The organisation was facing significant public backlash. Concerns had surfaced that some teachers were not communicating appropriately with students, including instances of behaviour that discriminated on the basis of culture, caste, and religion.
With a large, distributed teaching workforce and a brand built entirely on trust with students and parents, the organisation needed to act quickly and at scale. Core challenges included:
- Distributed Workforce: Managing communication consistency across 500+ remote educators.
- Brand Reputation: Mitigating public criticism and rebuilding student trust.
- Root Cause: Addressing implicit/unconscious biases rather than just prescribing rules.
Our approach
We designed an online, cohort based programme that reached 500 teachers across India. Rather than a single broadcast session, teachers moved through structured cohorts to facilitate deep engagement and personal reflection.
The curriculum was reverse engineered using organizational psychology principles:
Understanding Bias
Unpacking different types of unconscious biases and how they form in classroom interactions.
Inclusive Communication and Legal Implications
The program equipped educators with practical strategies, self-check-ins, and language guides to help them identify and interrupt unconscious bias in the moment. Educators and teachers were also sensitized to the legal implications of discriminatory speech and conduct within educational settings, enabling them to better understand their responsibilities in fostering respectful, equitable, and inclusive learning environments.
Impact and Outcome
The program generated strong engagement and a tangible shift in awareness among teachers around unconscious biases and their impact on students. Participants developed greater awareness of how everyday language, assumptions, and behaviours can influence inclusion and belonging, while gaining practical insights into creating psychologically safe spaces where students feel respected, heard, and valued.
"The program helped our educators move from defensiveness to genuine awareness. It gave us a consistent, shared standard of respectful communication across our 500 strong teaching base, directly addressing the conduct concerns."