Large scale research into school break times suggests relatively simple changes to daily routines could drastically reduce teachers’ exposure to UV radiation and risk of skin cancer. Ben Dexter tells Teacher more about the findings.

It’s no surprise that a teacher’s self-efficacy has a huge impact on their classroom teaching. But what aspects of work as a beginner teacher has an influence on how perceived self-efficacy develops? A research report has looked into this and we discuss the findings in this podcast episode.

Andreas Schleicher – Director for Education and Skills at the OECD and long-time Teacher columnist – joins us from Paris for this episode to give his take on all things 2020, talk about the longer term impacts of the school shutdowns and share how different education systems have responded to the pandemic restrictions.

You might’ve noticed we’ve been placing a real emphasis on wellbeing at Teacher recently. We’ve looked at new research into student wellbeing, resilience, and launched a new publication dedicated to educator wellbeing outside of the classroom. In today’s podcast we take you through anything you might have missed.

‘Being exposed to adversity is inevitable. How we manage and adapt as a response is what can make the difference between poor outcomes, or outcomes that signify growth from the experience.’ Dr Sarah Tillott explores resilience theory and the brain, and the importance of developing resilience skills from an early age.

Since 2018, a Tasmanian primary school has been on a journey of school improvement which as seen significant progress in student engagement and achievement, as well as staff retention and teacher welfare. The Principal and Assistant Principal join us in this podcast to discuss how this was achieved.

Our annual Teacher reader survey has just concluded for another year. As your responses have been coming in, we have been making note of your suggestions and requests, and have been reading about your experiences with the challenges of this pandemic. You’ve also let us know how you’re taking care of your own wellbeing outside of work.

What is biophilic design? How does it differ from sustainable design? And why should schools be taking a lead from early childhood settings in adopting this approach for projects and programs? Architect and author Sarah Scott discusses biophilic design and its benefits in today’s article.

‘These are unprecedented times and teachers have done an incredible job adapting to the many challenges the pandemic has presented.’ In her latest Teacher article, Julia Gillard discusses how Australian schools have been putting a greater focus on mental health and wellbeing, and shares advice and resources to support staff, students and families.

Researchers from Macquarie University and QUT conducted a series of interviews with students to hear their memories of former teachers to determine the quality and consistency of these relationships over time. In today’s article, Associate Professor Penny Van Bergen shares some of the key findings to come from the research.