Articles

Australian students’ literacy achievement has remained steady in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to results from the 2021 Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS). In today’s article we look at some of the factors influencing year 4 students’ performance on the assessment, and how their results compare internationally.

‘A parent who is now told that their child’s reading is "developing" in each of years 3, 5, 7 and 9 is never likely to know what that means.’ Professor Geoff Masters AO says recent changes to NAPLAN reporting won’t help teachers and parents, and are ‘bewildering’.

How we can improve the continuity of learning from birth to 12 years? That is the question that will be explored at Research Conference 2023, held in Sydney on 3 and 4 September. In this Q&A, we speak with Conference Convener and ACER Senior Research Fellow Dr Claire Scoular, about the conference theme.

School Assembly is the podcast that explores what it takes to build a new school from the ground up. In Series 1 we’re following Principal Dr Ray Boyd and Associate Principal Rachael Lehr at Dayton Primary School in Western Australia. In Episode 9 we talk about how educational research is the foundation for everything at the school – from classroom teaching to leadership.

In the second of 3 articles about research into Problem Based Learning in schools, teachers involved in the project discuss how it has enabled them to reconsider their classroom practice and the conditions necessary for meaningful STEM learning.

Researchers from the University of York are hoping to address teacher shortages in the UK by recruiting new teacher graduates to the profession using online games and simulations. The 3-year project also aims to build a better understanding of what might attract STEM undergraduates to teaching.

Experiencing grief is something we will all confront at some point in our lives, but navigating a death in the school community, when you also need to support your students, can be really challenging. In this Q&A, we’re joined by author Hazel Edwards OAM to unpack her new book, Grief and Loss in Schools: A Resource for Teachers.

While ChatGPT can save students time from searching through textbooks or online databases, the AI-generated content is not always accurate. Steve Brophy from Ivanhoe Grammar School in Victoria assigned students the task of testing the fallibility of ChatGPT with the lesson activity: Would you lie to me?

In the first of 3 articles about a new Australian project researching Problem Based Learning in schools, Associate Professor Kathy Smith and Dr Jennifer Mansfield discuss the role of teachers as co-researchers and share educator insights on 4 key aspects of the experience.

‘Schools everywhere face ongoing challenges in better preparing young people for their future and ensuring that every student learns successfully and meets high expectations.’ Professor Geoff Masters AO argues addressing these challenges will require fundamental reform of the framework within which schools operate.