Articles

Many students across the world are engaging with Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the classroom. In this article, we share five resources on the use of AI in the classroom from various online databases.

A new Australian study exploring reading enjoyment, reading frequency and student achievement has challenged the gender stereotype that boys prefer non-fiction, underscoring the importance of all students being given access to a wide range of genres and text types from an early age.

Do teachers in state schools encounter the same work stressors as their colleagues working in the private sector? And if so, what are those stressors? Jude Brady and Dr Elaine Wilson from the University of Cambridge in the UK have collected and analysed data from 40 teachers to find out more.

At Skillset Senior College, a senior secondary school educating young people experiencing barriers to schooling, Dr Martin Hughes has been investigating the efficacy of the wellbeing and mental health strategies they have in place. Here, he shares more about his research and some of the early findings.

The FlexiSpace initiative in Queensland is aimed at reconnecting disengaged students and supporting them to stay at school. Evaluations of the pilot and first phase of expansion provide early evidence of their effectiveness. Peter Kelly, Deputy Director-General at Queensland Department of Education, shares details of the approach, and the impact it’s having in participating schools.

A new study has explored job titles and descriptions for school librarian jobs advertised in the United States and Australia to assess the emphasis placed on a school librarian’s role in promoting reading for pleasure. Researchers found ‘Australian school librarians are far more likely to be expected to foster reading for pleasure’.

Ahead of ACER’s Research Conference next month, we sat down with Professor Rich Lehrer from Vanderbilt University to discuss his research that explores science and mathematics education for elementary school students in the US. He also gives listeners a taste of what he’ll be sharing at the conference and why he decided to name his keynote address ‘Accountable Assessment’.

Reading for pleasure has been shown to have a powerful influence on children’s learning. In our latest reader submission about learning during lockdown, Junior School Curriculum Director Vanessa Collins shares details of the ‘Just Read’ action research project to build a culture of reading at Sydney’s Queenwood School for Girls, and ignite in students a love of reading for pleasure.

NAIDOC Week is a chance for schools in Australia to celebrate the rich histories, diverse cultures and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The official celebrations run from 4-11 July, but there are lots of teaching and learning resources that can be used throughout the year.

In the first article in a three-part series on virtual reality in education, Dr Susan O’Donnell and Adrian Rayner explain how virtual reality has been used in many industries and commercial products over decades, why using it comes so naturally to 21st Century learners, and why virtual reality represents exciting learning possibilities for students and teachers alike.