Long reads

In today’s Q&A we catch up with Dr Dan Cloney – a Senior Research Fellow in the Education Policy and Practice Program and a Member of the Centre for Global Education Monitoring at the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) – to discuss early years transitions, assessment and learning progressions.

There is much talk about the impact that artificial intelligence-powered chatbots like ChatGPT will have on students, teachers and traditional classroom learning. But what is ChatGPT exactly? And how will it affect the way we approach assessment, issues of equity, and policy decisions in the future? In today’s article, we speak to 3 experts to find out more.

Learning Specialist Angela Myler says an understanding of the complexities of twice-exceptional students is paramount to be able to cater to their diverse learning needs, so that both disability and gifts are given the attention they deserve.

Researchers from the University of Queensland are determined to help teachers to improve the air quality in their classrooms, improve students’ cognitive performance and decrease the risk of contracting COVID-19 at the same time.

In today’s expert Q&A, ACER Research Fellow Dr Amy Berry explores the challenges teachers face when engaging students in the classroom, the impact this has on students’ wellbeing and sense of belonging, and how teachers can cultivate a culture of engagement in their classrooms.

Research by eSafety tells us that 45% of Australian children said they were treated in a hurtful or nasty way online in the past year. This Safer Internet Day, Australia’s eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant is encouraging every Australian to moderate their own online behaviour to help stem the negativity and abuse that permeate many parts of the internet.

The new school year is set to begin here in Australia so educators around the country will be starting to think about all the significant events and themes to tie into their lesson planning this year. To make things easier for you, we’ve rounded up some of the key dates to add into your calendar to ensure you don’t miss them.

‘Teachers having space to discuss their emotions and the issues that evoke them leads to a higher probability of finding creative and collaborative ways to manage them,’ Dr Jean Hopman writes in her article on how to navigate the emotional work of teaching.

Dr Carly Sawatzki and Dr Jill Brown from Deakin University discuss findings from their Economics + Maths = Financial Capability Research Report, what they learned from young people and professional educators during the research, and what they want to see happen next.

In this year’s Teacher survey, lots of you wanted more information on how best to support students targeted by cyberbullying. Dr Roberta Thompson is a Research Fellow at the Griffith Institute for Educational Research. Here, she discusses strategies to help teachers feel more confident in dealing with cyberbullying, related research findings, and helpful resources.